Choquequirao Trek Tour Description
With the Choquequirao trek, you will be able to walk an inaccessible route and your difficult adventure will become memorable. Choquequirao was also a fortress and a ceremonial center. The truth is that due to its hidden location in a high and distant mountain, it was a strategic point for various purposes.
CHOQUEQUIRAO, means Cradle of gold in Quechua. It is an Inca urban center with common features to others in Cusco, especially Machu Picchu. The similarity with Machu Picchu is largely due to the similarity of the geography of the place where the enclosure was built, according to various investigations, it would also be a fortress and a ceremonial center.
The truth is that due to its hidden location in a high and distant mountain; it was a strategic point for various purposes that over the years, like Machu Picchu was abandoned and covered by the jungle until its rediscovery. And unlike Machu Picchu, there is no train or bus to get to Choquequirao, the only way is walking for 32 kilometers, that is 3 days full of beautiful landscapes.
CHOQUEQUIRAO, is located at 3,103 meters above sea level in a privileged location, on the impressive canyon of the Urubamba River. It is located in the foothills of the snow-capped Salkantay, in the Apurimac Valley, in the province of La Convención in Cusco, Peru.
It has numerous Inca buildings. However, currently only 30% of its entire area has been excavated. Its most important buildings are made of quartzite, cut with great detail, the rest of the walls are made of raw stone. These walls were covered with clay both inside and out and it is believed that the walls were painted light orange. Although in reality there are few structures that continue with this coating.
It has two main plazas, temples, fountains, canals, workshops, warehouses, elite residences and other more common ones. The ceremonial center is a large platform that can only be reached through a double jamb door, the largest buildings of the site are the colcas or warehouses. Also, it has structures that mark solar events such as solstices and equinoxes, like the enormous staircase that at dawn of the summer solstice is completely illuminated by the sun’s rays.
Choquequirao is in the middle of the departments of Cusco and Apurimac, the hike to Choquequirao is demanding, the ascent to Choquequirao begins in the town of Cachora, the road is uphill crossing places of the valley of Apurimac as: the viewpoint Capuliyoq, the camp of Chiquiska, Marampata and others; the ascent is more demanding than the descent and the downhill trail belongs to the department of Apurimac while the ascent belongs to the department of Cusco.
With the “Choquequirao Trekking” tour, you will be able to walk through an inaccessible route and your difficult adventure will become memorable and at the end you will realize that it was worth every step you took.
Enjoy Choquequirao Trek Tour.
MAIN POINTS OF VISIT
- Cusco (3,399 masl)
- Cachora (2, 900 masl)
- Capuliyoc (2,800 masl)
- Chiquisca (1, 930 masl)
- Chiquisca (1, 930 masl)
- Santa Rosa (2, 095 masl)
- Maranpata (2, 820 masl)
- Choquequirao (3,030 masl)
DAY 1: CUSCO – CAPULIYUC – CHIQUISCA – ROSALINA BEACH: 18 KM – 7 HOURS
- Meals: Lunch – Afternoon tea time – Dinner
- Lodging: Camping
- Minimum Altitude: 1550 MSNM
- Maximum Altitude: 3100 MSNM
- Distance: 14 km Time: 5 hours (approximately)
- Difficulty: Easy
DAY 2: ROSALINA BEACH – MARAMPATA – CHOQUEQUIRAW: 17 KM – 6 HOURS
- Meals: Lunch – Afternoon tea time – Dinner
- Lodging: Camping
- Minimum Altitude: 1550 MSNM
- Maximum Altitude: 3100 MSNM
- Distance: 14 km Time: 5 hours (approximately)
- Difficulty: Easy.
DAY 3: MARAMPATA – CHIQUISCA: 22 KM 8 HOURS
- Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Afternoon tea time – Dinner
- Lodging: Camping
- Minimum Altitude: 1550 MSNM
- Maximum Altitude: 3100 MSNM.
DAY 4: CHIQUISCA -CAPULIYUC – CACHORA – CUSCO: 17 KM – 7 HOURS
- Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Afternoon tea time – Dinner
- Lodging: Camping
- Minimum Altitude: 1550 MSNM
- Maximum Altitude: 3100 MSNM
- Distance: 16 km Time: 5 hours (approximately)
- Difficulty: Easy.
