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The 3 day Ancascocha Trail hike is the best way to pack maximum adventure into minimum time. You’ll see little-visited Incan archaeological sites, traditional farming villages, beautiful mountain vistas and Andean flora and fauna. Day 3 culminates in an unforgettable visit of Machu Picchu!
The Ancascocha Trail 3 day hike is one of the least known and adventurous routes that you can do in just two days, and not venture far from Cusco.
This untouristed Peru trek gives you a taste of a totally off-the-beaten-path route through the high Andes. Take in breathtaking mountain vistas and pastoral landscapes with nary another trekker in sight. After two days of hiking along the remote Ancascocha Trail, we take the train to Aguas Calientes. On Day 3, you will have the chance of a lifetime to see the spectacular Inca site of Machu Picchu.
High quality personalized experience
Unique, off-the-beaten track routes
Experienced staff
Verified sustainability practices
$20 of every trek donated to Threads of Peru
For greater comfort, consider upgrading your hotel.
We offer you the opportunity to personalize your trek and make your experience more comfortable through our Optional Extras and Upgrades. All options are available during the reservation process; please ask your sales consultant for more information.
We recommend that you bring the following items with you:
For our full packing list for treks in the Andes, see What to Bring.
Our blog How to Prepare for a Trek in Peru will also give you some great tips for how to get ready for your trek, before you even leave home.
Our whole trekking team knows the Ancascocha region like the back of their hand! They are some of the warmest, endearing and wonderful people you are ever likely to meet.
Our guides are all licensed and receive regular training. They share their experience, professionalism, knowledge and enthusiasm with our passengers on every trek.
Get to know our team!
Want to join a trek? Ready to confirm a departure date of your own, but interested in having others join you? Then Trekkers Wanted is for you! Our innovative Trekkers Wanted system matches people up who are interested in hiking the same trek, bringing costs down and multiplying the fun for everyone!
Read More about Trekkers Wanted, post your trek or search for confirmed departures!
We start our journey on a road trip through the high Andean landscape, past Huarocondo to the small village of Molino, where we will meet our muleteers and begin the day’s hike. After our first two hours of moderate, uphill hiking, we will come upon Huata, an Incan archaeological site with religious significance. From Huata, we trek through undulating terrain for another two hours until we arrive at Chillipahua where we will have lunch. After a good rest, we continue another two hours over a moderately steep climb to Cochapata, where we will camp in front of vivid red mountains.
Our second morning starts with a steep one hour climb to Puca Ccasa before descending to the community of Ancascocha Alta. From here, we continue downwards to Ancascocha Baja where will see from a distance the school of this remote and isolated community.
From here, we make our descent in a narrow chasm alongside a rushing stream as we watch the landscape around us change dramatically from the Andean altiplano to almost tropical vegetation. Our last 1.5h of hiking will be through pastoral farmland where we may see locals busy tilling their fields, you will also cross a river using several bridges arranged in a zigzag pattern and see red mountains thanks to the orchids that grow in these mountains. We will arrive at Chillca at about 3pm, from where we can take a bus to nearby Ollantaytambo. We will take a late afternoon train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, where we can enjoy a celebratory dinner and spend the night in a hotel.
If you’re feeling adventurous you may wish to hike Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, but take note: this requires an extra permit, and they can sell out well in advance! Be sure to tell us at booking if you would like to add one of these hikes. For more tips on what to see, check out our Visiting Machu Picchu page.
Want more time to explore? Consider our Extra Day Upgrades.
After taking the bus back down to Aguas Calientes, we will make our way back to Cusco via train to Ollantaytambo and then private transport the rest of the way. The return trip takes about 4h in total.
It was an amazing tour with fantastic staff. Everything was taken care of and we didn’t have to worry about any details. Being so remote while on the trek was wonderful. Seeing local people and animals along the trek was definitely a highlight. [Our guide] Boneth was amazing! She was very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. And she was flexible if we needed extra time. The food was amazing! [Our chef Leandro] even had a birthday cake for me during the trek, a great surprise!
