Peru Adventure Tours & Expeditions | Authentic Experiences with Minka Perú Expeditions

Choquequirao Vilcabamba Trek to Machu Picchu 8D/7N

10 Days / 9 Nights

10+ Age

Choquequirao - Machu Picchu

Alternative Treks

Choquequirao Vilcabamba Trek – Trek Choquequirao Vilcabamba

Retrace the footsteps of Incas with our English-speaking local tour guide on this 10 Days Choquequirao Vilcabamba Trek to Machu Picchu. It is popularly known as Trek Choquequirao Vilcabamba.

The high-altitude trek offers a fantastic opportunity to get a more exclusive view of the cultural and natural highlights of Peru.

Choquequirao in Quechua means Cradle of Gold. It was built in the same era as Machu Picchu by Pachacutec. Choquequirao Ruins are often termed “the sacred sister of Machu Picchu”. It more or less has a similar architecture as Machu Picchu. 

Choquequirao Vilcabamba trek begins just like the 4 Days Choquequirao Trek. We will begin the experience in Cachora, a serene Andean village. This route passes through the Vilcabamba mountain range. It then descends to the canyon of Apurimac River. 

This is one of the best alternatives to the renowned Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. 

It offers stunning views of the peaks of the Pumasillo and Salkantay mountains. Furthermore, you will be descending to the bottom of the deep and impressive canyons carved out by the Apurimac and Blanco rivers. 

On this 10 Day trek, you will be visiting some of the lesser-known Inca sites. These sites played a major role during the Inca civilization. On Spanish conquest, the Incas feared their life and left these sites abandoned. 

Please note that the trek is a high-altitude experience, the highest point is at 4593 meters / 15,065 feet. We highly recommend you to spend some time in Cusco and acclimatize to avoid altitude sickness

The trek takes you through the Andes mountain range. It is subject to two seasons, wet season and dry season.

We also recommend you to experience the trek during the dry season – between March and November. 

FAQs

Who built Choquequirao?

Choquequirao was built by the Inca Empire in the 15th century. The Inca Empire was a political entity which ruled over the western area of South America during the 15th century and early 16th century.

Choquequirao is often considered as “another Machu Picchu” due to its location in the southern rainforests of Peru, and its similar architecture to Machu Picchu. It’s worth noting that Choquequirao was visited by Hiram Bingham in 1909, 2 years before his expedition to Machu Picchu. This closeness between both expeditions created the general belief that both citadels were somehow connected.

The Choquequirao Trek is moderately difficult, however it should only be attempted by people who are in good physical condition, due to the length of the trek.

Travel Guide

Tour Plan

Day 1: CUSCO – CACHORA – CAPULIYOC - MARAMPATA

In the morning we will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 4:00 am before boarding the transport you have to check your things if you are carrying a passport and if you are taking any medication to take it after being clear we board the private transport to take us for 3 hours and 30 minutes to the town of Cachora here we have breakfast after breakfast we will continue in the transport for another 30 minutes to the beginning of the Capuliyoc hike altitude 2915 meters / 956 feet here we meet the muleteers horses and mules the guide will give you a briefing and introduce you to the muleteers and the cook then we will give you the trek things to take the mules and then we begin the trek together with the muleteer and the emergency horse downhill for 3 hours and 30 minutes  until we reach Playa Rosalinas altitude 1550 meters / 5085 feet here we will have lunch prepared by our cook after a rest we will begin the walk passing by the Apurimac bridge then we will descend by We trek all the way for four hours, passing through the Santa Rosa campsite until we reached the Marampata community. There’s internet access here, so we can communicate via WhatsApp, Facebook, or we can also post our hike in real time. There, we’ll have dinner and spend the night.

In the morning we will wake you up for breakfast at approximately 5 am. After preparing our things, we will continue the trek towards Choquequirao, before going to register at the properly identified control. After obtaining our entrance ticket, we continue the walk for 2 hours to the Choquequirao archaeological park. We will visit different places in Choquequirao, altitude 3033 meters / 9950 feet: temples, main square, llama sector, the Qolcas and the mausoleum. Here we will rest to see the mountains around us and the Apurimac River. Afterwards, we continue the trek around the mountain, then we descend the path for 3 hours passing by the Pinchiunuyoc terraces until we reach the Rio Blanco, altitude 1990 / 6539 feet. Here we will have lunch, then we can bathe in this Rio Blanco, then we will have dinner and spend the night here.

After breakfast, we will hike up Maizal Mountain for 4 hours to a remarkable place called Maizal (3,500 meters / 11,480 feet). Maizal is known for its serenity, which will make you feel at peace as you contemplate the surrounding landscape. This is one of the highlights of the hike, as the beautiful views make up for the effort invested in getting here. We will recharge our batteries for our next hike, as today is only a 4-hour hike in total. We will have lunch, dinner, and spend the night here.

After breakfast, we’ll leave camp early at 5:00 a.m. Our hike begins around Minas Victoria Mountain for 6 hours. We’ll thend ascen through lush vegetation, where native flowers include several species of orchids. We’ll continue the hike past abandoned mines. We’ll only see the tunnels and remains of mines such as the silver and lead mines. We’ll then continue along an Inca trail. We’ll follow the trail and ascend until we reach the San Juan Pass (Minas Victoria), at an altitude of 4,150 meters / 13,610 feet. At this point, we’ll be able to observe condors flying overhead. We’ll be in the heart of the Vilcabamba mountain range, one of the most impressive in the Cusco region. From this pass, we’ll hike down for 1 hour to the village of Yanama (3,650 meters / 11,970 feet), where we’ll stop for lunch. We’ll spend the rest of the day here.

