Choquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu 9 Days

Starting from the Inca town Choquequirao, considered as Machupicchu’s brother, this 9 days trek to choquequirao combines all the adventure you are looking for. This walk will give you a full understanding of the last Inca’s lives and also amazing views along the way.
Choquequirao means Golden Cradle. You will appreciate the area which contains silver and golden mines all the way until Yanama.
The trek of Choquequirao is an alternative walk to get to Machupicchu through the mountains and valleys with snowy mountains. Our campsites are picked carefully to enable you to feel the wonders that Mother Earth has to offer. The views are just so beautiful. You won’t regret it

The briefing

One or two days before leaving to Choquequirao Trek, we will give you all the information you need, explaining you the route we will take day per day.
Our briefing will take place in your hotel in Cusco with our guide who will help you with anything you need and want to know.

DAY 1: Cusco – Cachora – Capuliyoc – Rosaspata baja

Included today: Dinner, Lunch.

Our first day will start from Cusco until the community of Cachora, which is a 4 hours drive with our touristic bus. Cachora – Capuliyoc is our starting point of the trek towards the Valley of Apurimac, and the walk will lead us to a zigzag route going downhill.

You will appreciate the wonderful view over the Padriyoc mountains and the diversity of plants and birds all along the way to Choquequirao. After 1 hour and a half, we will arrive for lunch before the Apurimac river at the famous Chikisca. We will then keep going down to reach the Apurimac river, also called Playa Rosalinda.
We will cross a bridge and from there, we will walk up for 2 hours on a zigzag path to arrive at our campsite in Rosaspata baja, with a breath-taking view over the Apurimac Valley.

  • Accomodation for today: Camp .
  • Min Altitude: 1200 m. / 3862 ft.
  • Max Altitude: 2800 m. / 9187 ft.
  • Distance to walk for today: 15 Km. / 9.32 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: Rosaspata baja –Marampata – Choquequirao

Included today: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch.

The second day will start with a big and delicious breakfast to get the energy we need for the walk to come. We will leave at 7:00 am to walk up for 2:35 hours and arrive at a flat area called Maranpata, an observation point over the Huanipaca mountains and the Corihuairachina mountains.

We will rest there to appreciate the views and eat our snacks. Later on, we will keep going to reach the control point of Choquequirao where the guide will have to show all the documents, and cross to get to the campsite. It is 2 more hours to arrive there, which is very close to the archeological site of Choquequirao. Along the way, we will see many flowers, plants of the jungle like bamboo and huge trees. With the walk going down, we will meet many microclimates during the journey until the refuge of the last Incas.

  • Accomodation for today: Camp .
  • Min Altitude: 2800 m. / 9010 ft.
  • Max Altitude: 3000 m. / 9843 ft.
  • Distance to walk for today: 11 Km. / 6.84 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: 07:00 hours,

DAY 3: Choquequirao trek Ruins – Pinchaunuyoc

Included today: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch.

After getting up early, we will take our breakfast and pursue our adventure. We will start walking at around 7:00 am to explore all the Inca’s constructions of Choquequirao because our day will be short to go around the site and be able to see everything. The most important places are the main square and the Sun’s flames.
We will explore the ruins step by step to understand why did the Incas come here and how did they do to resist against the enemies.
We will eat on the site before finishing to discover Choquequirao trek and follow the Inca trail which will lead us to our campsite. The path will go up for 30 minutes to the top, which will enable us to take amazing photos of the ruins.

It then goes down for about 3 hours, where we will have time to appreciate the diversity of the Andes’ landscapes, animals and plants before reaching the campsite of Pinchaunuyoc.

  • Accomodation for today: Camp .
  • Min Altitude: 3100 m. / 9976 ft.
  • Max Altitude: 2200 m. / 7218 ft.
  • Distance to walk for today: 10 Km. / 6.21 mi.
  • Difficulty of this day: 3.
  • Time Statics for this day: Start and End Time: 08:00 am to 06:09 pm, Total enjoying hours for today: 10:9 hours, Total Walking Time: 07:00 hours,

DAY 4: Pinchaunuyoc – Rio Blanco –Maizal

Included today: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch.

