Choquequirao to Machu Picchu Express
6 days, Cusco to Cusco
When arranging your transportation, such as flights, please take into consideration the below time restrictions for joining and departing from your group. With these times, we have taken into account travel time to/from the airport in the given destination and required time for check-in or baggage collection/immigration.
Itinerary
Day 1Cusco
Arrive at any time.
Arrive early and spend some time exploring the city before meet the group at the welcome meeting.
Please note that hot water shortages and power outages can be fairly common in Peru (even in upgraded hotels and private homes). We appreciate your patience and understanding that these occurrences are outside of our control.
Pre nights are recommended in order to acclimatize to the altitude and take advantage of the optional activities on offer in Cusco.
Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting with G Representative
The adventure begins today. Feel free to explore, but make sure you're back in time to meet the group. Your G Representative will pick you up from your hotel at 15:30h and take you to the local G Adventures office to review the details of your tour.
Optional Activities - Day 1 HideShow
Cusco Tourist Ticket
130PEN per personThis ticket allows admission at 16 sights of the city of Cusco including many popular museums and cathedrals, the ticket also provides entrance to Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Park, and sights in the South Valley of Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Inka Museum
10PEN per personGet ready to explore the artifacts from the Inca Empire, including mummies, jewelry, skulls, and ceramics at this museum of archaeology.
Cusco City Tour
45PEN per personEnjoy a half-day tour of Cusco's main sights. Walk around the Plaza de Armas (main square) and explore this city steeped in one of the world's most alluring and ancient cultures. Visit Qenqo, Koricancha, the Cathedral, Puca Pucara, Tambomachay, and the archaeological site of Sacsaywaman.
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Cusco Plaza Nazarenas (or similar)
Day 2Cusco/Choquequirao Trek
Transfer from Cusco at 4am to San Pedro de Cachora where the group will eat breakfast. Travel 30 more minutes by car to the beginning of the trek in Capuliyoc. Walk as a group surrounded by breathtaking views of sweeping mountain scenery at every turn. Finish today's part of the trek at the Santa Rosa Campsite.
The lost city of Choquequirao was discovered hundreds of years ago, but it still feels as though you may be the first to discover it. Encroaching jungle still covers some of the stonework as only roughly 40 percent of these ruins have been excavated. The trek to this remote Incan city although challenging, is well worth the effort. Winding trails take you through the Apurimac River canyon with circling condors up above and views of the snow-capped Salkantay mountains making a breathtaking backdrop.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Choquequirao Trek to Santa Rosa Campsite
Embark on the first part of the hike, a scenic route with an incredible view of the Apurimac River. Camp for the night at Santa Rosa (1,900m - 2,850m/ 5,700 - 9.400 ft). The trek today is 18 km long and will take around 7 hours.
Your G for Good Moment: Handmade Biodegradable Soap Products
Enjoy G Adventures-supported handmade biodegradable soap products, for use on our treks. This G Adventures for Good project empowered local Cusqueña women to start their own business in order to reduce the environmental impact of treks in the region. Planeterra provided $10,000 of seed funding for two young entrepreneurs to register their biodegradable products in order to sell them to the tourism industry. "Esencia Andina" is now a successful business that produces biodegradable soaps, detergents, and natural products for travellers, guides, porters, and cooks on our treks.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 3Choquequirao Trek
Eat breakfast as a group at the Santa Rosa Camp and then walk 2 hours to Marampata where the group will later camp for the night. From there continue trekking through the Apurimac River canyon on the way to Choquequirao. Spot condors as you make your way up into the cloud forest. In the afternoon, take a guided tour of the ruins and marvel at your historical surroundings. Return to Marampata Camp in the early evening.
Choquequirao Trek to The Ruins
Depart Santa Rosa and follow the switch back trail up to Marampata. After 2 hours the group will stop for lunch before continuing upwards to the stunning ruins of Choquequirao (3,000m/9,842 ft). When the sun swings around onto the mountain face, it can get warm during the climb. Today has a very early start to hike while it's cool. Make sure to dress in layers and prepare for a strenuous trekking day.
Minimum altitude: 1,550 m / 5,117 ft
Maximum altitude: 3,150m / 10,397ft
Distance: 14kms / 9 miles
Difficulty: moderate / difficult. This day is 8 hours of walking.
Choquequirao Main Square Guided Tour
Enjoy a fully guided tour of the main square of Choquequirao and the surrounding terraces. The ‘other Machu Picchu,’ Choquequirao is built at the top of an almost untouched mountain in the province of La Convención. Ancient stone walls adorned with white stone llamas protect its two-leveled palaces and temples, systems of fountains, canals and aqueducts that fed the fantastic terraces farmed by the Inca during the Pachacutec government (XV century). Visit the colcas, used for agricultural storage and learn about the cultivation practices during the Incan Empire.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 4Choquequirao Trek
Enjoy an early breakfast in Marampata. Then, the group will begin the return walk to Chiquisca. Once here, have some lunch together and enjoy the rest of the afternoon at your leisure.
Choquequirao Trek - Day 3
Leave Marampata behind and head down to Chiquisca (1,800m/5,900 ft), the camp for the night.
Minimum Altitude: 1,550m / 5,117ft
Maximum Altitude: 1,990m / 6,270ft
Distance: 9 kms / 5.5 miles
Difficulty: Moderate / Hard. This day is 7 hours of walking.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 5Choquequirao Trek/Aguas Calientes
The group will have an early departure from Chiquisca. Walk back to San Pedro de Cachora and enjoy lunch together before taking the bus to Ollantaytambo and then catch the train to Aguas Calientes.
Train
Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Choquequirao Trek - Chiquisca to Cachora
Walk back to San Pedro de Cachora today and have lunch before transferring to Aguas Calientes.
Distance: 7kms / 4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate / Hard. This day is 3 hours of walking.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation
Seven Machu Picchu Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 6Machu Picchu/Cusco
Wake up early to visit the breathtaking Machu Picchu. Enjoy a guided tour of the site before taking the train back to Cusco in the afternoon where the trip will end upon arrival.
Please note, a hotel night is not included in Cusco we highly recommend booking a hotel night in order to take advantage of the city.
Machu Picchu Guided Tour
Set off with the local guide to explore Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Learn about the history and gain insights into this massive mountaintop citadel while wandering through ancient dwellings, stone temples and along sculpted terraces. Feel the energy of this 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide internet poll.
Train
Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.