In Quechua, Choquequirao Peru signifies “Cradle of Gold”. To Incas this was Machu Picchu’s Sacred Sister city.
Choquequirao Trek 4 Days is an off the beaten path trekking experience. In Quechua, Choquequirao Peru signifies “Cradle of Gold”. To Incas this was Machu Picchu’s Sacred Sister city.
The lost city of Choquequirao Peru sits high up in Quriwayrchina Mountain Range at 3033 metres above sea level. The only way to get there is by trekking for two days from the nearest town through the Apurimac Canyon.
Both Machu Picchu and Choquequirao have more or less similar styles of architecture—you can discover it by going on our 2 Day Machu Picchu Tour – Cusco to Machu Picchu Tour. This is because both were built during the rule of Inca emperor Pachacutec in the same era. However due to its remote location, Choquequirao attracts a handful of visitors a day while Machu Picchu gets over 5000 visitors a day.
When the Spaniards invaded the Inca Empire, the Incas left Choquequirao and took refuge in the jungle. As the Spanish could not find its location, it was left abandoned for years. Only a third of the complex has been cleared from the jungle and is open for tourism.
Choquequirao Trail is somewhat a challenging experience as you will be hiking down the hill the first day and will be hiking up the hill to reach the complex. You will be experiencing different weather conditions as the altitude and topography changes.
Most hikers categorise the Nine Days Choquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu as one of the best alternative routes to the Inca trail hike, including our 4 Day Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu.
Local authorities are planning on installing a cable car to enhance the tourism to Choquequirao. They estimate that this would see a rapid boom in tourism here and will attract around 5000 travellers a day.
Our guides are trained in first aid.
Please note that Choquequirao Trek 4 Days is a high altitude trek. We highly recommend you to spend a few days in Cusco before the trek to avoid altitude sickness.
We will be picking you up from your hotel in Cusco. Then we will embark on a four hours drive to a small Andean town called Capuliyoc. This is the starting point of Choquequirao Trek. Our crew will be serving you breakfast here.
After breakfast, we will start hiking up the hill to a viewpoint. From here, you will get a pristine view of the Snow capped Padereyoc peak and Apurimac River snaking through the valley. Padereyoc is a part of the Andes Mountain range, the largest in South America.
From the viewpoint, we will hike down the hill for three hours. We will be hiking through different distinct plantations. Our local expert will be sharing some information about these distinct plants.
Often on this section of trek, trekkers get a chance to spot the flight of the Andean Condors too.
We will then reach Chiquisqa. Here we will be stopping for lunch.
After lunch, we will be descending for 45 minutes to La Playa Rosalinas. We will be crossing a traditional bridge that links the department of Cusco and Apurimac.
We will then hike up the hill to Marampata. It is at 3500 metres above sea level. We will be crossing many highland farms and communities. You will get an insight to the life of Andean farmers here.
Once at our campsite, we will be serving a hot cup of tea followed by a local meal for dinner.
After a nutritious Andean breakfast, we will be hiking to the archaeological complex of Choquequirao. Our local tour guide will be giving you a detailed tour of the complex. We will be visiting some of the prominent sites like the main plaza, farming terraces, ceremonial centres and more.
Once you have had your fill of this site, we will be returning to our campsite for lunch. After lunch, you have some free time to rest. Later in the evening, we will be visiting a lesser known waterfall amidst the cloud forests.
This is the longest day of the Choquequirao Trek 4 Days. We will leave the campsite early in the morning for a 10 hours hike.
Most of the trek is through lush tropical vegetation. We will also be passing through some remote settlements. Once at Playa Rosalinas, we will be stopping for lunch. After lunch, we will be hiking to Chiquisqa where we will be spending the night camping.
Another early day of the trek. After an early morning breakfast, we will be hiking three hours up the hill to Cachora. Here we will be serving you lunch. After lunch, along with the tour guide, you will be embarking on a three hours drive back to Cusco through Sacred Valley of Incas.
Departure & Return Location
Cusco Hotel Transfer
Departure Time
4:00 a.m.
Price Includes
Price Excludes
Packing list
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Find out what those who have trusted us to explore unique destinations and live extraordinary adventures have to say.