Pinchaunoyoc is an Inca enclosure where we can enjoy their great work through large farming terraces.
We will take breakfast at the campsite and start walking at around 8:00 am, to reach at the end of the journey the 4th campsite in the Maizal mountain.
The path will go down for an hour to the Rio Blanco, a clean water which comes from the snowy mountains of Corihuairachina. We will also enjoy seeing big areas where it is possible to observe mountain bears.
From Rio Blanco, the walk goes up for 4 hours to arrive at the campsite, but you will be rewarded with wonderful views over all mountains and valleys of Yanama, Rio Blanco and the Apurimac river.

Moreover, you will love seeing waterfalls and rivers going down from the snowy mountains going through the Inca trail from Choquequirao all the way to Machupicchu.

  • Accomodation for today: Camp .
  • Min Altitude: 2200 m. / 7080 ft.
  • Max Altitude: 3200 m. / 10499 ft.
  • Distance to walk for today: 10 Km. / 6.21 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: 07:00 hours,

DAY 5: Maizal – Victoria Pass – Yanama

Included today: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch.

After an early breakfast, the 7 hours journey will lead us to the community of Yanama, which is on the other side of the mountain. We will start walking up 4 hours and meet a lot of bamboo on the way as well as silver sinkholes, made by the Incas from Maizal until Yanama. The views are unique and incomparable to any trek you might know.
Once arriving at El paso Victoria, you will appreciate the view of Huanca Valley with the ruins of Vilca bamba.

We will then go down for about 2 hours to arrive at the campsite of Yanama and feel the climate change little by little. Yanama is an Andean community dedicated to the production of different variety of potatoes and animal breeding.

  • Accomodation for today: Camp .
  • Min Altitude: 4046 m. / 13020 ft.
  • Max Altitude: 3200 m. / 10499 ft.
  • Distance to walk for today: 16 Km. / 9.94 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 6: Yanama – Tottora – Collpapampa

Included today: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch.

This journey is the longest of our trip. We will start early with a big breakfast before heading to Paso Mariano Llamoca, 5 hours away. The first 2 hours are going uphill, with again, beautiful views over mountains
and waterfalls going down from Plumacillo mountains. We will arrive at the bottom of Marioano mountain and observe the snowy mountains of Yanama.

The climate will change little by little and you will notice it while walking, looking at the trees and the plants, which will after a while disappear to only leave grassland. The hard part of our journey is to reach an elevation of 4600m, to then go down for 2:30 hours to the Totora community and enjoy the landscapes and the animals.
After eating our lunch in Totora, we will keep walking on a soft and flat path for about 2 hours and reach our campsite in Colpa pampa, connected to the Salkantay trek that goes to Machupicchu.

  • Accomodation for today: Camp .
  • Min Altitude: 3200 m. / 10298 ft.
  • Max Altitude: 4600 m. / 15093 ft.
  • Distance to walk for today: 22 Km. / 13.67 mi.
  • Difficulty of this day: 4.
  • 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 7: Colpapampa – Lucma bamaba – Hot springs

Included today: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch.

That day, we will enjoy a delicious breakfast and then start the 6 hours walk heading to Machupicchu. The path is really soft with some parts going down, and will offer you fruits from the Cusco jungle, like passion fruit, coffee plants, avocado, banana, papaya, etc.
At the campsite of Lucma, we will take our lunch right next to coffee plants and banana trees, and of course going then on a coffee tour for you to discover the variety of coffee plants we have in Peru.

At around 3:00 pm, we will take a local car to go down to the famous Cocal mayo hot springs, to relax after many days walking up and down mountains. If Mother Earth offers us such beautiful places, we have to take the opportunity to enjoy it!.

