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The 6-day Choquequirao Hike to Machu Picchu is an unforgettable and challenging journey through history and stunning landscapes.
Explore Choquequirao, the “Sister City” of Machu Picchu, a remote and awe-inspiring Inca site with far fewer visitors. Trek through dramatic canyons across rugged mountain trails, soaking in breathtaking views along the way.
To reach Machu Picchu, choose between hiking the Short Inca Trail or taking the train – two incredible experiences that perfectly complement your adventure.
Want extra time at Choquequirao? Add an extra day to spend a full day exploring this incredible archaeological site. Ask your Travel Consultant how!
Our 6-day Choquequirao Hike to Machu Picchu begins with a scenic drive to Capuliyoc, then descend into the stunning Apurímac Canyon, camping in the lush surroundings of Santa Rosa.
The second day brings a tough but rewarding climb to Marampata, where you’ll get your first incredible views of Choquequirao before settling into camp nearby.
Day three is another challenging trek back along the same trail, as you leave Choquequirao behind, cross the Río Apurimac and continue hiking upwards until we reach the campsite of Chiquisca or Cocamasana, depending on your pace.
Want extra time at Choquequirao? Add an extra day to spend a full day exploring this incredible archaeological site on Day 3, then start hiking back to the trailhead on Day 4. Ask your Travel Consultant how!
On the fourth day, complete the Choquequirao hike with a final climb to Capuliyoc, where stunning views await. From there, we drive back towards Cusco, with an optional visit to the Saywite archaeological site. Before reaching the city, we take a detour into the Sacred Valley, arriving in Ollantaytambo by evening — just in time for dinner and a good night’s rest before the next day’s adventure.
On Day 5, you can choose between a relaxed morning exploring Ollantaytambo before a scenic train ride to Aguas Calientes or an adventurous hike along the Short Inca Trail. The hike starts at Km 104, passing Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna before reaching the Sun Gate for stunning first views of Machu Picchu. Both options end with dinner and rest in Aguas Calientes.
Day 6 begins with an early visit to Machu Picchu for a guided tour of the legendary citadel. After exploring, enjoy lunch in Aguas Calientes before taking the train and private transfer back to Cusco.
>> See more photos and information about Choquequirao and the Inca Trail.
High quality personalized experience
Unique, off-the-beaten track routes
Experienced staff
Verified sustainability practices
$20 of every trek donated to Threads of Peru
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.
It gets hot in the Apurimac Canyon!
Although there will be colder nights along the trail – such as Night 2 – you should also be prepared to de-layer when we climb down towards Apurimac river.
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 is very familiar to the area and know the Choquequirao 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 begin our Choquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu with an early departure from Cusco and head towards the Apurimac canyon, surrounded by impressive snow-capped peaks. After about an hour and a half of driving, we will have a short stop at Tarawasi (2675m / 8776 ft).
Tarawasi gets its name from two Quechua words: tara, a type tree native to the Andes (Latin name: caesalpina espinosa), and wasi, which means “house”. So Tarawasi is “the house of the Tara tree”. Tara is a multipurpose tree that produces large bean pods that turn orange when ripe. The seeds inside are used as a natural dye, and also have medicinal purposes.
Tarawasi is a ceremonial centre that dates to Incan times. One of the most striking features of this archaeological site is the presence of an usnu, a ceremonial structure where ritual offerings would be prepared.
From here, we continue by car another 3h to Capuliyoc (2970m / 9744ft). In Capuliyoc we have our first beautiful views of the Apurimac valley stretching below, as well as the snow-capped peaks of Padreyoc and Huayna Cachora.
We will meet our muleteers here and walk about 15 minutes to have our lunch at the Capuliyoc lookout point. From here, we descend steeply 3-4h into the Apurimac Canyon, taking in the
spectacular views until we reach Chiquisca (1950m / 6397 ft), with breathtaking drops on either side. An hour beyond Chiquisca, we arrive at the roaring Apurimac River (1520m / 4986 ft).
From the river, we begin to climb to the Santa Rosa Campsite (2095m / 6873 ft). This is a tough 2h climb but makes the next day easier! As the campsite is further along than the most popular camp, it is often quiet and you can soak up the stars.
This day is flexible and so the route you trek might not correspond exactly to the route described here. Walking times depend on the time of departure and on the nature of the group. The guide may change lunch spots and campsites, depending on the progress of the group.
Please take note that there might be biting insects on the trail, thus repellent will be needed! It can get very hot on the trail (not just in the canyon!), going up to 30-35 ºC (86 ºF – 95 ºF). It can get as hot as 40ºC (104 ºF) in the canyon.
It’s another early start today as we aim to get the best out of day 2 of our Choquequirao tour. After an early breakfast at around 5:30am, we head out at 6am and continue steeply upwards for 3 hours until we reach Marampata.
Once we get going again after our well-deserved break at Marampata (2940m / 9646 ft), we will have our first glimpses of spectacular Choquequirao. From this point, it’s another 2 hours of hiking up gentle, undulating terrain until we reach the ruins, a welcome respite compared to what we’ve just accomplished!