DAY 5: ROSALINA BEACH – CACHORA – CUSCO
- Meals: Breakfast
- Minimum Altitude: 1550 MSNM
- Maximum Altitude: 3100 MSNM
- Distance: 14 km Time: 5 hours (approximately)
- Difficulty: Easy
Day 1: Cusco – Cachora – Capuliyoc – Rosalina Beach
- 05.30 hrs We will pick you up at the hotel in tourist transport and we head in our bus to the town of San Pedro de Cachora (2800 masl), a beautiful Andean village.
- On the way, we can enjoy a great diversity of landscapes that belong to different climates, such as the snowy Padriyoc, the flora and fauna of the Andean diversity that makes our trip beautiful.
- From Capuliyuc we start the 4 hours of trekking, we will arrive at the viewpoint of Capuliyuc, from where we can observe the deepest canyon in the world, the Apurimac with the river of the same name at the bottom and it is also possible to see the first views of Choquequirao.
- We will continue descending to Chiquisqa, where we will have a short rest, before arriving to our lunch spot.
- After lunch we will start with the last descent of the day, it will be approximately 2 hours to the sector of Playa Rosalina. Playa Rosalina is about 1800 meters above sea level. Near the Apurimac river “the sacred river”. Here we will spend the night.
Camping – PLAYA ROSALINA
Breakfast – Passenger / Lunch & Dinner – Agency
Day 2: Rosalina Beach – Maranpata – Choquequiraw.
- After organic breakfast, we will start climbing for 2 hours to the small village of Santa Rosa – stopping point, we will have time to take a refreshing break and then continue the climb for 3 hours to Marampata where we will have lunch.
- In Santa Rosa you can see up to five Spectacled Bears a month, these curious avocado-loving animals build platforms in the treetops to feed and rest undisturbed. The presence in the wild of the spectacled bear, also known as the Andean bear, is key. It is an important seed disperser, favors the regeneration of wild flora and transports pollen in its dense fur.
- During the hike we can enjoy the splendid Apurimac Canyon, the Choquequiraw Mountain and other beautiful rugged mountains, as well as unique ecosystems, ranging from grasslands and dry forests to cloud forests.
- In the heart of this protected area is one of the main attractions of the Cusco region, the Inca citadel of Choquequirao. In this archaeological site, the claw marks on the trees of the Inca terraces are proof that these mammals have been present for centuries.
- After lunch, the hike will be very gentle and we will arrive at the lost Inca city of Choquequiraw.
- The camp is outside the Inca site with the possibility of watching the sunset and the condors.
Camping – MARANPATA
Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner – Agency
Day 3: Choquequirao – Maranpata – Chiquisca
- After having a delicious breakfast, we will start with our guide, the mysterious tour to Choquequiraw, we will visit the magnificent archaeological site of Choquequiraw throughout the day.
Enjoy the private guided tour and explore all the beautiful sections of the city: temples, terraces, palaces, llama neighborhoods and much more. We will visit the sectors where the llamas are located, the Ceremonial Ushnu and the Religious Zone, later we will have free time in the lost Inca city is also considered as the sister of Machu Picchu.
Choquequiraw, is located 1500 meters above the Apurimac Canyon, only a third part of this archaeological complex has been discovered and still many archaeologists find something interesting every time.
Then we will have lunch in Choquequiraw and then descend to the Pajchayoc fall.
After visiting the site, we will return to the same camp to have tea and spend the night.
Camping – CHIQUISCA
Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner – Agency
Day 4: Marampata – Rosalina Beach
- This morning we will start our hike back to Santa Rosa, where we will have lunch. Then we will continue descending for another 2 hours until we reach the beach of Rosalina at 1,450 masl, where we will have time to take a refreshing dip in the waters of the Apurimac River.
- We camp and have dinner here; in addition, we spend the night near the river.
Camping – PLAYA ROSALINA
Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner – Agency
Day 5: Rosalina Beach – Capuliyoc – Cachora – Cusco
- Today we will leave the camp early in the morning. After breakfast, we will hike 4 hours uphill to Capuliyoc, if we are lucky, we will see some condors and eagles flying above us.
- Here we will have our last outdoor lunch with your expedition team. This will be our last stop and then walk the last 2 hours to reach the village of Cachora. We will say goodbye to the muleteers and horses that accompanied us throughout the route. Afterwards, we will board the bus back to Cusco and arrive in the afternoon.
Breakfast – Agency / Lunch & Dinner – Passenger