CHOQUEQUIRAO TO MACHU PICCHU TREK

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Hike the Choquequirao to Machu Picchu trek.
The Lonely Planet’s best destination for 2017.

Trek Details:

Hike Distance: 63 miles /102 kms
Difficulty: Strenuous
Duration: 7 days/6 nights
Elevation Gain: 3340m/11000ft.
Weather: See below
Seasons: March to December (this trek does not operate during January and February)
Hike Trail Map: See below
Cusco Drive Time to starting point: 4.5 hours
Town Nearest Hike: Cachora – Santa Teresa
Highlights: Dry Andean Valley, Views of Apurimac Canyon, Vilcabamba mountain ranges. Views of the scenic trail, cactus area, cloud forests, high mountain paramo, and local villages. Wildlife: Prairie horses and dogs, Vizcachas, Andean foxes, spectacled bear. Birds including; Andean condor, Mitred Parakeet, Bearded Mountaineer, Black Backed Grosbeak, Giant Hummingbird, Peregrin and Falcons.
Activities: Hiking trail, archaeological site tours, nature and Andean community visits.

Includes

Professional, bilingual Tour Guide.
Assistant Guide (for groups of 9 or more people).
Collection from hotel.
Return transportation; to and from Cachora.
Water (Not included for first 4 hours of trek, we will provide you with boiled water for drinking for the remainder of the tour).
Entrance fees to Choquequirao Inca Site.
6 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 6 afternoon snacks, 6 dinners and various snacks to be eaten throughout the day (Breakfast on day 1 and lunch on the last day are not included)
Dining tent with tables and chairs.
Cook.
2 person tent.
Sleeping pads.
Porters (to carry cooking and camping equipment).
Bus trip from Machu Picchu down to Aguas Calientes.
Oxygen bottle.
First Aid kit.
Vegetarian food/Special meals on request at no extra cost!

Prices: from $1100 USD Per person based on group size.

( Student discounts apply. )

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ITINERARY:

Starting time:
4:00 am

Travel:
Travel by bus on a 4 hour bus ride to the village of Cachora, Hiking afterwards.

Difficulty level:
Hard. The hot temperatures inside the Apurimac canyon make it a challenging hike, especially when we commence the last climb to our campsite from the river crossing at Playa Rosalina. The trail starts at 2930m/9524ft and descends to 1530m/5020ft at Playa Rosalina, the trail then climbs again to 1890m/6200ft at Santa Rosa Alta.

Highlights of the Day:
On this day we meet our horseman and other staff members. We will begin our Choquequirao hike in Cachora 2950m/10005ft a town along the edge of the Apurimac canyon. We will follow the trail, enjoying the dramatic landscapes and a variety of plant and animal life until we reach our campsite at Santa Rosa 1890m/6200ft.

Meals:
Breakfast on way to Cachora (not included), Lunch on the trek and dinner at the evening campsite.

Accommodation:
Camping in tents at a campsite at Santa Rosa. The temperature at night is usually around 15º degrees.

Other information:
It is a challenging but amazing experience to hike down to the depths of the Apurimac Canyon and then up to the site in the clouds. Mind the altitude change from Cachora 2950m/10005ft to Santa Rosa 1650m/5413ft.

Starting time:
5:00 am

Travel:
Trekking all day.

Difficulty level:
Strenuous, today we continue to climb from Santa Rosa Alta to Marampata and Choquequirao.

Highlights of the Day:
A steep and arduous ascent from our campsite to the highest point at Marampata 3150m/10579ft. Following this, we will hike through a thick cloud forest towards the Inca site of Choquekirao. At the campsite we will have some time to relax and enjoy the archaeological zone, as well as plants, animals (hopefully condors), and views of nearby canyons and the snow-capped mountains of Choquetacarpo 5910m/19389ft. We will camp right beside Choquekirao Inca site 3033m/9950ft.

Meals:
Breakfast at Santa Rosa Alta and both Lunch and dinner will be at the campsite in Choquequirao.

Accommodation:

Camping in tents at Choquequirao 3033m/9950ft. Temperature at night is usually around 9ºC/48°F.

Other information:
After we arrive at our destination in Choquequirao, we will have lunch and a well deserved rest before we commence our first 2 hour visit of Choquequirao.

Starting time:
5:00 am

Travel:
Trekking all day.

Difficulty level:
Strenuous.

Highlights of the Day:
During the first half of the day, we will dedicate to continuing to explore the city of Choquequirao 3033m/9950ft. In the afternoon we will continue with our hike towards our third campsite at Pinchunulluc 2487/8160ft.

Meals:
Breakfast and lunch at the Choquequirao campsite and dinner at the Pinchunulluc campsite.

Accommodation:
Camping in tents at Pinchunulluc campsite.

Other information:
We will finish with part 2 of our tour of Choquequirao in the morning. In the afternoon, we will continue trekking towards our next campsite.

Starting time:
5:00 am

Travel:
Trekking all day.

Difficulty level:
Strenuous.

