We will have an early start to begin a 5 hour drive to the town of Cachora, which will offer you some wonderful views of the snowy mountains of Salkantay, Humantay, Pitusiray, Chicon and Veronica. We will descend into the town of Limatambo where we’ll find the Inca site, Tarawasi. From here, we will continue to the small village of Cora Wasi where we will have a chance to see the Saiwite Stone, which is said to be a carved map of the Inca Empire.
Upon our arrival to Cachora, we will have late breakfast, meet our porters, and arrange our equipment on the mules and horses. We will only need our day-packs with us as we start walking along the edge of the mountains towards Capulliyoc, where we will get our first views of the Apurimac Canyon as well a chance to glimpse the trail that lies ahead. Slowly we will begin our descent towards Coca Masana. The climate will become noticeably warmer and the flora and fauna will become more representative of a sub tropical region. We will eventually arrive at Playa Rosalina (Rosalina Beach), which lies alongside the raging Apurimac River. This will be our campsite for the night.
Day 2 : Rosalina Beach – Choquequirao (3,035m)
After an early morning breakfast, the start of the second day is marked by our crossing of the mighty Apurimac River via footbridge. A difficult climb awaits us today, as we will have to endure a 5 hour ascent (approx) before finally reaching Marampampa beside the Chunchulmayo River. We’ll stop here for a while to enjoy our lunch and a much deserved rest.
The afternoon hike is not as steep as the morning hike so it will be a bit more comfortable and also, along the way we’ll be able to observe a variety of gorgeous orchids and wild flowers as well as a great variety of Andean birds. It will be just another 2 hours of walking before we arrive at the immense archaeological site, Choquequirao. We will still have time to enjoy an unforgettable sunset with condors flying nearby (with a bit of luck). We will set up camp just outside of the ruins in the nearby cloud forest.
Day 3 : Choquequirao - Raqaypampa
We’ll spend the morning visiting the vast central complex of Choquequirao. Our guide will take some time to explain the history and importance of the site, which is still being renovated. After exploring the sacred Inka Site for a while, we will have our lunch before continuing on our journey back, descending down the mountain for about 2 hours to Raqaypampa, where we will set up our camp for the evening and enjoy dinner and a hot drink.
After breakfast, we’ll continue our descent all the way to the Apurimac River, where we’ll stop and have our lunch. In the afternoon, we will continue for another 3 hours along a lush, beautiful route to Coca Masana, where we will be able to take a short break and have a snack before continuing on to Capulliyoc, where we started our adventure only a few days before. This is where will say good-bye to our wranglers and load up on to our private bus back to Cusco. After a luxurious hot shower, it is finally time to enjoy a much deserved beer and a good meal!
TOUR INCLUSIONS
Transportation to starting point by means of a private bus
