The four days Choquequirao Trek from Cusco is an unmissable experience. Although not as popular as Machu Picchu, Choquequirao is considered as a sacred sister of Machu Picchu.
Both have more or less the same style of architecture as both were built in the same era by Pachacutec. Due to its remote location, the Spanish conquistadors could not find it and it was left abandoned.
The word Choquequirao in Quechua means cradle of gold. It offers the best off the beaten track experience. Most part of this high altitude trek will take you through the Apurimac Canyon. Accompanied by our local guide you will learn a lot about the flora and fauna that you will be encountering on your way.
During the rule of Pachacuti, many sites were built and Choquequirao was one among them. When his son Tupac Yupanqui took over the throne, he expanded it. Only a third of the whole complex is now excavated.
Heidi Travel Peru, is a fully locally owned tour operator in Cusco. We are certified local guides with an excellent knowledge of Incas history and culture. As natives, our guides will be sharing some of the astonishing facts on this Trek to Choquequirao.
Just as any tours operated by Heidi Travel Peru, you have the option to choose to do Choquequirao Trek in small groups or as a private tour. We invite you to take a moment to check out our reviews on Tripadvisor.
Cusco Hotel Transfer
0400 AM
We will be picking you up from your hotel in Cusco. We will then embark on a drive to a small town named Capuliyoc. This is the starting point of Choquequirao Trek. Here we will be meeting the porters, muleteers and chef.
While you will be enjoying the traditional Andean breakfast, we will organise your things and camping equipment so we can begin the trek bright and early.
After breakfast, we will begin the trek with a twenty minutes uphill hike to a viewpoint. We will be hiking along the course of the Apurimac River. Once at the view point, you will get an enchanting view of the valley.
We will then start descending to Chiquisqa. On our way down, we will be hiking through different plantations. Most are used for medicinal purposes. Our guide will be explaining these in detail. At Chiquisqa, we will be stopping for lunch.
After lunch, we will descend further for 45 minutes to Playa Rosalinas. This is the border between Apurimac Province and Cusco. Here we will be crossing a wooden bridge calles Rosalina’s Bridge.
We will then hike up the hill to Marampata. It is at 3500 metres above sea level. For the night we will be camping in Marampata.
We will be serving you a hot cup of Peruvian coffee or tea. After breakfast, we will be hiking to Choquequirao archaeological complex. Our local expert will be giving you a guided tour of the complex.
We will be visiting the main plaza, ceremonial centres, farming terraces and more. Once you have had your fill of this site, we will be returning to the campsite for lunch.
Later in the evening you will have the option of visiting the complex again to witness the sunset.
We will then serve dinner.
We will be leaving from the campsite quite early after breakfast. In total, we will be hiking for 10 hours to our campsite in Chiquiska. On our way, you will get to see the flight of the Andean condors.
We will be passing some remote settlements. For lunch, we will be stopping at Playa Rosalinas. We will then continue to Chiquiska campsite where we will retire after a delicious typical dinner.
We will begin the trek after a typical breakfast. This will be a three hours hike up the hill to Cachora. Here we will be stopping for lunch.
After lunch, we will be bidding goodbye to our porters, horsemen and cook. We will then embark on a three hours drive back to Cusco.
Optionally, we can visit the hot springs at Conoc on our way back.
