Choquequirao and Salkantay trek 6 days

We’ll pick you up from your hotel between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. Yeah, it’s an early start, but dawn hits different in the Andes. We’ll drive for about 4 hours in a private vehicle, passing quiet mountain towns until we reach Capuliyoc (2,800 m.a.s.l.). There, a hot breakfast will be waiting, and you’ll meet the muleteers and horses who’ll support us throughout the trek.

After eating, we begin with a gentle 20-minute walk to our first lookout point. From here, everything opens up, the massive Padreyoc peak right in front of us and the dramatic Apurímac Canyon stretching below. It’s one of those views that makes everyone go quiet.

Next, we descend for roughly 3 hours through nature-filled trails lined with medicinal plants once used by ancient Andean communities, such as muña and chilca. If we’re lucky, we might spot an Andean condor soaring above the canyon. We’ll reach Chiquisca (1,800 m.a.s.l.), where a traditional buffet lunch prepared by local families awaits.

After a short rest, we continue descending for about 45 minutes until we reach Playa Rosalinas (1,700 m.a.s.l.), right beside the Apurímac River, an important natural boundary separating the regions of Cusco and Apurímac.

We cross the river and begin our challenge of the day: a 4-hour uphill hike to Marampata (3,500 m.a.s.l.). Along the way, you’ll see local birds, small farms, and families living in a way that feels worlds apart from city life, simple, quiet, deeply connected to the land.

We reach our private lodge around 5:30 p.m., where you’ll have time to relax before dinner is served around 7:00 p.m. If the sky is clear, the night offers a stunning view of Andean constellations, no city lights, just stars and silence.

Hiking Summary

• Distance: 15 km / 9.3 miles
• Duration: 6.5–7 hrs
• Weather: Hot during the day, mild at night
• Accommodation: Choquequirao Sanctuary Lodge
• Meals Included: Lunch & Dinner
• Max altitude: 2,850 m.a.s.l. (Marampata)
• Min altitude: 1,475 m.a.s.l. (Playa Rosalinas)

We’ll start the morning softly, you’ll be awakened with a warm cup of coca tea, giving you time to organize your gear and get ready for the day. Around 7:30 a.m., we’ll enjoy a traditional breakfast that will fuel us for one of the most physically demanding days of the trek.

We continue hiking from Marampata toward the Choquequirao complex (3,900 m.a.s.l.). Along the trail, the views of the canyon and surrounding mountains get increasingly dramatic. Your guide will share insights about the local flora and fauna as the site gradually comes into view, an incredible reward after the ascent.

Once we arrive, we’ll spend about three hours exploring the archaeological site, often called “the cradle of gold” and known as one of the last major Inca refuges. You’ll visit key areas such as the main plazas, the llama terraces, astronomical sectors, and other important ceremonial spaces that reveal the cultural mystery of this hidden city.

After exploring, we descend to the designated Choquequirao campsite, where a picnic-style lunch will be waiting for us. Following a short break, we continue to a special spot known only to a few travelers: Pachayoc Waterfalls, an untouched natural area where you’ll be immersed in nature and silence.

At the end of the afternoon, we return to Marampata, where dinner will be served and we’ll spend the night at the lodge.

Hiking Summary

• Distance: 8 km / 4.9 miles
• Estimated time: 5.5 – 6 hours
• Climate: Hot during the day, mild at night
• Accommodation: Choquequirao Sanctuary Lodge
• Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Maximum altitude: 3,106 m.a.s.l. / 10,190 ft (Choquequirao)
• Minimum altitude: 2,850 m.a.s.l. / 9,350 ft (Marampata)

We start the day before sunrise, around 4:00 a.m., to begin our descent. The morning is quiet, and the trail leads us downhill for about 3 hours until we reach Chiquisca, where a healthy breakfast will be waiting to recharge us.

After breakfast, we continue along the same trail we took on Day 1, climbing back up toward the Capuliyoc Pass. Once we arrive, our private transportation will be ready to take us toward the Salkantay region. The drive takes about 4 hours, passing through shifting ecosystems, deep valleys, and ever-changing mountain scenery until we reach Soraypampa (3,900 m.a.s.l.), where lunch will be served.

In the afternoon, we begin a shorter hike of about 1 hour and 30 minutes toward one of Cusco’s most iconic destinations: Humantay Lake. Its turquoise water sits beneath the towering Humantay glacier, part of the Vilcabamba mountain range, it’s the kind of place that looks unreal, like someone poured paint into the water.

After taking in the views, we descend for about 40 minutes back to our Soraypampa campsite. As night falls, the sky opens wide, here, it really feels like the earth and stars meet.

Hiking summary

• Distance: 19 km / 12.3 miles
• Estimated time: 6 hours
• Climate: Hot during the day, mild at night
• Accommodation: Soraypampa Campsite
• Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Maximum altitude: 4,200 m.a.s.l. / 13,779 ft (Humantay Lake)
• Minimum altitude: 1,475 m.a.s.l. / 4,839 ft (Playa Rosalinas)

We start early, just as the first light touches the mountains. After a quick breakfast at 5:30 a.m., we begin the ascent toward the highest point of the entire trek: the Salkantay Pass (4,650 m.a.s.l.). This section is demanding, about 7 km of steady uphill through a rocky valley, but the reward is unreal. As we get closer, the massive Apu Salkantay rises right in front of us, its glacier walls towering over the landscape.