After breakfast we will leave the town of Yanama at an altitude of 3497 meters around 5 am along with our emergency muleteer and horse we will take the descent path for 1 hour along the Yanama river then we will cross the Yanama bridge to continue the ascent trek for 2 hours to the Yanama pass this is a particularly beautiful section of our trek after a break we will continue the trek for 1 hour and 30 minutes around the Yanama mountain until we reach the Kelcamachay river here we will have lunch then we continue the ascent trek for 3 hours along the narrow Kelcamachay river we will arrive at our picturesque camp at Kelkamachay altitude 3800 meters here we will have dinner and camp.

Today in the morning after our breakfast between the mountains of Kelcamachay and Choketacarpo we will begin the last trek of ascent for 3 hours along the original Inca trail to the top of Choquetacarpo height 4593 meters from here we will connect with the energies of the mountains and we will have a view around the mountains and the valley of Vilcabamba after a rest we continue the trek of descent along the entire Inca trail for 2 hours to the Valley of Vilcabamba there we will have lunch then we continue throughout the Valley of Vilcabamba by the road to the town of Huancacalle Vilcabamba height 2064 meters here we stay for today.

Vilcabamba – Hydroelectric – Aguas Calientes Machu Picchu As usual every morning, we will wake you up at 5 am to get ready and have breakfast. After breakfast, we will begin our hike towards the archaeological park of Vilcabamba for 3 hours. We will do this circuit starting at Rosaspata Vicos where the palace of Manco Qapac is located and then we will continue to the White Rock Ñusta Jispana and finally returning to our camp to take our transport for 3 hours towards Hydroelectric. Here you will feel the tropical heat when we are close to Machu Picchu. Here in Hydroelectric is the train station. Here we will have lunch and we will leave the trek things with the cook to take it to Aguas Calientes Machu Picchu and we will begin the hike along the train track for 3 hours 10 km to the town of Aguas Calientes Machu Picchu. Then we will go to our hotel that is already reserved. After settling in and resting for the night, we will go out to dinner. Then we’ll make plans to visit Machu Picchu.

After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll go at the scheduled time to line up with our ID, physical passport, bus tickets, and entrance ticket to Machu Picchu. After checking in, we’ll board the assigned bus for a 25-minute ride to the Machu Picchu archaeological park. We’ll again line up at the Machu Picchu gate to go through passport control and our entrance ticket. Then, we can finally visit Machu Picchu, the dream of being in Machu Picchu and feeling its energy. After visiting Machu Picchu, we’ll take the bus back to Aguas Calientes and then have lunch at your choice of restaurant. Then, we’ll go to the train station and travel for 1 hour and 50 minutes to Ollantaytambo Station. From there, we’ll take the 1 hour and 30 minute  to Cusco.

Book this tour


Inclusions

What is included?
  • Pre trek briefing.
  • Pick up from you hotel in Cusco.
  • Private transport from Cusco to the trailhead at the beginning of the trek.
  • Trilingual tour guide Quechua, Spanish and Englesh
  • Entrance ticket to the archaeological complexes at Choquequirao, Vilcabamba, and Machupicchu.
  • Tents 2 people in a 4 person tent which allows for greater comfort, and also storage of backpacks.
  • Horses (for equipment and personal items) including horsemen. They carry camping equipment, food and kitchen utensils.
  • Transpot Vilcabamba to Santateresa and Santa Teresa to Hydroelectric.
  • We provide duffel bags at your briefing for your personal items. (up to 6 kg per person) to carry horses
  • Basic foam mattress and sleeping bag.
  • 10 Breakfast 9 Lunch 8 Dinner .
  • Every morning we give you cooled boiled water in your bottle for you to drink on the way.
  • 1 emergency horse which can be ridden if you are feeling ill.
  • First-aid kit & emergency oxygen bottle.
  • Toilet tent and toilet paper.
  • 1-night accommodation in Aguas Calientes Machu Picchu in a basic hotel.
  • Bus tickets up and down from Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu.
  • Equivalent luggage from Hydroelectric Station to Aguas Calientes.
  • Train ticket (Expedition service) from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo.
  • Private transport from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.
What is not included?
  • Day 9 Dinner, Day 10 Lunch, Dinner and water to drink.
  • Entrance ticket to Huayna Picchu USD $45
  • Entrance to the thermal springs in Cocalmayo Santa Teresa
What we recommend you to bring:
  • A light day pack with.
  • Original passpor.
  • Warm clothes, Rain jaket and rain plastic poncho o you can you buy in Cusco USD $2.
  • Sunblock.
  • Mosquito repellent.
  • Small towel.
  • Rain gear (jacket and pants if available) or rain poncho. (plastic ponchos can be purchased in Cusco)
  • Trekking shoes.
How to book this trek?
  • If you would like to make a reservation for this program, please write to us.
  • You have to send your passport photo via WhatsApp.
  • WhatsApp number +51974323730.
  • you have to bring Original passpor.
  • Then fill out and submit the Reservation Form that you will find in the Booking Online section of this website.
  • In case your reservation is confirmed, a money deposit will be requested to secure your reservation.
  • Once we confirm the deposit reception, your booking is confirmed.
  • In case you have any doubts, queries or require additional information, please contact us.

Prices

Optional Extras

  • Sleeping bag $5 per day.
  • Single Tent Supplement $6 per day.
  • Inflatable Mettress $5 per day.
  • Walking Stick $2 per day.

PRICE $USD PER PERSON

Private
Person
2
3
4
5-6
7-8
9+
$ USD
1900
1850
1800
1750
1700
1500
Group
Per person USD
X
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