Choquequiraw 4 days
Choquequiraw 4D is a Trek of 63 Km. which is advised to passengers who are used to long treks and that are in excellent physical shape and have strong endurance. Choquequiraw 4D invites you to discover the Inca's last place of refuge, “The Gold Crib”: The archeological ruins of Choquequiraw are also known as “Machu Picchu’s Sacred Sister” due to the similarities in the arquitectural structure of both sites. This trail has a 6-7 hour trekking time per day in average. Therefore, it is a very challenging trek meant for the physically fit. Those passengers who have programmed to spend more than one week in Cusco, couples, groups of friends in search for not so known places, solo travelers that like to enjoy a more personal experience. All of them will enjoy a trek with different climates, flora and fauna and will deepen their knowledge about the Inca’s Last refuge place.
Itinerary
We’ll have an informative talk about the hike and the opportunity to get to know the other travelers who will be sharing the trail with you.
| * Your briefing is typically scheduled for one day before your trek. However if your trek starts on a Monday, your briefing will be scheduled for the Saturday before. Please take this into consideration when booking your flights. |
We will pick you up from the hotel at 5:00 am to start our trip to the town of Cachora (2, 800 m.a.s.l.). On route, we will go through different typical towns and also the anta’s pampa (3, 391 m.a.s.l.). This area is known for its agricultural and livestock production, as well as its’ wide pampas, prairies, fertile valleys, and long rivers. All of this makes the area an extraordinary landscape. Upon arrival to Cachora, we will meet with our trekking team, muleteers, mules/horses, and our staff that will carry all of the camping equipment and your personal duffel bags (up to 8 Kg.). After a brief rest and a light breakfast, we will start our trek. The first hours of the trek will be on mostly flat terrain until we reach the lookout point and pass of Capuliyoc (2, 800 m.a.s.l.). Here we will see exquisite views of the mountain chain of the area, the Apurimac Canyon, and the Apurimac River which is twice as deep as the famous “Grand Canyon” of the United States. This river is long and abundant and is the source of the world’s largest river system, the Amazon. It goes through all of the Andean mountains until it arrives to the Atlantic Ocean. We also will be able to spot Choquequiraw in the distance. After lunch we will continue with the trek, descending to our campsite Chiquishca (1,930 m.a.s.l.). We will spend the night here, in the longest canyon of the Andes.
- Distance: 18 Km.
- Walking Hours: 5-6 hours
- Low Altitude: 1930 m. / 6332 Ft.
- High Altitude: 3391 m. / 11125 Ft.
- Campsite Altitude: 1930 m. / 6332 Ft.
After breakfast we will continue with our trek towards Rosalinas beach (1,550 m.a.s.l.). Afterwards, we will descend through the Apurimac Canyon until we reach the river. Here, we can take dip in the water to freshen up. Afterwards, we will cross over to the other side of the river using the hanging bridge. Right after that, the hardest part of the route will begin. We will ascend using a winding trail which will take us away from the Canyon in direction to the area of Santa Rosa (2,290 m.a.s.l.). This is approximately a 3 hour walk with a brief rest stop. Later we will continue ascending towards Marampata (2,850 m.a.s.l.). During our trek we will view the vast and enchanting vegetation of the area in which the orchids take the first and most important place. You will also see violets. There is a chance to see deer and anteaters in the distance and different varieties of birds. At this place we will spend the night.
- Distance: 13 Km.
- Walking Hours: 7-8 hours
- Low Altitude: 1550 m. / 5085 Ft.
- High Altitude: 2850 m. / 9350 Ft.
- Campsite Altitude: 2850 m. / 9350 Ft.
After breakfast in Marampampa (2,850 m.a.s.l.), we will begin our trek to the Inca’s last refuge place: Choquequiraw or “Gold Crib” (3,033 m.a.s.l.) which was abandoned in 1572. This route will be approximately 1 ½ hours of walking.
Choquequiraw was designed with 9 areas. These areas were built as small towns surrounding a square to which all the streets from each town will end up. The following areas have been identified: The upper areas (Hanan), the storage areas (Qolqa), main square (Huaqaypata), the lower square (hurin), the andenes system where crops used to grow (Shaqra Anden), the ceremonial platform (Ushno), and the priest houses on the lower part of the hill. Because of all of these findings it is presumable that Choquequiraw was a great political and economic center that was used as a hub for commerce and culture exchange between the coast, mountain, and the jungle. We need to emphasize that Choquequiraw is also known as “Machu Picchu’s Sacred Sister” due to the similarities in architectural design and structure.
After this exciting visit and exploration of Choquequiraw, we will return to Marampata (2,850 ma.s.l.) where we will have lunch. After we will descend to the Apurimac Canyon crossing over the river through the Rosalina beach area (1,550 m.a.s.l.) later we will continue to Chiquishca (1,930 m.a.s.l.). Here we will have dinner and spend the night.
- Distance: 14 Km.
- Walking Hours: 7-8 hours
- Low Altitude: 1550 m. / 5085 Ft.
- High Altitude: 3033 m. / 9950 Ft.
- Campsite Altitude: 1930 m. / 6332 Ft
Early in the morning, after breakfast in Chiquishca (1,939 m.a.s.l.) approximately 8:00 am, we will being ascending towards Capuliyoc (2,800 m.a.s.l.) which will take approximately 3 hours. We will continue with our trek to Cachora (2,800 m.a.s.l.) for approximately another 2 hours more. Once in Cachora, our private van will be waiting for us for our trip to Cusco (3,400 m.a.s.l.). The trip will be approximately between 4-5 hours until we reach your hotel. We hope you enjoy this adventure of a lifetime. End of services.
- Distance: 18 Km.
- Walking Hours: 5-6 hours
- Low Altitude: 1930 m. / 6332 Ft.
- High Altitude: 3400 m. / 11154 Ft.