Arriving at the ruins, we can enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds and have a well-deserved break. After lunch we will start to explore the ruins (3050m / 10,007 ft). Only about 30% of the Inca remains at Choquequirao have yet been excavated, the rest remains shrouded in mystery. As we explore, we keep our fingers crossed for the chance to see some condors!
After about 3 hours touring the site – including the religious sector and central part of the ruins – we start our two-hour hike back to the campsite of Marampata. This is a very long but rewarding day as we aim to maximise our time in Choquequirao.
Add an extra day to spend more time at the ruins! If you would like more time exploring the Choquequirao ruins, we will camp tonight at the Choquequirao campsite instead, giving us the full next day to explore.
Today we will leave the beautiful Marampata campsite and start our descent towards the Apurimac River and the so-called Rosalina Beach (1520 m/4986 ft). From there we will continue hiking upwards until we reach our campsite of Chiquisca (1950 m / 6397 ft).
If you have a good pace, we may camp instead at Cocamasana (2450m / 8038ft).
This morning, we finish our Choquequirao trek with a 3 to 4-hour climb upwards to Capuliyoc. When we reach our destination, we’re once again rewarded with spectacular views. Our car will be waiting here to pick us up to start the 4.5-hour drive back to Cusco.
On the way we have the option of visiting Saywite (3500m / 11,483 ft) which is a pretty archaeological site located in the district of Curahuasi. It’s an Incan complex that probably was built in the 16th century. Saywite occupies an area of around 2 hectares which houses important examples of Inca stone art, as well as religious-ritualistic spaces.
Finally, we hop in our private car to continue the journey back towards Cusco. Before reaching the city, we take a turn and head into the Sacred Valley. We’ll head all the way to Ollantaytambo, arriving around 6 or 7 pm.
After dinner on your own, it’s off to bed so you’re well rested to start the next day’s journey.
Option A – Take the train to Aguas Calientes
Sleep in and enjoy a relatively relaxed morning today to explore Ollantaytambo, either on your own or with your guide.
The design of Ollantaytambo village and the majority of its foundations date from the Inca era when it was a strategic military, religious, and agricultural center. On one end of the village are its impressive resistance terraces, constructed to avoid landslides. This series of superimposed terraces is made of carved stones, and accessed by long staircases. You’ll have time this morning to climb the ruins if you desire.
Otherwise, stroll the picturesque cobblestone streets or browse its lively souvenir market. Do a little shopping, wander or enjoy coffee and a treat at one of the town’s cute cafes.
After an early lunch on your own, we will take the train to Aguas Calientes, a stunning 1.5h journey through the magnificent Vilcanota Canyon. Arriving at Aguas Calientes, we will check into our accommodations. Time permitting, you can explore this village to do some souvenir shopping or check out the town’s namesake hot springs!
We will have dinner together before tucking in for an early night, in preparation for tomorrow’s early start.
Option B – Hike the Short Inca Trail
We pick you up early this morning and head to the train station where we will catch the train (around 7AM) to Km 104, the start of the Inca Trail for us. It’s a lovely 2 hour train ride on a very picturesque route.
Before we begin the hike, we’ll cross the bridge over the Urubamba River to visit Chachabamba (2050m / 6725 ft), a lovely archaeological site known for its flowing water channels and fountains.
From this point, we hike uphill for about 3-4h until we reach Wiñay Wayna (“forever young” in Quechua), an amazing Inca agricultural center with numerous terraces, a religious sector and an urban sector (2680m / 8792 ft). This is a tough stretch with lots of stone steps, so be prepared for a leg workout! We’ll take plenty of breaks to rest our weary legs and admire the vista stretching out before us. We’ll rest at Wiñay Wayna and enjoy our boxed lunch here. Many consider Wiñay Wayna the most impressive site along the entire Inca Trail!
After lunch, we continue another hour to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate (2730m / 8956 ft), from where we will have our first dramatic views of Machu Picchu (2400m / 7874 ft). As we will be arriving late in the day, you have the view all to yourself!
After getting those classic shots of Machu Picchu, we will walk down the last part of the trail towards the site. We deviate to the side in order to walk down towards the area where we will catch the bus to Aguas Calientes below, where we will spend the night in order to have a full day at Machu Picchu on Day 2.
We’ll check into our accommodations and enjoy a celebratory dinner in Aguas Calientes before hitting the hay in preparation for another early start tomorrow.
We made it! Today we will have a guided visit of the unparalleled Inca Citadel, Machu Picchu. This is a lifelong dream for many, and also the pinnacle of the Choquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu!
We will take a bus in the wee hours of the morning up to the ruins of Machu Picchu so that you can appreciate this famous city in the early morning light, aiming to enter the site around 8 AM. Your guide will give you a 2h walking tour of the historic citadel which will leave you in awe of the Incan people’s ingenuity!
After our tour, we exit the site and take the bus down to Aguas Calientes (walking is an option, but the bus ticket is already included). There, we will enjoy a delicious lunch at a local restaurant before heading to the train station with plenty of time to catch our train.
We will travel on the Expedition train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo where our driver will meet us and transfer you directly back to your hotel in Cusco. Total travel time is about 4 hours from Aguas Calientes to Cusco.
Feeling adventurous? You may wish to hike Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain in addition to your tour of the Machu Picchu ruins. 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.
