The Moonstone Trail is a fantastic alternative tour hiking a road that is part of the Inca Quarry Trail and reaches Machu Picchu. This option, like others, has been popularized due to the limited permissions of the famous Inca Trail that run out very quickly. Those who are looking for an authentic peruvian experience, this will be a beautiful and unforgettable adventure
The Moonstone Trail is named after an ancient and mysterious stone carving called in quechua “Quillarumiyuc” (Moonstone). This route runs through original rough seldom-visited Andean villages, explore ancient Inca ruins and be surrounded by stunning mountain scenery.
However, this alternative through a remote route of the Moonstone Trail is also part of the Inca Trail (Inca Trail is an extensive network of roads from Ecuador to Chile in South America)
Andean landscapes, a steep mountain range, stone quarries used by the Incas (Cachiccata quarry), temples and royal residences await you along the way.
The Inca Quarry Trail is the most important road in the area and the Moonstone Trail is part of this road.
This trail is an alternative with few visitors, does not require permits and connects you with the nature of the Andes to never forget it.
The best season for hike the Moonstone Trail
The “standard” time for the vast majority of travelers to walk the Moonstone Trail is from April to October because it corresponds to the dry season (with some rains and cloudy days in April and October).
From November to March, the route is complicated, the roads are difficult, most of the day is cloudy. However, there are travelers who love this type of extreme circumstances, if you like contact us.
The landscapes change completely, if you clear the day you can see another type of nature around with brushstrokes of green tones, snowy mountain ranges and smells of fresh and renewed land.
Most of the times in rainy season, Machu Picchu ruins has a thick mist, and is not possible to watch the Huana Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain.
Best dates to do the Moonstone Trek to Machu Picchu
Between May and August the weather is dry, temperatures are warm in the day and frigid at night (21 ° C and 3 ° C on average). The landscape is between green and yellow, the sky is blue and the sun shines bright almost every day.
Trek Brienfing
Prior to the trek adventure, you need to know all extensive information about this tour. You will meet with your guide who will give you the activities you will be engaging in and will clarify any existing concerns you may have.
Availability 2022 - 2023
The availability for Moonstone Trek to Machu Picchu is based on the ticket attainability to Machu Picchu for the last day (5th day of itinerary). We recommend the first hour to visit Machu Picchu (6 am). You can change choose other hour, when you click in the calendar's title.
Please contact Us for more information about this Alternative
Please contact Us for more information about this Alternative
Please contact Us for more information about this Alternative
DAY 1: Cusco – Quillarumiyoc – Chillipahua
Included today: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch.
After your breakfast, our guide will come pick you up at your hotel with our touristic bus for a ride that will last about an hour.
Then, we will arrive to the “pampa de Anta” where you will appreciate the work of the Incas and the carved stones in the center of Quillarumiyoc .
The Incas used to own this place for many reasons: its views, its position and its connection with the mother Earth.
We will then take a bus for 25 minutes to go to the village of Huarocondo, and start walking for about 2 hours to get to the Watta archaeological center (3700m), which is a pre-inca construction.
Lunch will be taken after an other 20 minutes walk. The last 2 hours walk will lead us to our campsite in the Chillipahua valley (3700m).
- Accomodation for today: Camp .
- Min Altitude: 3331 m. / 10719 ft.
- Max Altitude: 3700 m. / 12140 ft.
- Distance to walk for today: 12 Km. / 7.46 mi.
- Difficulty of this day: 3.
- Time Statics for this day: Start and End Time: 06:00 am to 06:00 pm, Total enjoying hours for today: 12:0 hours, Total Walking Time: 08:00 hours,
DAY 2: Chillipahua – Chancachuco
Included today: Box Lunch, Dinner, Lunch.
Warm coffee, nice food… You will be ready after a delicious breakfast to start your day which will be completely different than the previous one.
Along the way, we will go through several local communities and have a look at their daily lives. You will see that it is as if the Incas have not left the place, the people there are still living following the traditions.
We will then go further and further away from the civilization and be in the middle of colored mountains at an elevation reaching 4400 m.
We will go to the top of a reddish mountain and appreciate the view over the other mountains around covered by snow, and finally head to our campsite, Chancachuco (4325 m).
- Accomodation for today: Camp .
- Min Altitude: 3700 m. / 11907 ft.
- Max Altitude: 4400 m. / 14436 ft.
- Distance to walk for today: 7 Km. / 4.35 mi.
- Difficulty of this day: 3.
- Time Statics for this day: Start and End Time: 06:00 am to 06:00 pm, Total enjoying hours for today: 12:0 hours, Total Walking Time: 08:00 hours,
DAY 3: Chancachuco – Sun Gate – Cachiccata
Included today: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch.
Today we will go down little by little to a valley where you can appreciate the work of the Inca and their engineering.
They knew how to bring the water from other far away places and how to use the earth to grow their own food like potatoes, quinua, quiwicha and corn.
