Choquequirao Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 6 Days

Choquequirao Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 6 Days

Choquequirao Salkantay to Machu picchu is the second most important archeological site in Cusco region. It has a connection with the last Inca city of Vilcabamba and with Machu Picchu. It is in the middle of different Inca roads that traversed all of the Inca empire. After quite a tough hike we will see fascinating and remote Choquequirao (“cradle of gold” in Quechua) – awesome in design and also location, perched high on a spur above the Apurimac canyon – the third deepest canyon in Peru. This is the great place to see condors inhabiting the area.

We walk along coffee and banana plantations before arriving at Aguas Calientes. The last day is devoted to exploring the Lost City of Incas – Machu Picchu. You must join us on this unforgettable and challenging adventure.

Choquequirao and Salkantay to Machu Picchu new route 2 Important archaeological sites and the magical view of the Salkantay mountain.

Itinerary

Day 1: Day 1: Cusco – Capuliyoc – Marampata.

Pass By: Mirador Marampata, Sendero a Choquequirao, Caserio Marampata 08710, Peru
We will pick you up from your hotel between 3:30 to 4:00 AM to start our trip in a private van for 4 hours to northeast of Cusco city, through small towns until Capuliyoc town (2.800masl) where we have a delicious breakfast and where also we will meet with our trip staff (muleteers and horses).

After breakfast we begin with our hiking for about 20 minutes and will arrive to our first viewer where we have a panoramic view, in front of us we can see the vilcabamba mountain range called ( padreyoc) and the famous Apurimac Canon, after having an amazing view we will start our descend for 3 hours through beautiful landscapes where you will be able to see different medicinal plants which were used by our ancestors ( muña, chilca and different varieties of plants) If we are lucky we will be able to see the majestic Condor, we descend until Chiquisca Hamlet (1800masl) where we have a delicious tipycal Cusco Lunch Buffet.

After having Lunch we will have a 30 min break to continue with or hiking, Descending 45 minutes more until Playa Rosalinas (1700masl), located in Apurimac River separated by two important Peruvian regions CUSCO and APURIMAC

After passing the famous Apurimac river we continue descending for 4 hours until Marampata (3500masl) on the way we will see bird dance, at sunset we will see andean people, how they live in the mountains with a style of life that maybe you wont believe compared to the city. We will arrive to our private Choquequirao trek Lodge approximately at 5:30 pm, after a small break its time for dinner, approximately at 7pm and overnight in our LOGDE, during the night you will be able to see constellations according Andean or Inca religión.

Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Choquequirao Sanctuary Lodge

Day 2: Day 2: Maranpata – Choquequirao – Marampata.

Pass By: Choquequirao Archaeological Park, 08710, Peru
In the early morning you will be woke up with a coca tea and have enough time to organize our stuff. Approximately at 7:30am we will have a delicious typical Breakfast. Then we will continue with our hiking to Marampata, on this day the hiking is going to have a high level physically, where we will be able to see an amazing view of the Archeological Choquequirao Complex (3900masl) through our hiking we will have amazing canon views where our tour guide will explain about the flora and fauna, we´ll have 3 hours to explore all the Choquequirao Complex (cradle of gold) also knew as the lost city where you will visit plazas sector, llamas sector, astronomic sector and other important places.

After to visit all of this places we will start our descend until Choquequirao Camping where our picnic Lunch is waiting for us, after having lunch we will take a 30min break and continue to an amazing place that only us know about it, this place is called cataratas de Pachayoc (water falls) a place where you will be in touch with the nature. Finally we will return to MARAMPATA where dinner is ready and is time to stop over.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Choquequirao Sanctuary Lodge

Day 3: Day 3: Marampata – Capulioc – Soraypampa.

Pass By: Humantay Lake, Cusco 08002 Peru
On this day we wake up very early (4am) to start our hiking, descending for 3 hours to Chiquisca where we have a healthy breakfast.

After having Breakfast in Chiquisqa (07:00 AM) we will return for the same path to arrive to paso Capuliyoc, from chiquisca we practice horseback riding with profesional muleteers for 2 hours aproximately.

Our private transport is waiting for us to make conection to Salkantay (4 hours approx) during the trip we will see different ecosystems and valleys till arrive to our destination soraypama(3900masl) where we have Lunch.

After Lunch we will continue hiking for about 1 hour and 30 min approx. We will head to one of the most visited places in Cusco called Humantay Lagoon which has con agua turquose water like the men throw Paint on it, which is on the foothills of Humantay snowcapped (vilcabamba mountain rang) then we will make our descent (40min) to our Soraypampa Camping, where you can see the sky and the earth as if they were together.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Camping Soraypampa

Day 4: Day 4: Soraypampa – Salkantay Pass – Wayracmachay – Chaullay

Pass By: Salcantay, Calle Procuradores 388, Cusco 08002 Peru
We will head to Salkantay towards the highest peak of the mountain
towards the highest peak of the mountain in front of your eyes the whole mountain Challenge yourself as you move up steep slopes while you contemplate the valley far below until you reach the base of Apu Salkantay. Around noon, you will be in the middle of the Andes mountain range! In the afternoon, we enter the incredible cloud forest and the tropical jungle surrounding Chaullay. This is your most challenging but also rewarding day!