John CJanuary 10, 2025Verified Excellent, perfectly planned trip. The trip was perfectly planned from start to finish, the transport, the hike, the hotel, the food and the entrance to Machu Picchu. The lovely guide Edwin was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the site, the hike, and it's history. It truly is an incredible and captivating place that is a must see if you have the opportunity. Gabriel CNovember 12, 2024Verified Rainbow Mountain Tour guide We had a great tour of Rainbow Mountain. Jose was extremely knowledgeable and was a lot of help. The tour included good breakfast and lunch. I highly recommended this tour Joshua SNovember 10, 2024Verified "Unforgettable Machu Picchu Journey with an Exceptional Guide!" John was the perfect guide for our journey from Cusco to Machu Picchu! From the start, he made everything smooth and enjoyable, picking us up from our hotel and ensuring we were comfortable and ready for the adventure ahead. Thanks to his planning, we arrived at Machu Picchu early, avoiding the crowds and enjoying the stunning morning views. The weather was fantastic, and John's deep knowledge of the history and culture made every moment even more memorable. His explanations brought the ancient Incan sites to life, and he guided us thoughtfully through the walk at Machu Picchu, pointing out details we would have missed on our own. Throughout the entire day, John was attentive, patient, and incredibly helpful. He truly went above and beyond to make our experience unforgettable. Highly recommend! Gabriel CNovember 10, 2024Verified Great tour Me and my brother went on a tour with John. He was very helpful. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. Not only did he give a great tour but he was able to give us good recommendations and was very accommodating Kim AOctober 24, 2024Verified An amazing experience! We are an American family from Evansville, Indiana. After doing much research we chose Machu Picchu Tours to make our dream come true of seeing Machu Picchu via the 4-day Inca Trail Trek.Planning this kind of trip is no small feat, but John Taqquere Villaneuva was there for us every step of the way! He always responded quickly to my MANY texts and provided excellent information to prepare us for the trek. Our amazing guide, Edwin, the Porters and Chef went way above and beyond to make sure we felt safe and that we were getting the best experience that was promised. I cannot emphasize how important hygiene and safe food is on a trip like this. We feel our Porters did an excellent job keeping the dining area clean and providing excellent, healthy and safe food. While it is common for foreigners to get sick when traveling to a new country, the crew kept us healthy, hydrated, and safe the entire trip. Our porters took care of every single detail from setting up our camp, refilling our water bottles, and feeding us delicious hot meals 3 times a day. The porters were always there to take care of us. Our bags were transported and waiting for us in our tents upon arrival. Hot drinks were ready for us upon arrival at each campsite, and hot soapy water and towels were provided to clean up after a long day’s hike. Their work ethic and attention to detail was impressive. The 4 day trek is strenuous. Our guide, Edwin, coached us along the way, helping us to set a pace that worked for us so that we would not burn out. He also handled all of our paperwork and entry tickets. There are checkpoints and everything must be in order and spelled correctly. Without these documents, there is no trek and there is no entry into Machu Picchu. Our guide always kept us informed of the daily itinerary and was always supportive and eager to help. His knowledge of the history of the Inca and the ruins was exceptional. We walked away feeling an immense appreciation and understanding of the Inca because of Edwin. If your dream of seeing Machu Picchu is through the Inca Trail, or want to arrange guided tours, then don’t let fear stand in your way. And if you are looking for an agency, we highly recommend John Taqquere Villaneuva with Machu Picchu Tours. These are good, honest, trustworthy and hard-working people that will help make your dream come true. We are so thankful to Machu Picchu Tours, our Guide, Edwin, and the amazing Porters and Chef for their hard work and efforts to help make our dream come true. HikeJunkieCarlosOctober 21, 2024Verified Very organized crew knowledgeable friendly and just plain awesome to have around every step of the way. Couldn’t have asked for a better crew chef porters tents and food for this 4 day Inca trail tripWas the best experience for all 8 of us in our friends group to enjoy every moment and have amazing time all the way through the trip in town and on the Inca trailVery organized crew knowledgeable friendly and just plain awesome to have around every step of the way. Highly recommend this company to solo and groups that plan to visit Peru SkyMiles KOctober 19, 2024Verified 1 of 2 top Bucket List items, Hike the INCA Trail to Machu Picchu Completed the INCA trail with our Hike Junkies family. The Machu Picchu tours were INCREDIBLE!!! A great big shout out to John Taqquere Villanueva & his team for providing us with their expertise & care before, during & after the 4-day backpacking hike. The porters had camp setup for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner during our hiking adventure. Our chef, Carmelito "5-STARS," prepared meals that you should only find in a fine dining restaurant. We even had some Peruvian history lessons along the way. A few surprise discovery viewpoints along the trail. After completing 4-day Inca trail, we hiked the Humanatay Lake on 5th day & Rainbow Mtn on 6th day. We THANK YOU, John, Alberto, Berle, Aiwyn & drivers, porters for making this the adventure of the century!...so far Rebecca ROctober 19, 2024Verified 4 day Inca Trail with Hike Junkies We just completed the 4 day Inca Trail with Machu Picchu Tours. John Taqquere Villanueva went above and beyond to provide us with an amazing experience, with fun, knowledgeable guides to qn amazing chef and porters. Our tents were comfortable and kept us warm and dry from the elements. We were served four course meals, desert and happy hour on each day. Happy hour consisted of fresh hot popcorn, hot cocoa, coffee, cookies and bread. In addition to the 4 day Inca Trail we scored permits to hike Huayna Picchu ( Stairs of Death) which we conquered just having completed the last day of the Inca trail. Yes, our group is crazy! One member of our group was unable to hike the four day Inca trail due to severe health issues, John Taqquere and went above and beyond to give him an amazing Machu Picchu experience. Our trip consisted of City Walking Tour of Cusco, Alpaca Farm, Humantay Lake, Rainbow Mountain and other ruins. This was a humbling experience that will last a lifetime. Chalmers BOctober 9, 2024Verified Great experience! Our guide Edwin was excellent. The first day is very challenging but equally rewarding, and we were really glad that MPT arranged a pre-meeting the day before to go over logistics and make sure we were properly equipped -- renting poles is highly recommended, well worth the $10. Reaching the Sun Gate and getting the full vista of Machu Picchu felt like a life accomplishment. The second day is much less challenging, walking through the actual ruins of Machu Picchu, and we felt much less pressure because we'd gotten such great views and photos the day before.
Huchuy Qosqo was used as a royal estate by Viracocha. During the last days of his rule, he faced a revolt from Cancha People. Huchuy Qosqo Hike is an off-the-beaten-track experience that takes you to the lesser-known yet prominent Inca site, Huchuy Qosqo Peru.
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