Choquequirao 8 days 7 Night

8 Days / 7 Nights
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Choquequirao is located at the forested fringes of the Amazon basin, at an elevation of 1750 metres above sea level. Choquequirao bears a striking similarity in structure and architecture to Machu Picchu and is referred to as its 'sister'. Choquequirao admits far fewer tourists than its sister but the ruin is no less delightful and is a good alternative to the sometimes overcrowded Machu Picchu.

Day 1: Cusco - Cachora - Chikisca

After an early morning meeting at the office, we will load up onto our private transport and be our way to Cachora, found in the province of Abancay. It should be about 3 ½ hours riding the beautiful, scenic route before arriving at our destination, Cachora (2,800 meters). Upon our arrival we will meet our travelling staff, who will be waiting there for us with their mules. We will begin the trekking portion of the journey around 11.00 am. The first portion of trekking will last about 2 ½ -3 hours long (about 11.5 km) until we arrive to the Capulichayoc lookout (2,750 meters), where we will be able to take some amazing pictures with the snow peaks all around us and the mighty Apurimac river flowing in the immense valley beneath us. We will enjoy our lunch here at the lookout, before continuing on a 8 km descent towards our final destination, Chikisca (1,900 meters), where will have our dinner and set up camp for the night.

Day 2: Chikisca - Marampata - Choquequiraw

After an early morning breakfast, we will continue along the way on a long portion of trail. First we will descend to the lowest part of the trek, which happens to be where we will come to the mighty Apurimac river. We will have some great photo oppurtunities as we cross over the bridge to reach the other side. On the other side we will ascend up a weaving path that will lead us to Marampata, where we will have our lunch. After lunch we will continue on until we reach our destination, Choquequiraw, where we hope to arrive by mid afternoon. Once there, we will be able to have a guided tour of the main part of the immense ruins. We will then have our dinner and hit the sack for an early departure in the morning.

Day 3: Choquequiraw - White River - Maisal

After having a quick breakfast, we will take some time to tour the rest of the site that we did not cover the day before (the agricultural zone) and then we will continue on our way, now taking the route along the back of the mountain. On this route we will have some great views of the ruins that we just left. We will walk until we arrive to the "White River", which is called that because of it´s striking white color produced by the ice at the top of the mountain. Upon our arrival, we will have our lunch in a nice little spot alongside the river. After lunch it will be another few hours ascent, in this particularly breathtaking section of the trail, before arriving to our final destination for the day, Maizal, where we will set up our campsite and have dinner.

Day 4: Maizal - Victory Mines - Yanama

We will have our breakfast and then continue our ascent until we reach the mysterious caverns of the "Mines of Victory", where we will be able to see particles of silver scattered about. We will have our lunch for the day, here by the mines before continuing along. After lunch, we will continue along our descent, arriving to the lush and beautiful Valley of Yanama. You have never seen such rich terrains as you will find here. The snow-capped peaks all around, and the spacious valley beneath you will make for some beautiful pictures. We will set up our camp for the night here in the valley.

Day 5: Yanama - Totora - Collpapampa

We will have our breakfast and then prepare to be on our way. We will raise up and out of the valley and will be in the direction of the Totora Valley. In the Totora Valley we will have the chance to visit a number of small rural communities that we will be on our way. We will have our lunch in Totora, before continuing on the trail towards Collpapampa, which is where we will notice that the terrain will become much more tropical at that point as we will be entering the lower jungle zone. We will set up our camp and have our dinner at Collpapampa.

Day 6: Collpapampa - Lluskamayo - Zahuayaco

This will be a nice day for us, as we enter into the jungle terrain. As we will be in the jungle areas by this point, we will have some great oppurtunities to see some banana, coffee, orange, and lemon plantations along the way. On our route for the day will come one of the best parts of the journey, the natural hot springs in Lluskamayo. We will take this oppurtunity to take a long, relaxing soak in the medicinal waters of the thermal baths. The localers of the region believe that these waters have curative powers. We will have our lunch right there alongside the hot springs and then we will continue along the way. We will continue on, all the way to Zahuayaco, which is known as "the Beach" because of the sand that it has on the banks of the powerful Apurimac River. We will set up our camp here at "the Beach" for the night. Our porters will only accompany us until this point.

Day 7: Zahuayaco - Santa Teresa- Aguas Calientes

On this day, we will begin with a ride in a local bus to Santa Teresa, where we will walk an additional 50 minutes until we come across the Vilcanota River, which we will cross. On the other side of the river we will walk just a bit more before boarding yet another local transport which will take us to the Hydroelectric Plant, which will afford us some beautiful views of the immense waterfall that is part of the energy plant that is inside a mountain. We will then board the local train to move on to Aguas Calientes. This train trip is known as one of the most scenic, beautiful train routes in all of South America. Once in Aguas Calientes, we will go directly to our lodge for the night. Upon our arrival we will each have our own personal time to choose something to do on our own. Some of us may choose to just relax and “take it easy for a while before dinner. Others of us may explore the pueblo, or even go to the stunning "Waterfalls of Mandor", or to the local hot springs for which the town is named. We will all converge in the nightime to have our final dinner together. Note: The Hot Springs cost an additional 10 soles to enter.

Day 8: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Cusco

We will have an early morning (4.00 am) wake up in order to hike up and arrive first to the Sacred City. Leaving early like this, we will also have the oppurtunity to experience the breathtaking sunrise from the famous "Sun Gate" if we choose to. We will then have our guided tour of the ancient citadel for a couple of hours, wherein our guide will regale us of the history that we know of, and amaze us with stories and legends from the localers. After the guided portion, we will have some free time to explore on our own. If you choose to, and if you still have the strength, it is also possible to take on the majestic, Waynu Picchu. It is about an hour and half round trip and from the peak you will have some spectacular views of the ruins themselves as well as the tropical mountains all around you. If you choose take on the additional trail, it should be noted that you should leave to do that immedietly after the guided portion as they only allow 400 passengers per day to enter. We will then walk back down to Aguas Calientes, where we will have our lunch and await the train back to Cusco.

Price Includes:

• Private transport to starting point, all other local transport
• Entrance fee to Choquekiraw and Machupicchu.
• A professional, bilingual guide.
• Meals: 7breakfast, 7 lunches, 7 dinners, snacks
• Boiled water to fill your bottles.
• Train from Aguas Calientes to Cusco (BackPacker)
• Porter with horses.
• All camping equipment (stools, cooking equipment, dining tent, etc)
• First-aid kit.

Price does not include:

• Breakfast on the first day
• Lunch on the last day
• Sleeping bag (can be rented for $15)
• Tips for guides and porter