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Choquequirao Trek
The sister citadel, without the crowds
4 days / 3 nightsChallengingUp to 123,050 m.a.s.l.
About the tour
Choquequirao sits on a ridge above the Apurímac canyon on a scale comparable to Machu Picchu, but only a fraction is excavated and no train or road reaches it: you walk in or you don't go.
That difficulty is exactly what keeps it empty. Where Machu Picchu takes thousands a day, here you can cross the plazas and terraces barely meeting anyone. Among the terraces are llama figures set into the walls with white stone, a form of decoration found at no other Inca site.
The trek drops some 1,500 metres to the Apurímac river and climbs the far side, twice, out and back. It is demanding for the elevation change, not the altitude.
Highlights
- Choquequirao citadel
- Terraces with llama figures
- Apurímac canyon
- An almost empty archaeological site
Day-by-day itinerary
1
Cusco – Cachora – Chiquisca
Transfer by road to Cachora, the start of the trek. A walk with a steep descent towards the Apurímac canyon to the Chiquisca campsite.
2
Playa Rosalina – Marampata – Choquequirao
Crossing of the Apurímac river and a long climb up the opposite slope to Marampata, and from there to the Choquequirao complex.
3
Choquequirao and return to the river
A full morning at the site: plazas, terraces and the sector with llama figures set into the walls. In the afternoon, the return begins with another descent into the canyon.
4
Climb to Cachora and return to Cusco
The final climb from the river up to Cachora and the road transfer back to Cusco.
Qué llevar
- Pasaporte
- Bolsa de dormir apta para bajo cero
- Casaca impermeable y capas térmicas
- Botas de trekking ya usadas (no estrenar)
- Linterna frontal con pilas de repuesto
- Protector solar factor alto y labial con SPF
- Bastones de trekking
- Botiquín personal y pastillas para la altura
Frequently asked questions
Because there is no train and no road: the only way in is walking two days from Cachora. That difficulty of access keeps the site almost without visitors, unlike Machu Picchu.
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