Highlights of the Day:
Our path begins going down hill toward the Rio Blanco river, throughout this day we will enjoy an abundance of wildlife in this part of the trek. Birds, butterflies, and sometimes the famous Spectacled Bear can be seen on the trek. In the afternoon we will begin climbing again until we reach our campsite at Maizal. This location is in our own words, one of the most beautiful campsites of all treks in Cusco area.

Meals:
Breakfast at Pinchunulluc, Lunch on the trek at Rio Blanco, and dinner at the campsite in Maizal.

Accommodation:
Camping in tents at the Maizal campsite.

Other information:
The varying ecosystems today is amazing and dramatic, and our campsite at Maizal contains breathtaking views of the Qoriwayrachina Mountain.

Starting time:
5:00 am

Travel:
Trekking all day.

Difficulty level:
Strenuous.

Highlights of the Day:
Early in the morning we will continue our climb until we reach the Qoriwayrachina mountain pass. Along the way we will visit the old silver mines of Qoriwayrachina. From here we will continue to our campsite for the night at the beautiful picturesque village of Yanama 3520m/11549ft.

Meals:
Breakfast at Maizal, lunch at the Qoriwayrachina mountain pass and dinner at the campsite in the Yanama village.

Accommodation:
Camping in tents at the Yanama campsite.

Other information:
The trail from Maizal to Yanama is strenuous due to the altitude gain. The Qoriwayrachina pass is 4145m/13599ft is the highest point on our trip.

Starting time:
5:00 am

Travel:
Travel by bus followed by trekking.

Difficulty level:
Moderate.

Highlights of the Day:
From our campsite in Yanama we will be taken to Hydroelectric on a 4 hour bus ride. Here we will be served lunch at Hydroelectric, we will walk toward Machu Picchu following the course of the Urubamba river for 3 hours until we reach the town of Aguas Calientes. We will spend the night in our hotel in Aguas Calientes before our visit to Machu Picchu the following day.

Meals:
Breakfast at Yanama, lunch at the Hydroelectric, and dinner at the hotel in Aguas Calientes.

Accommodation:
Hotel in Aguas Calientes.

Other information:
We will spend the night in Aguas Calientes and have an early dinner, leaving us ready for our visit to Machu Picchu the next day.

Start time:
5:00 am

Travel:
Bus to Machu Picchu, guided tour around Machu Picchu, trip back to Cusco by train.

Difficulty level:
Moderate

Highlights of the day:
A 2 hour walking tour of Machu Picchu with your guide. Optional climb of Huayna Picchu trekking 2720m/8923ft. It takes approximately 45 minutes to reach the top.

Meals:

Breakfast in the hotel at Aguas Calientes. Lunch in Aguas Calientes (not included)

Accommodation:

You will be back in Cusco to your own accommodation for this evening.

Prices:

Permits are needed for your chosen start date. Tour prices are based on the number of people in a group. Prices are valid from March 2022 through December 2022. All prices quoted are $USD

2 people US$1680 per person
3 people US$1530 per person
4 people or more US$1300 per person

IMPORTANT: One of the reasons that our price may be higher than that of other agencies is that we ALWAYS book the maximum number of porters possible (according to Inca Trail regulations) so that our porters are not overloaded. Beware of this when booking they might be cheaper because of this!

2 people (minimum group size) should have a maximum of 5 porters and 16 people (max group size) should have 22 porters.

** Tips for porters, cooks or guides are optional and are NOT included in price. However our advice is that you tip our staff based on their performance, service and knowledge. Our guidelines for tipping our staff is: porters 100 Soles. Assistant cook 150 Soles. Main Chef 300 Soles. Assistant Tour guides can be tipped collectively by the members of the group. Main guides are tipped on a one on one basis.
Train included in all tours is the Cerrojo backpacker (to Ollanta). Train times will only be confirmed once full amount of tour is paid. The earliest train you could take is the 1:37 PM and the 9:20 PM being the last train (high season June to September). We will organize the transport back to Cusco (by taxi or by bus).

Please Note: Train times are subject to change based on Peru rail time table and availability. If organized in advance, the train can be upgraded to Vistadome (larger windows than the backpacker cerrojo train) for an additional price.

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Original passport (and *International Student card (ISIC) if applicable)
Travel Insurance is essential
Sleeping bag (not included but can be hired from us)
Walking boots
Waterproof jacket/rain poncho
Warm jacket (down jackets recommended)
Hat and gloves
T-shirts (Cotton t-shirts not recommended)
Comfortable trousers (hiking convertible trousers are strongly recommended)
Sun hat
Sun protection cream (factor 35+ recommended)
Insect repellent
Water
Toiletries and hand sanitizer
Personal medication
Cameras
Torch with spare batteries (headlamps are useful)

Hire of sleeping bag (5 seasons) – $40
Walking stick (single) – $10
Inflatable mattress – $35
Full porter (up to 14kg or 30lb can be shared between 2 people)*** – $180
Half porter (up to 7kg or 15lb)*** – $100
If you require an extra porter or a half porter, please advise us when filling in the booking form.
Single tent supplement – $35