Choquequirao to Machu Picchu 7 Days / 6 Nights

Day 1: CUSCO – CACHORA – CAPULIYOC – CHIQUISCA – SANTA ROSA
We leave the Cusco City at 3 am, in our minivan on a 4-hours trip passing through the provinces of Anta, Limatambo, Cachora and finally arriving at Capuliyoc, located on the edge of the Apurimac Canyon, where we will have our breakfast.
Here we will meet the rest of the team (muleteers, horses, etc.). Then we begin the walk for 2 and a half hours until we reach Chiquisca at 1,800 meters high, where we will have our lunch, then we will continue our walk for 1 more hour until we reach the bridge at 1,500 meters high, the lowest point of the route and then we will climb for 3 more hours to Santa Rosa where we will spend our first night.

Time: approximately 8 hours of hiking.
Meals: Lunch, dinner.
Minimum altitude: 1500 meters high, Playa Rosalina
Maximum altitude: 2945 meters high, in Capuliyoc pass.
Distance traveled: 16 km from Capuliyoc – Santa Rosa.
Climate: Temperate – Warm.

Day 2: SANTA ROSA – MARAMPATA – CHOQUEQUIRAO
In the morning our alarm clock will be the birds, after recharging our energy with a good breakfast we will begin the hike on a 3-hour ascent along a winding and narrow path along the way, we will stop at some points to have a brief rest, then we will resume the walk until we reach Marampata at 2,900 meters high, where our lunch will be. From here we will have our first view of the Choquequirao complex. Immediately we continue walking for 2 more hours to the camping area, at sunset we will be able to see some condors flying.
Time: approximately 7 hours of ascent.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Minimum altitude: 2100 meters high in Santa Rosa.
Maximum altitude: 2900 meters high in Choquequirao
Distance traveled: 14 km from Santa Rosa – Choquequirao
Climate: Temperate, Cold.
Day 3: CHOQUEQUIRAO – PINCHINUYOC
Today you will have a sunrise with fresh air and a hot breakfast, then we will begin with the guided tour of the main sites of Choquequirao, during the morning we will visit Paqchayoc, the priest’s house and the cultivation platforms. At noon we will have our lunch at the campsite and after a short rest we continue with the visit of the llama sector, the Inca’s house and the temples. Then we begin the ascent to the Choquequirao pass where you will have a privileged view.
Afterwards we will descend to the terraces of Pinchinuyoc at an altitude of 2487 meters, where we will spend the night with a clear sky full of stars.
Time: 6 hours visiting Choquequirao and 2 hours descending to Pinchinuyoc.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Camp: Pinchinuyoc 2487 meters high.
Minimum altitude: 2487 meters high in Pinchinuyoc.
Maximum altitude: 3150 meters in Paso Choquequirao.
Distance traveled: 15 km Choquequirao – Pinchinuyoc.
Climate: Temperate, Warm.

Day 4: PINCHINUYOC – RÍO BLANCO – MAIZAL.
After a delicious breakfast, we will appreciate the sunrise on the terraces of this place and then pack the equipment and begin the descent until we reach the Rio Blanco at a height of 1900 meters, there we will stop to have a refreshing dip in the river and relieve your tired muscles and have our lunch. Afterwards we will return to the opposite side of the river and begin to ascend towards our camp in Maizal at an altitude of 2891 meters, where we will spend the night.
Time: 2 hours of descent and 3 hours of ascent
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Camp: Maizal 2891 meters high.
Minimum altitude: 1900 meters high in Río Blanco.
Maximum altitude: 2891 meters high in Maizal.
Distance traveled: 16 km Pinchinuyoc – Maizal.
Climate: Temperate, Warm.
Day 5: MAIZAL – YANAMA – TOTORA – LUCMABAMBA.
After breakfast we leave and walk uphill through the humid forest, passing through the Victoria mines before climbing for another hour to the San Juan pass, where we can have spectacular views of the Vilcabamba mountain range with its glaciers more than 5000 meters high. We will immediately descend to the charming village of Yanama where we will have our lunch, here we will say goodbye to our muleteers, and then take our local car going up to the 4643 meters high Mariano Llamocca pass with a view of the second highest snow-capped peak in Cusco, the Salkantay, and then descend to Lucmabamba in a trip of approximately 3 hours. Along the way we will enjoy the beautiful views of the mountains, waterfalls, forests, rivers and local people.
Time: 2 hours of ascent and 3 hours of descent.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Camp: Lucmabamba 1900 meters high.
Minimum altitude: 2891 meters in Maizal.
Maximum altitude: 4643 meters at Passo Mariano Llamocca.
Distance traveled: 80 km Maizal – Lucmabamba.
Climate: Temperate, cold.
Day 6: LUCMABAMBA – LLACTAPATA – AGUAS CALIENTES.
Today’s main objective is a visit to the archaeological site of Llactapata, located at the top of a mountain. Very early we will arrive at Llactapata and visit the site for half an hour, where we can enjoy the fantastic views of the archaeological site and we can also appreciate Machu Picchu from this point.
Then we will begin a 2-hour descent to the Hydroelectric station where we will have our lunch.
Then we began the walk again from Hidroeléctrica to Aguas Calientes for approximately 3 hours following the train track.
Once in Aguas Calientes you can rest a little or walk around this small town. At 7:00 p.m., we will have dinner at a local restaurant, where our guide will explain in more detail about the tour to Machupicchu for the next day. In your room, you will have a private bathroom, hot shower, wifi, breakfast the next morning, and luggage storage while you are visiting Machu Picchu.
Time: 7 hours of walking.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Minimum altitude: 2050 meters high in Hydroelectric.
Maximum altitude: 2700 meters high in Llactapata.
Distance traveled: 19 km Lucmabamba Aguas Calientes.
Climate: Temperate, Cold.
Day 7: AGUAS CALIENTES – MACHU PICCHU – OLLANTAYTAMBO – CUSCO
This day is probably the most anticipated by everyone, to visit Machu Picchu we have several entrance shifts; They can be at 6-7-8- or 9 in the morning, depending on the date of advance payment of the tour, we can reserve entry as early as possible.
Depending on the time of the entrance ticket to Machu Picchu, we will get up to have breakfast and then board the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu on a 25-minutes trip.
Already at the entrance to Machu Picchu, our guide will begin the tour in the archaeological zone, where we can visit the different places: the temple of the sun, sundial, house of the Inca, etc.
If you have a visit to one of the available mountains “Waynapicchu or Machupicchu”, depending on the starting time, our guide will show you the route to start the visit of these 2 places.
Once the tour is over, you can return hiking or by bus, but you should keep in mind that sometimes the line to board the bus is so long that it can take an hour or more, between 12 to 1 in the afternoon.
Once in Aguas Calientes you will have time to have your lunch and then board the return train until you reach the Ollantaytambo station, that is where our minivan will be waiting for you to return to Cusco city.
Food: Breakfast.
Hiking distance Aguas Calientes – Machupicchu: 5 km Approximately.
Maximum height: 2850 meters high in Machupicchu.
Minimum height: 2200 meters high in Aguas Calientes
Climate: Warm or cold depending on the weather season.