Choquequirao in Peru is part of an extensive Inca trail system of more than 23,000 kilometers that integrated the Tahuantinsuyo Empire "El País Inca" (meaning four regions) that covered many South American countries such as Colombia, western Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, central Chile and northern Argentina. These trails used to be mainly on the coast or in the mountains, but in some cases, they reached the tropical edge of the jungle in the Amazon rainforest.
The hike to the Choquequirao complex is very fascinating and one of the most popular treks in the Cusco area. And it is not surprising, as it is surrounded by fantastic natural landscapes with valleys, snow-capped mountains and an incredible variety of plants, birds and animals.
It is located in the Salkantay mountain range, more than 3030 meters above sea level, surrounded by the Apus (mountain gods) of Yamana, Ampay, Chokecarpu, Pumasiyo and Panta, on the left bank of the Apurimac River. During Inca times, everything was connected and in communication with Machu Picchu through a complex network of trails.
Choquequirao is considered "The Last Refuge of the Inca Empire". Visitors will have the ability to learn a sophisticated hydraulic system, most likely for agricultural, domestic and ceremonial use. The geographic location of Choquequirao relatively to other religious centers of the same age inclines to show that its function was that of an Inca enclave toward the valleys of the Apurímac River. There are many similarities between Choquequirao and Machu Picchu.
DAY 1: By bus from Cusco - Capuliyuc, hike to Playa Rosalina.
We will pick you up from your hotel in tourist transport passing by "San Pedro de Cachora" (2800 masl), a beautiful Andean village; from Capuliyuc we start the 4 hours hike before arriving to our lunch place, where we will continue our hike. There in Kapuliyoq, during 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. We will be able to see the deepest canyon in the world, the Apurimac Canyon where the Apurimac River flows and it is also possible to see the first views of Choquequiraw. We will continue descending to Chiquisqa, where we will have a short rest.
After lunch we will begin our last descent of the day, it will be approximately 2 hours to the sector of Palya Rosalina. Playa Rosalina is about 1800 meters above sea level. Near the Apurimac river "the sacred river". Here we will spend the night.
After organic breakfast, we start the 2 hour hike up to the small village of Santa Rosa (stopping point) and then continue the climb for 3 hours to Marampata where we will have lunch. During the hike you will enjoy the splendid Apurimac canyon, Choquequiraw mountain and other beautiful steep mountains. After lunch, the hike is very gentle so we will arrive at the lost Inca city of Choquequiraw. The camp is outside the Inca site (possibility to see the sunset and condors).
After having a delicious breakfast, we will start the mysterious tour to Choquequiraw with our guide that will take approximately 2 hours.
We will visit the sectors where the llamas are, 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, as there are several similarities, it is also 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 have lunch to return to the Apurimac Canyon where we spend the night in a place called Chiquisca.
Today we will leave the camp early in the morning. After breakfast, we will walk 4 hours uphill to Capuliyoc, where we will have the last lunch with your expedition team. From this point we take the bus to Cusco to return in the afternoon to Cusco.
In this video we show a brief description about the choquequirao trek 4 days, you will appreciate the highlights of this trek in this 2 minutes longer video. There is a short description about the attractions that you will see below.