We will then keep going down to the Chilca Valley to get a wonderful view over the Veronica mountain, where no agencies and no tourist go because we created the route ourselves.
After a 3 hours walk, we will be in front of the Inti Punku (Inca Sungate) which is at the top of the “Buena Negra” mountain. Later on we will go down to the Inca pits where we will stay overnight at our campsite.
- Accomodation for today: Camp .
- Min Altitude: 3525 m. / 11343 ft.
- Max Altitude: 3940 m. / 12927 ft.
- Distance to walk for today: 8 Km. / 4.97 mi.
- Difficulty of this day: 3.
- Time Statics for this day: Start and End Time: 06:00 am to 06:00 pm, Total enjoying hours for today: 12:0 hours, Total Walking Time: 09:00 hours,
DAY 4: Cachiccata – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes
Included today: Box Lunch, Breakfast, Dinner.
After having breakfast we will go explore the Inca pits where we will discover and appreciate their stone carving, which is the only place to enjoy this type of work.
This ancient Inca quarry gives the name to main road: Inca Quarry Trail.
The best architects of the time chose this place to convert it in a stone mine, where they were carved and then lifted down to Ollantaytambo.
We can nowadays follow the same way and look at the stones left aside all along the path, which we will do in order to reach the village.
There, you will have a 20 minutes guided tour in Ollantaytambo to have a look at many Inca constructions before boarding the train and head to Aguas Calientes. We will have dinner together and stay overnight in a hotel.
- Accomodation for today: Hotel .
- Min Altitude: 2040 m. / 6565 ft.
- Max Altitude: 2792 m. / 9161 ft.
- Distance to walk for today: 7 Km. / 4.35 mi.
- Difficulty of this day: 3.
- Time Statics for this day: Start and End Time: 06:00 am to 06:00 pm, Total enjoying hours for today: 12:0 hours, Total Walking Time: 06:00 hours,
DAY 5: Aguas Calientes (Machu Pichu town) – Machu Picchu Ruins – Cusco
Included today: Breakfast.
Breakfast will be taken early in order to take the bus and arrive at Machu Pichu before the rush. The tour with our guide inside the ruins will not last more than 2 hours, but you will have free time afterwards to explore the city on your own.
Later on, we will go back down to Aguas Calientes to take the train and go to Ollantaytambo. There, our bus will bring us back to Cusco and then directly to your hotel.
- Time Statics for this day: Start and End Time: 06:00 am to 06:00 pm, Total enjoying hours for today: 12:0 hours,
Included in this Tour:
- 4 Breakfasts/ 5 Lunches/ 5 Dinners.
- Bathroom tent.
- Comfortable tent for 4 persons.
- Cooks.
- Dinning room tent.
- Drinking water.
- Emergency horse.
- Entrance ticket for Machu Pichu.
- Horses carrying 8 kg of luggages per each person.
- Hotel in Aguas Calientes town.
- Kitchen tent.
- Mattresses.
- Muleteers.
- Oxygen tank.
- Round bus ticket from Aguas Calientes town to Machu Pichu- machupicchu to aguas calientes town.
- Round train ticket from Ollantaytambo to Machu Pichu- machupicchu to ollantaytambo-cusco.
- Tables and chairs.
- Tourist guide fluent in English, Spanish and quechua.
- Transport to bring you to the start of the trek.
Not Included
- Lunch for the 5th day.
- Sleeping bag.
- Tips for the Crew, cook and muleteers.
- Walking Sticks.
Extras for aditional fee
- Sleeping bag.
- Walking Sticks.
What to Bring
- Camera.
- Flashlight.
- gloves.
- Hat for the sun and for the cold.
- Hiking shoes, trousers and jumpers.
- Hiking sticks.
- Mosquito repellent.
- Original passport.
- Raincoat.
- Sleeping bag.
- Sunglasses.
- Sunscreen.
- Toilet Paper.
- Wet Wipes.
Our prices for this tour:
Disccount for this tour:
Students: Discount of $20, but you have to supply us with a copy of your ISIC card when you make the booking. Children up to 15 years of age will be charged as students, under the condition that you supply us with a copy of the passport at the time of booking time.
Departure for: 2024 - 2025
Every Day.
Important:
- Camelbaks ( or water bottle).
- comfortable Daypack.
- comfortable hiking boots.
- immigration card.
- Original passport.
- valid student card.
Gear inside your Daypacks
- 2 Hiking pants.
- 3 sets of hiking socks.
- 4 Sets s-shirt.
- Camera.
- Fleece.
- For your Duffel.
- Hand sanitizer.
- headlamp essencial.
- Personal backpack.
- Personal Medications.
- Rain jacket and pants.
- sleeping bag recommend down bags for -10c at least.
- Sunscreen.
- Toilet Paper.
- toothbrush and paste.
- water proof jacket.
- Wet Wipes.
Our Reviews
Amazing experience and unforgettable staff!
Amazing 4d and 3n Inca Quarry trek
Quarry Trek in Ollantaytambo
Unforgettable Experience!!
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