Choquequirao trek 4 days 3 nights

Choquequirao Trek 4 Days 3 Nights

The Choquequirao trek 4 days, and 3 nights, is an incredible and challenging journey that will lead you to one of the Inca civilization’s final strongholds. Choquequirao translates as “Golden Cradle.” Choquequirao is a distant and rarely seen Lost City of the Incas located above the rushing, glacier-fed Apurimac River, surrounded by towering snow-capped hills and sitting on a high ridge.

The Inca archeological site is regarded as Machu Picchu’s sibling. It is less well-known and visited, yet it is three times larger than Machu Picchu. It was one of the final safe havens for Incas who resisted Spanish rule following the conquest. The site was later abandoned and got overgrown with dense cloud forest flora, and archeologists are still discovering new areas of the city to this day.

Choquequirao is located on a mountain 3033m/9,951ft above sea level, between the forest and the Peruvian Andes. Its trick of avoiding crowds is also part of its appeal: it is only accessible by footpath. It’s a rather tough 40k/25-mile roundtrip walk with highs and lows ranging from 1400m/4,593ft to 3100m/10,170ft.

Why should you do the Choquequirao trek 4 days?

• Trek to the lost Incan city of Choquequirao in the hands of local specialists who were born, lived, and walked here, which is a true plus for an authentic experience.
• Take your journey to the next level with our expert professional tour guide.
• Try our creative food prepared by our skilled chef.
• Trek in the high Andes. Stay in one of the mountain’s four-season tents
• Your own guide, muleteers, horses, and delectable camp meals made by your personal chef.
• Enjoy breathtaking vistas of snow-capped Andean peaks and ancient ruins.
• A challenging trek takes you to a hidden Incan city that not many people visit.
• Small groups, Big Adventures
• Discover the Coca plant, the Cocoa plant, and other indigenous fruits.

Choquequirao Trek 4 Days

The Choquequirao 4-day trip is an amazing and challenging journey to one of the Incas’ final strongholds. Choquequirao (3.303m/10,168ft) is a large archeological site that is still covered with bushes and being fixed up. It is near the sacred mountain Salkantay (6.272m/20679ft) and the Apurimac River. You will see a lot of Andean plants and animals as well as beautiful mountain scenery.

Choquequirao Trek 4 Day itinerary

Day 1: Cusco – Capuliyoc – Chiquisca – Santa Rosa

On the first day of the classic 4-day Choquequirao trek, you’ll be picked up from your hotel early in the morning and driven to Capuliyoc, leaving the busy city of Cusco behind. After driving for about an hour and a half, we will stop briefly at Tarawasi (2675m/8776 ft).

The name “Tarawasi” comes from two Quechua words: “tara,” which means “house,” and “caesalpina espinosa,” which is a type of tree that grows in the Andes. This means that Tarawasi means “the home of the Tara tree.” Tara is a tree with many uses. It grows big pods of beans that turn orange when they are ready. The seeds inside can be used to make a natural dye and are also good for your health.

Tarawasi is a place where ceremonies were held during the time of the Incas. An usnu, a building used for ceremonies and where ritual offerings were made, is one of the most interesting things about this archaeological site.

Choquequirao trek 4 days

From here, we will drive for about 3 hours more until we reach Capuliyoc (2970m/9744ft), where we’ll get our first breathtaking views of the Apurimac Valley below and the impressive Padreyoc and Huayna Cachora peaks.

Here is where we’ll meet our arrieros, or mule drivers. After a short 15-minute walk, we’ll stop at the Capuliyoc lookout point for lunch. Now that we’ve eaten and slept, we’re ready to start the steep 4-hour descent into the Apurimac Canyon until we reach Chiquisca (1950m/6397ft), which is at an altitude of 1950m/6397ft. On either side of us are amazing drops.

After another hour of walking, we reach the roaring Apurimac River (1520m/4986ft), where we’ll start the climb to the Santa Rosa campsite (2095m/6873ft). This 2-hour climb is hard, but you’ll be glad you did it the next day. On day one of our Choquequirao tour, this campsite is further down the trail than the most popular one. This makes for a more peaceful night under the stars.

Day 2: Santa Rosa – Marampata – Choquequirao – Marampata

We’re getting up early again today because we want to make the most of our second day in Choquequirao. After a quick breakfast at 5:30 a.m., we leave at 6 a.m. and keep going uphill for 3 hours until we reach Marampata.

Once we get going again after our well-earned break at Marampata (2940m/9646ft), we will get our first glimpses of the beautiful Choquequirao. From here, it will take us another two hours to hike up a gentle, hilly path to the ruins, which will be a welcome break after what we’ve just done.

When we get to the ruins, we can take a break and have a picnic lunch on the grounds. We’ll start exploring the ruins (3050m/10,007 ft) after lunch. About 30% of the Inca ruins at Choquequirao have been dug up so far. The rest are still a mystery. We keep our fingers crossed that we’ll see some condors as we explore.

After walking around the site for about three hours, including the religious area and the center of the ruins, we start the two-hour hike back to our campsite in Marampata. We want to make the most of our time in Choquequirao, so today is a very long but rewarding day.

Day 3: Marampata – Playa Rosalina – Chiquisca

Today, we will leave the beautiful Marampata campsite and start our descent toward the Apurimac River and the so-called Rosalina Beach (1520 m/4986 ft). From there, we’ll keep walking uphill until we reach our campsite at Chiquisca (1950 m/6397 ft).

If you move quickly or if you signed up for the Machu Picchu Trek Extension, we might camp at Cocamasana (2450m/8038ft) instead.

