Choquequirao Trek: 4-Day Andes Hike & Pachamanca Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.99 (91 reviews) 99% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/19

Duration4d

GroupUp to 16

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Step into Inca history on quiet trails from Cusco to Choquequirao with a small group, mountain views, and local food at camp

You’ll hike from Cusco through silent valleys and cloud forests toward Choquequirao’s lost terraces, guided by locals who know every bend in the trail. Expect early mornings, shared campfire meals—including a traditional Pachamanca barbecue—and time to wander ancient ruins almost alone. If you want space to think (and sweat), this trek leaves a mark long after your boots are clean again.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Cusco to Santa Rosa trek

Depart Cusco early morning
Drive to Capuliyoc
Have breakfast at Capuliyoc
Trek downhill to Chiquiska
Lunch at Chiquiska
Trek to Santa Rosa campsite
Camp overnight at Santa Rosa

Day 2 — Santa Rosa to Choquequirao trek

Breakfast at Santa Rosa
Trek to La Playa
Continue trekking to Marampata
Arrive at Choquequirao
Camp overnight at Choquequirao

Day 3 — Choquequirao to Chiquiska trek

Watch sunrise at Choquequirao
Breakfast at camp
Trek downhill to Santa Rosa for lunch
Trek downhill and uphill to Chiquiska campsite
Camp overnight at Chiquiska

Day 4 — Chiquiska to Cusco via Saywite

Breakfast at Chiquiska
Trek uphill to Capuliyoc
Lunch at Capuliyoc
Drive to Saywite archaeological site
Explore Saywite site
Return to Cusco hotel

The Experience

“You’ll never make it up that last hill,” our guide Raul grinned, but I think he was half-joking. We’d left Cusco before sunrise—honestly, I barely remember the drive to Capuliyoc except for the fog and someone’s playlist looping Andean flute covers. The first glimpse of the Apurimac canyon made everyone stop talking though. It’s so wide and deep you feel like you’re looking at some ancient scar in the earth. Breakfast was just bread and strong coffee, but somehow it tasted better outside with that cold mountain air biting your fingers.

The trek down to Chiquiska felt endless—my knees didn’t love it, but Raul kept pointing out little orchids clinging to rocks or a condor gliding way above us. There were maybe six other trekkers total on the whole trail; sometimes we’d walk for an hour without seeing anyone but our own group. The quiet is strange at first, just wind and distant water rushing somewhere below. By lunch I was starving—our cook whipped up something with quinoa and hot sauce that I still crave now.

Day two started early again (I’m not really a morning person), climbing towards Marampata with mist sticking to my jacket and everything smelling faintly of wet earth. At some point Raul told us about Pachamama—Mother Earth—and how Choquequirao was one of her sacred places for the Incas. When we finally reached those terraces, it wasn’t crowded or noisy like Machu Picchu; just mossy stones, wildflowers, and this weird feeling like you’re trespassing somewhere important. I tried to imagine what it looked like when the Incas were here. Not sure I can describe it right.

The last night’s Pachamanca barbecue was a mess of laughter—nobody could agree on how long to bury the potatoes under hot stones (Raul said his abuela would be ashamed). We ate sitting in a circle, hands greasy, sun setting behind purple hills. Honestly, I didn’t expect to feel so connected to strangers after four days of sweat and blisters. The hike back up nearly broke me—I mean it—but reaching Saywite at the end felt like finishing some old story someone else started centuries ago.

What’s included

Your journey includes hotel pickup in Cusco, all transportation between trailheads and sites like Saywite, professional English-speaking guides who share Inca history along the way, a chef preparing every meal (with dietary needs handled if you ask ahead), a personal porter for your gear up to 7kg, camping equipment set up nightly—and yes, that Pachamanca barbecue on your final evening before heading back tired but happy.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availableNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by TreXperience