Itinerary
To start with our 8-Day Machu Picchu and Choquequirao Tour very early in the morning we will pick you up at your hotel in our private mobility to transfer you to the town of San Pedro de Cachora for a period of 4 hours.
On the way we will make a stop to enjoy our breakfast and admire the wonderful and admirable canyon of Limatambo and the amazing snow of the Apu Salkantay, then we will continue with the trip to Cachora where our travel team, horses, muleteers and equipment will wait for us porters who will be responsible for carrying all our camping equipment and the necessary food for the entire trip. Once ready we start with our excursion we will walk about 3 hours to Capuliyoc (2,915 m / 9,564 ft), where we will have the first beautiful views of the Apurimac valley where we can see the mountains of Padreyoc and Wayna Cachora covered with snow in the distance.
Later we descend to Cocamasana located at 2,330 m / 7,664 ft. where the weather becomes significantly hotter and the flora and fauna begin to change, it is necessary to carry a mosquito repellent. Finally we will arrive at Playa Rosalina at 1,550 m / 5,085 ft which is located next to the Apurímac river in this place will be our camp where we will spend the first night.
This day is considered one of the most demanding during the choquequirao trek tour. Early after a strengthening breakfast we will begin to climb a steep zigzagging path with an approximate duration of 5 hours to Raqaypata continuous to the Chunchullumayo river where we will have a well-deserved lunch, 2 hours from the camp is located the archaeological park of Choquequirao where we will have a guided tour of 2 hrs in it you can watch the sunset and hopefully you can see condors flying near us. After the visit we will return to our camp, for a well-deserved rest.
This day we will start walking uphill until we reach 3,300 m / 10,827 ft. And then we will descend to the White River (1,900 m / 6,234 ft) on the way we will pass through a forest of clouds until we reach the archaeological site of Pinchaunuyoc, this is a very special archaeological group since it appears suddenly during the journey as well as looking like a forest Overcast covered with a thick layer of moss and vegetation. During the tour we will observe a variety of species of birds, orchids and plantations of the sacred leaf – the Coca leaf at (2,750 m / 9,022 ft), after exploring this beautiful place we will cross the White River and climb to the Maizal sector (3,000 m / 9,842 ft) for approximately 3 hours, this is where we will spend the night. Maybe this is one of the best camps during our trip since from here we can see the 3 valleys and a spectacular snowfall, as well as being a good place to relax.
We will leave our camp in Maizal and head towards the San Juan Pass. Once again a great walk awaits us. This time, in a beautiful and impressive area, first over the cloud forest, and then over the Andean Puna, where we will find the very well-known “ichu” grass. We will rest near the Victoria mines, where the sparkles in the stones will reveal to us the high degree of concentration of minerals and metals in the area. On our hike through the Puna we will walk on the very well preserved Inca Trail, with its classic zigzag shape. Before starting the descent to Yanama – a small settlement in a valley surrounded by mountains -, we will have lunch at 4,000 m / 13,123 ft with a beautiful view of the Choquetakarpo mountain. We will camp and have dinner at Yanama.
We will continue from Yanama, through the valley, to the highest point of our tour, the Yanama Pass at 4,800 m / 15,748 ft. On the way we will enjoy a spectacular view of the snowy Sacsarayoc and we will have the opportunity to see the condors fly. In the pass, we may have to walk on the snow and the descent will be a long walk over grassy fields we will pass through tree areas and cross small wooden bridges until we reach the town of Totora located on the 3,700 m / 12,139 ft, in the We’ll spend tonight
We will ascend gently to the highest part of the choquequirao tours and then descend 200 meters through the changing vegetation, to a warmer camp in the town of La Playa (2,320 m / 7,611 ft). This tour will take approximately 7 hours walking. Along the way we will see small waterfalls where we can take a refreshing swim. As the weather and vegetation change, we will have the opportunity to see a great variety of birds, orchids, coffee plantations and bananas. The Beach is the largest town on the road where we will spend the night.
This day will be our last day of hiking and we will go uphill for a period of 3 hours, until we reach 2,810 m / 9,219 ft. From there we will have an excellent view of Machu Picchu. After a good rest, we will go down to the Hydroelectric Power Plant of Machu Picchu that is located on the Urubamba River, from where the road starts next to the railway line towards the town of Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu, this last night you will rest in a hostel.
This day our breakfast will be earlier than normal 05:00 hrs., Then start the trek to Machu Picchu for approximately 1 hour and a half, once in Machu Picchu. You will have a guided 2 hours and a lot of time to take photos, it is optional to climb the mountain Huayna Picchu, Temple of the Moon or the Puerta del Sol. Once visited and satisfied to visit Machu Picchu you will return to the town of Aguas Calientes, and here you can enjoy your lunch in the restaurant of your choice. Return to Cusco subject to availability of train schedules. End of our 8-Day Machu Picchu and Choquequirao Tour