By midday, we’ll be standing at the heart of the Andes, surrounded by snow-capped giants like Humantay, Tucarhuay, and Pumasillo. Salkantay, reaching 6,271 m.a.s.l., is the second-highest peak in the Cusco region, and up here, you feel every meter.

From the pass, we begin a 5 km descent to Huayracmachay, where we’ll stop for lunch with views of the mountains behind us.

In the afternoon, everything changes. The scenery, the climate, even the air. We enter the upper Amazon jungle, known as the cloud forest, where the landscape shifts from rocky alpine terrain to lush greenery and warm, humid air. This stretch covers about 10 km on a wide trail surrounded by native plants, waterfalls, and wildlife—another world compared to where we started the day.

By late afternoon, we arrive at Chaullay (2,900 m.a.s.l.), where we rest, have dinner, and recover after what is both the toughest and most unforgettable day of the trek.

Hiking Summary

• Distance: 22 km / 13.7 miles
• Time: 6–7 hours
• Climate: Starts cold in the high Andes, ends warm and tropical
• Accommodation: Chaullay Campsite
• Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Maximum altitude: 4,630 m.a.s.l. / 15,190 ft (Salkantay Pass)
• Minimum altitude: 2,900 m.a.s.l. / 9,514 ft (Chaullay)

We start around 6:00 a.m., continuing our journey through the Santa Teresa Valley toward the small town of La Playa. Today’s 6-hour hike takes us deeper into the cloud forest, where the landscape turns lush and vibrant. Along the trail, we’ll pass waterfalls, rushing rivers, wild orchids, and plantations of coffee, bananas, and avocados.

We’ll walk through Colpapampa, known as “the gateway to the cloud forest,” where the scenery is rich with fruit trees, birds, natural hot springs, and dense tropical vegetation. With a bit of luck, we may spot Peru’s national bird, the striking Cock-of-the-Rock.

After lunch in La Playa, we take local transport to the Hidroeléctrica train station, where you’ll choose how to continue to Aguas Calientes:

Option 1: By train
Take a scenic train ride to town (extra cost of approx. $38).

Option 2: On foot
Continue hiking for about 3 hours along the tracks through a warm, jungle-covered trail. This is the same route Hiram Bingham followed when he rediscovered Machu Picchu, so it’s both historic and beautiful.

Once in Aguas Calientes, you’ll have time to relax, explore the town, or simply take a hot shower and unwind. With no cars and narrow paths surrounded by mountains, the town feels almost like a hidden gold-rush village tucked away in the jungle.

We meet again at 7:00 p.m. for dinner at a local restaurant. All meals and lodging for the night are included. Your room will have a private bathroom, hot shower, Wi-Fi, breakfast in the morning, and a safe place to store luggage while visiting Machu Picchu.

Hiking Summary

• Distance: 26 km / 16.1 miles
• Time: 6–7 hours
• Climate: Starts cool, ends warm and tropical
• Accommodation: Hostel in Aguas Calientes
• Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Maximum altitude: 2,900 m.a.s.l. / 9,514 ft (Chaullay)
• Minimum altitude: 2,040 m.a.s.l. / 6,692 ft (Aguas Calientes)

This is the day everything comes together, the final stretch to one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. We’ll start early and head through the forest while the city is still quiet, aiming to reach Machu Picchu before the large tour groups and even the classic Inca Trail hikers.

We’ll hike up to the entrance (you can choose to take the bus both ways if you prefer). Once inside, you’ll experience Machu Picchu in the golden light of the morning, that moment when the ruins feel less like a tourist attraction and more like a secret city waking up in the clouds.

Your guide will lead a 2-hour (according to the assigned circuit) immersive tour through temples, terraces, ceremonial sites, agricultural zones, the sundial, and sacred houses, revealing how the Incas built this stone masterpiece without steel tools and still engineered advanced water systems that worked flawlessly on a mountain ridge. What was once hidden beneath dense vegetation when Hiram Bingham first arrived is now restored and protected for the world to admire.

After the guided tour, you’ll have free time to explore:

Climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (tickets required, 3 hrs round trip)

You’ll have up to 4 hours Approx. inside the citadel before heading back to Aguas Calientes for the afternoon train to Ollantaytambo, where private transport will take us to Cusco, arriving around 9:45 PM.

Hiking summary

• Distance: 8 km / 4.9 miles
• Hiking Time: 2 hrs (not counting optional hikes)
• Optional Shuttle: 25-min bus from Aguas Calientes
• Machu Picchu Guided Tour: 2.5 hrs
• Climate: Warm and tropical
• Return to Cusco: Train + private bus (4 hrs total)
• Included Meals: Breakfast
• Max Altitude: 3399 masl / 11151 ft (Cusco)
• Min Altitude: 2040 masl / 6692 ft (Aguas Calientes)