Later on, we will go back to the campsite of Lucma for a cup of coffee and then to have dinner, prepared by our amazing cook

  • Accomodation for today: Camp .
  • Min Altitude: 2030 m. / 6533 ft.
  • Max Altitude: 2900 m. / 9515 ft.
  • Distance to walk for today: 17 Km. / 10.56 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: 07:00 hours,

DAY 8: Lucma bamaba – Llacatapata – Hydroelectric – Machupicchu Town

Included today: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch.

A warm morning to start our journey until Aguas Calientes. We will walk up for about 3:30 hours to reach Llacta pata, where we will be able to see the impressive Machupicchu and take pictures. Going down to the Aobamba river, at the bottom of the mountain, will take 20 minutes. We will then need 30 more minutes to reach Hidro Electrica and eat our lunch
before finally heading to Aguas Calientes. It is a 3 hours walk, following the railway of local trains which go to the village.
Once getting there, we will all go to our hotel and eat dinner together later on in one of the restaurant.

  • Accomodation for today: Hotel .
  • Min Altitude: 2030 m. / 6533 ft.
  • Max Altitude: 2700 m. / 8859 ft.
  • Distance to walk for today: 19 Km. / 11.8 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 9: Aguas Calientes – Machupicchu Ruins – Cusco

Included today: Breakfast.

After taking our breakfast in the hotel, we will leave very early to get the bus heading to the entrance of Machupicchu (30 minutes bus drive to the main entrance).
Once in the ruins, we will start exploring the most important places through a 2:30 hours tour. You will then have free time to explore on your own, before meeting later on to take the bus back to Aguas Calientes. From there, a train will bring us to Ollantaytambo in 1.30 hours and then a bus will take us back to your hotel en Cusco.

  • Accomodation for today: Hotel .
  • Min Altitude: 2000 m. / 6436 ft.
  • Max Altitude: 2400 m. / 7874 ft.
  • Distance to walk for today: 1 Km. / 0.63 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: 01:00 hours,

Included in this Tour:

  • Bathroom tent.
  • Dinning room tent.
  • 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.
  • Tourist guide fluent in English, Spanish and quechua.
  • Transport to bring you to the start of the trek.

Not Included

  • Entrance ticket for Machu Pichu.
  • Lunch on the last day in Aguas Calientes.
  • Machu Picchu Mountain.
  • Sleeping bag.
  • Walking Sticks.
  • Wayna picchu mountain.

Extras for aditional fee

  • Drinking water.
  • Sleeping bag.
  • Walking Sticks.

What to Bring

  • Camera.
  • Hat for the sun and for the cold.
  • Hiking shoes, trousers and jumpers.
  • Hiking sticks.
  • Mosquito repellent.
  • Original passport.
  • Personal backpack.
  • Personal medication.
  • Raincoat.
  • Sunglasses.
  • Sunscreen.
  • walking stick.

Our prices for this tour:

    * Note: A minimum travelers is required to run the trek, and there is a maximum of eight people per group.
    Number of People Price per person Book
    1 Person* Not available Book Now!
    2-4 Persons* USD$ 1 010.00 Book Now!
    5-6 persons* USD$ 970.00 Book Now!
    7-8 persons* USD$ 890.00 Book Now!

Disccount for this tour:

Departure for: 2024 - 2025

Departure dates 2021 2022

Every Day.

Important:

  • 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.
  • Bug Spray.
  • Camera.
  • Hand sanitizer.
  • Personal backpack.
  • Personal medication.
  • Personal Medications.
  • Rain Poncho.
  • sleeping bag recommend down bags for -10c at least.
  • Sunscreen.
  • Toilet Paper.
  • toothbrush and paste.
  • Warm clothes.
  • water proof jacket.
  • Wet Wipes.

Our Reviews

Marvellous trek from Salkantay to Machu Picchu

Fantastic trip!

Unforgettable experience

Choquequirao to Machupicchu - Hike With The Real Local!

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