Day 4: Chiquisca – Capuliyoc – Cusco

This morning, we finish our Choquequirao trek with a 3- to 4-hour climb up to Capuliyoc. When we get to our destination, we’re treated to more beautiful views. Here is where our car will be waiting to take us on the 4.5-hour trip back to Cusco.

On the way, we can stop at Saywite, a pretty archaeological site at 3,500m (11,483 ft) that is in the district of Curahuasi. It was probably built by the Incas in the 16th century. Saywite is about 2 hectares in size and has important pieces of Inca stone art as well as places for religious and spiritual practices.

If all we want to do is relax, we can go to the Cconoc hot springs (1780m/5840 ft) instead. Its water is between 26°C and 35°C and has a pH of 6.9. There are carob trees, reed beds, and cacti all around it. It’s a great place to take it easy. The soothing temperatures and healing properties of the thermal baths make them the perfect place to rest our feet and muscles after this amazing 4-day Choquequirao trek. After a quick swim, we can eat lunch while looking out at the beautiful Apurimac River valley.

Finally, we get in our private car and continue back to the city of Cusco, where we will arrive around 6pm.

What’s Included for the Choquequirao Trek for 4 Days

• Transportation from the hotel to Capuliyoc by private car.
• At the end of our trip, we took a private car from Capuliyoc back to our hotel.
• Entrance ticket to Choquequirao.
• PRO 4-season tent (for four people, but only for two), PRO Therma-Rest air mattresses, and pillow.
• Other camping gear, including a dining tent with a table and chairs and a kitchen tent with a professional cooking staff.
• A professional leader of a trek.
• Four breakfasts, four lunches, three dinners, and snacks.
• A professional chef
• You can put your personal things in our companies’ bags.
• Horses and people who work with them. Horses carry your 8 kg/16 lb personal items.
• Oxygen Tank.
• Emergency If there is a horse to go with us on the trek, feel free to ride it or bring your own day pack.

The 4-day Choquequirao trek does not include

• Sleeping bags (available for renting).
• Hiking poles (available for renting).
• Extra costs like soda, alcoholic drinks, and extra snacks during the hike.
• Tipping for leaders, porters, muleteers, and other staff

Please bring copies of your travel and health insurance with you. We also recommend getting insurance in case your trip gets canceled or cut short. This will protect your travel investment. Bring your travel insurance with you as part of your pre-departure package. This will cover trip cancellation, interruption, lost or delayed bags, emergency medical evacuation, and emergency medical expenses. Any unexpected things that happen on the trip that are out of our control, like changes in train or flight schedules, delays, strikes, cancellations, missed connections, etc., should be paid for by the whole group of passengers. Also, if you can’t continue the trek or walk because of your health and need emergency evacuation, you will have to pay for all costs, such as transportation, hotel, ambulance, doctors, medicine, hospitalization, etc.

WHAT YOU MUST BRING WITH YOU

• Original passport (it has to be the same you have used for booking your trek)
• Good daypack (the smaller, the better)
• 2-3L of water storage. Please bring bottles that can be used more than once.
• Hiking boots that are comfortable and support your ankles
• Sleeping bag (can be rented us)
• Headlamp: essential
• Toilet paper

WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR DUFFEL BAGS

As a Direct Local Tour operator, we give you a duffel bag at your orientation and include an extra pack horse that can carry up to 7 kgs or 14 lbs, which includes your 2.5 kg sleeping bag, mattress, and extra clothes. A duffel bag can’t weigh more than 7 kilograms in Peru (15lbs). This limit is set to keep the porters or horses healthy. Before any bag is taken, it will be weighed. If you need more than 7 kilograms, you will have to carry the extra weight with you in your day pack. Please count 2 kg for your sleeping bag and 1 kg for your sleeping pad in these 7 kg. This leaves you with about 4 kg for your own stuff.

• 2 t-shirts
• 2 hiking pants at least four pairs of underwear
• 3 pairs of socks for hiking
• Thermals or fleece
• Warm clothes and a down jacket—the temperature at the second campsite is about 3o C
• Gloves that don’t leak (even if they are ski gloves, take them)
• Camp shoes that are easy to walk in
• Fast-drying towel. We have small ones, but you may want something bigger.
• Small bottle of soap. Each day, we give you warm water to wash.
• Charging a battery: There was no electricity on the way.
• There will be big plastic bags at the office that you can use to line your duffel bag.
• Sleeping bag: It must be at least -15oC. We can rent you this.
• TOILETRIES
• Face moisturizer
• Hand sanitizer
• Wet wipes
• Brush and paste for teeth
• Personal medications
• First aid kit: band aids, moleskin, etc

HOW TO FILL YOUR BACKPACK

For day hiking, we strongly suggest a small backpack with 30 to 40 liters of space. Your duffel bag will have the rest of your things at camp.

Water: You’ll need to bring your own water until the first stop for lunch. After that, we’ll give you cold, boiled water at every meal. Bring your water bottles with you.

• Sun hat
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellent
• Headlamp: essential
• Felt hat
• Fleece Rain gear
• Snacks like chocolate bars, cereal bars, or any dried fruits
• Plastic poncho for rain
• Gloves
• Hand cleaner for cameras
• Small plastic bag for trash and toilet paper
• Extra cash for gifts, drinks, and tips

Price for Choquequirao trek 4 days

Group price: 500.00 per person

Required Prepayment: US$300

Balance (Cusco) US$200.00 (commonly paid in Cusco after the Briefing).

Notice, that Paypal charges a fee of 5%, which we ask the client to cover since it’s due to the use of its service. This tax is just for online deposits so that you will pay the remaining in cash (the briefing day in Cusco) without charges

Please provide us with the transfer number after your deposit to info@magicalperuexpeditions.com. We will only be able to confirm your deposit and reservation after that.