Choquequiraw means (cradle of the gold), regarded by many as the original lost city of the Incas, Choquequiraw was the firth fabled set of ruins to be uncovered. People had been aware of its existence from at least the 18th century but it was rarely visited and despite several acclaimed “rediscoveries” over the years, it wasn’t until Hiram Bingham arrived here in 1909 that it really came to people’s attention.
For Bingham it was the discovery that fired his passion to uncover Machu Picchu and esperitu pampa. Set in remote part of wilderness, on a ridge spur around (1750m/5740ft) above the Apurímac River and surrounded by sheer, snowcapped peak, it’s an awe inspiring destination that requires a degree of effort to reach.
Choquequiraw is a pretty good substitute for machu picchu; the main features of both are similar in many respects. The most important is arrive and enjoy this mysterious Inca citadel, if you want to do this one, don’t think any more and join us. Machulas Journey, is ready for organize your trip, this option is totally different than famous Inca trail.
Early pick up from your hotel and ride by minivan to our trailhead at Capuliyoc. From here we start to walk downhill for 3 hours until Chiquisca. Along the way we will see the amazing snowcapped mountain of Pedrayoc. Once arrived at Chiquisca we will enjoy an organic buffet lunch, and then continue gradually descending towards Playa la Rosalina (1000m/3280ft). There we will have the chance to see the impressive Apurimac river, one of the largest tributaries of the amazon. We will cross a bridge and climb up for two more hours to our campsite called Santa Rosa, where you will enjoy some hot drinks and a delicious organic buffet dinner.
We will wake up early in the morning. Once enjoyed an energy buffet breakfast, we start to climb up for 3 hours until we reach the village of Marampata (2900m/9514ft). After this challenging hike we will have a break and enjoy the glamorous views. We can already see the Choquequirao Inca citadel and follow its trail until we reach our campsite near Choquequirao. Here we will have our second delicious organic buffet lunch. In the afternoon, around 1:00pm, we will visit the impressive citadel of Choquequirao where our guide will teach us about this amazing Inca city. After, we return to our camp site to spend the night in this intense vegetation.
We wake up early in the morning to have an energetic buffet breakfast. From the campsite of Choquequirao we climb up a trail that ascends through the forest, for 2 hours, until Choquequirao pass (3300m/9842ft). From there we have the last chance to enjoy an amazing view of Choquequirao as well as an impressive view into the Apurimac gorge. Then we descend until Rio Blanco (1920m/6299ft), where we will have our third organic buffet lunch. Once enjoyed our lunch we continue to Pinchiunuyoc, where we can appreciate original Inca farming terraces. We will follow all the way up for two more hours to reach our campsite in Maizal where we set up our tents. Along the way we enjoy different views over the surrounding valleys.
We wake up early in the morning and enjoy an energetic breakfast while the sun rises above the mountains. Then we start climbing up a dusty rocky path for four hours. On our way we will go through green valleys and pass arid mountain peaks, on the top of pass over (4200m/13779ft) we will have a delicious buffet lunch and enjoy the amazing view on the snowcapped mountains surrounding us. With a bit of luck, we will see flying condors. After lunch, we hike downhill until we reach our campsite at the village of Yanama. There we will have plenty of time to visit local families and learn about their traditions, which they still keep from their ancestor until today. And then finish the day with some tea and a delicious dinner.
We wake up early in the morning to have our delicious healthy breakfast and then start to hike for five hours all the way up to the pass of Mariano LLamoja (4700m/15419ft). From here we will appreciate the Vilcabamba mountain range, one of the most famous range in Cusco region. The Spanish invaders found the last Inca dynasty here and nowadays it is considered as the lost city of the Incas. Here our master chef will provide us a delicious organic buffet lunch. Once we have satisfied our stomach, our guide will give us information about the nearby snowcapped mountains of Sacrachayoc and Pedrayoc, and then We will continue hiking to our campsite called Totora. On the way we will have the chance to see two waterfalls at both sites of the valley. Once arrived at the Totora camp we will enjoy delicious hot drinks and dinner.
You will be woken up with a hot drink, followed by breakfast and the magical sunrise over the mountains and then start our hike with destination “La Playa”. The trail continues down the valley into the forest, where we will appreciate tall trees, groves of bamboos and lush passion fruit plantations. Then we arrive at Collpapampa, the point where the Salkantay and the Choquequirao trek meet. This spot is where we stop for our organic buffet lunch. Then we will continue for five more hours until we reach and set up our campsite at “La Playa”. This hike is very beautiful and you will be able to appreciate orchids, birds, waterfalls and fruit plantations. Our campsite is located in the high jungle (tropical forest /1800m/5905ft), perfect spot to enjoy coffee crops and avocados trees.
Today our hike will only take six hours. We will wake up at 5:00 a.m in the morning and enjoy our last breakfast. Then we will start walking for three hours uphill. Along the way we will have spectacular views on the Santa Teresa valley, the Machu Picchu citadel in distance and the snowcapped Salkantay mountain. After three hours of hiking we will reach the small but impressive archaeological site of Llactapata, where you will get a first glimpse on the mountains of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu. Our tour guide will teach us about Llactapata Inca site. Then we will descent for 3 more hours until Hydroelectric, where we will have our last organic buffet lunch. This is the moment to say good-bye to our master chef and porters who accompanied us on our trip. After lunch we will catch the train to get to the town of Aguas Calientes town. After 30 minute driving the train to Aguas Calientes, you will be taken to your hotel for a hot shower. Where you will stay in a 3 stars hotel and you can take good rest for next day.
After 7 days of hiking, we finally reached our destination Machu Picchu, one of the new seven wonder of the world. Our tour guide will pick you up at 5:00 a.m in order to get to Machu Picchu early and enjoy the sunrise. We will start the day with a tasty breakfast at your hotel and then head to the bus station to catch up our bus where will take us (25 minutes) to the main entrance of Machu Picchu. At 6:00 am Machu Picchu opens its doors and we will go straight to the view point (the postcard picture) where you will take the classic postcard pictures of Machu Picchu. After that the guide will start a guided, 2 hours tour and teach you all the information you will need about Machu Picchu, visiting the most important areas of the citadel. Then you will have free time to explore the site by yourself.