Early with the first light of day at 05:30 am and a quick breakfast, we will start walking to the highest point of the trail: the Salkantay Pass (4650 MASL). The distance is 7 km of difficult climb in 3 hours between the base of the rocky valley and the magnificent Salkantay Mountain (6271 MASL). When we reach the top of the pass, we will appreciate the spectacular views of the surrounding valleys and the imposing snow peaks of Salkantay, Humantay, Tucarhuay and Pumasillo. Mountain Salkantay is the second highest mountain in the Cusco region. Continuing from this highlight of today's hike, there is a 5 km downhill walk to the place where we have Lunch. The rocky snake-shaped way down to the place where we will have lunch is Huayracmachay. In the afternoon, after our meal, we will enter to the upper part of the Amazon rainforest, which is also known as "the cloud forest". This is a 10 km (6.2 miles) hike is a wide trail in dense and magical tropical forest. During this part of the walk, you will notice a dramatic change in the landscape and energy of the land as we move into the Amazon. This walk is truly beautiful; The hills are decorated with colorful landscapes, wildlife and native plants. The forests are warm and tropical most of the year with temperate climates. At the end of this exceptional hike, we arrive at Chaullay (2900 MASL) for a well deserved rest from our long trekking day!

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Camping Challway

Day 5: Day 5: Chaullay – La Playa – Hidrolectrica – Aguas Calientes.

Pass By: Hot Springs (Aguas Calientes), Signposted from main square, Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu Peru
At 06:00 AM, we will begin our trek to the small town of La Playa through the Santa Teresa Valley. You can see this new and exuberant landscape during the 6 hours of walking today! During the walk we will see rivers, waterfalls, wild orchids and plantations of coffee, banana and avocado. We will see a town called Colpapampa, also called "the top of the cloud forest", where you can see waterfalls, birds, hot springs, fruit trees and flora and fauna. If we are lucky, we can even see the beautiful bird called "The rooster of the rocks", the national bird of Peru! After a lunch at La Playa, we will take the local transport to the Hidroeléctrica train station.

Here you will have two options:

1) If you are exhausted, you can take the train to Aguas Calientes ($ 31.00 extra).

2) If you still feel like walking, you can walk from Hidroelectrica to Aguas Calientes for about 3 hours along the train track. There is a nice path next to the tracks through the warm cloud forest paradise. This is the same trail used by the American professor Hiram Bingham who rediscovered Machu Picchu after centuries of being lost to the outside world!

Once in Aguas Calientes, you can rest a little before dinner or stroll through this attractive place that has the feeling of being a California Gold Rush city. There are no cars in Aguas Calientes, so it's a quiet place to be. At 7:00 PM, we will have dinner at a local restaurant. All expenses in Aguas Calientes are covered by the company, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight stay at our hostel. In your room, you will have a private bathroom, hot shower, wifi, breakfast in the morning and luggage storage while visiting Machu Picchu.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Hostel Aguas Calientes

Day 6: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco.

Pass By: Machu Picchu, 08680, Peru
The Expectation towards Machu Picchu will increase as we go through the forest in the morning to reach the site before most other tourists, even the Inca Trail hikers! You will have plenty of time to explore this magnificent wonder of the world while enjoying the beautiful sunrise from this unique point of view in life. Your group will learn about this mystical place on a two-hour guided tour of the ruins. Afterwards, you can choose to climb Huayna Picchu or Machupicchu Mountain (if you have reserved tickets) or walk to Puerta del Sol (without additional entrance tickets).

Today we will reach the long-awaited end of our trek, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO: Machu Picchu! We will get up early after a refreshing night in our hostel to beat the crowds to the top of Machu Picchu and enjoy their serenity in the soft light of the morning. The entrance control point to Machu Picchu is open from 06:00 AM to 17:00 PM. We will walk to Machu Picchu (a bus trip is optional for $ 12.00) and we will enter to the Real City of the Incas which is hidden in the mountains. Here we will have a guided tour of 2 hours through this incredible ancient city to visit temples, terraces, palaces, priests' houses, the sundial, the industrial sector and the fields of cultivation. Surprise yourself with the engineering ingenuity of the Incas, which was far ahead of its time and even today it is a mystery! Without having modern tools, not even steel and iron to work, the people who built this city were great at organizing this community in a sustainable and beautiful way on the side of a mountain, even carrying water in water ways through its streets so that people can use.When a Peruvian guide showed this site to Hiram Bingham, it was almost unrecognizable, covered in thick vegetation and in poor conditions. Since then, it has been cleaned and restored and now is protected and treasured by the world in general.

After this tour, you can go up to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (make sure to book tickets in advance!). Each mountain takes about 3 hours to go up and down. Another option with less impact for which you do not need an additional ticket is to walk to Puerta del Sol, the main entrance from the Inca Trail (this takes around 2 or 2.5 hours round trip). Another option is to walk to see the Inca Bridge. You can stay and enjoy this magical city for more than 7 hours before returning to Aguas Calientes for the train trip at 16:22 hrs (according Train Tickets availability) to Ollantaytambo. A private bus will pick up our group and drop you off at your hotel in Cusco at approximately 9:00 p.m.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.