This ‘lost city’ Choquekirao (meaning ‘cradle of gold’) was discovered in the 18th century by a French explorer, it fascinated 19th century explorers and was also visited by Hiram Bingham prior to his discovery of Machu Picchu.
Grandiose and mysterious, this abandoned city has lots of parallels with Machu Picchu and there are a variety of theories about its function. It is only relatively recently, however, that COPESCO (the official body responsible for tourism in Peru) has partially cleared the site and there remains a lot more to be discovered.

DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1:

We pick you up from your hotel at about 8am and travel by bus, for about 4 hours, to the small village of Cachora where we will meet our horseman and mules.

We will begin our trek along the edge of the Apurimac canyon and follow the trail, enjoying the dramatic landscapes and a variety of plant and animal life until we reach our campsite, ‘La Playa Rosa Linda’ (1650m/5413ft).

APURIMAC CANYON

Day 2:

We will get up early, have breakfast and begin our walk by crossing the Apurimac River and then descending to the lowest point on the trail. Following this, we have a steep ascent through a thick cloud forest towards the Inca site of Choquekirao.

We will have lunch and then time to relax and enjoy the archeological zone, plants, animals (hopefully condors), and views of nearby canyons and snow-capped mountains (Soray – 5428m/17808ft andTuncarway 5910m/19389ft). We will camp close to the site (3033m/9950ft).

CHOQUEQUIRAW

Day 3:

Today, we will have breakfast followed by a 3-hour guided tour around Choquekirao itself. After this, we descend to our last campsite, ‘Santa Rosa’.

Day 4:

We will wake to birds’ songs and beautiful scenery. We will walk to Cachora and from there take a bus back to Cusco to arrive at about 8pm.

CHOQUEQUIRAW

Included:

• Professional, bilingual Tour Guide.
• Collection from hotel.
• Return bus transportation (Cusco-Cachora-Cusco).
• 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 afternoon snacks, 3 dinners and various snacks to be eaten throughout the day (breakfast on day 1 and
• lunch on ay 4 are not included).
• Dining tent with table and chairs.
• Cook.
• Horseman and mules (they carry cooking and camping equipment).
• Two-man tent.
• Sleeping mattress.
• Oxygen bottle.
• First Aid kit.

What you need to take:

• Sleeping bag (not included but can be hired from us).
• Walking boots .
• Waterproof jacket/rain poncho.
• Warm jacket, hat and gloves.
• T-shirts.
• Comfortable trousers.
• Sun hat.
• Sun protection cream (factor 35 recommended).
• Insect repellent.
• Toiletries.
• Personal medication.
• Camera and films.
• Torch with spare batterie.

Optional items to take:

• Shorts.
• Walking stick (with rubber tip) .
• Plasters and bandages.
• Sandals.
• Extra money.
• 7 or 8 day treks are also available. Please contact us for further information about these alternative routes.