Discover the Lost City of Choquequirao and Machu Picchu – 12 Days / 11 Nights

Time to head to the Peruvian Andes! Three hours before your domestic flight to Cusco, a transfer will take you from your hotel in Lima to the airport. Upon arrival in Cusco (3,310 m / 10,860 ft), a vehicle will be waiting to take you to your hotel in the historic center.

At 3:00 PM, we’ll begin our walking tour heading to San Pedro Market (5–10 minutes walking depending on your hotel’s location). Explore the vibrant culture within the market: fresh juices, cheeses, Chuta bread, coffee, coca leaves, and traditional crafts like ponchos, chullos, and alpaca sweaters. You’re welcome to taste local foods at one of the market’s many food stands.

Next, walk to Santa Clara Arch, a beautiful example of colonial architecture, followed by San Francisco Square with its native Andean botanical garden. Continue along Marqués Street to Cusco’s Plaza de Armas (3,399 m / 11,151 ft), also known as Aucaypata in Quechua, meaning “important place.” Surrounded by charming stone arcades, it’s a lively area full of tourists and local restaurants.

Walk along Avenida El Sol, Cusco’s main avenue, filled with banks, ATMs, and exchange houses, until reaching the Temple of the Sun, Qoricancha. Admire this significant religious site from the outside. Every June 24th, the Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) is celebrated in the temple’s courtyard.

We’ll end the day near Qoricancha with a hands-on Pisco Sour-making experience. Our bartender will explain the ingredients and show you how to prepare Peru’s national cocktail using pisco, lime, egg white, and more. After the demo, you’ll get to make and enjoy your own drink. The activity ends around 6:00 PM.

Included:

• Breakfast at hotel
  
• All transfers
  
• Domestic flight (Lima – Cusco)
  
• Walking tour: San Pedro Market, Main Square, Qoricancha
  
• Pisco Sour-making activity
  
• One night in Cusco hotel
  

Not Included:

• Lunch and dinner
  
• Travel insurance
  
• Extra expenses or delays

After breakfast at your Cusco hotel, your guide will pick you up at 8:00 AM and drive to the Maras Salt Mines (3,200 m / 10,499 ft). The drive takes about one hour, mostly on paved roads, with the last stretch on a dirt road. Along the way, you’ll see wheat, potato, and barley fields, and if traveling during the rainy season, the lush green scenery is spectacular. Locals in this region rely on agriculture and livestock.

At Maras, over 3,000 salt pools cover the mountainside. From the top, you’ll have an amazing panoramic view. Researchers believe the Incas used this salt to dehydrate food for long-term storage. Even today, locals harvest salt in layers for culinary, medicinal, and animal use. The pools are fed by natural spring water from the surrounding mountains.

Next, continue to the archaeological site of Moray (3,500 m / 11,483 ft), an Inca agricultural laboratory consisting of concentric terraces used to cultivate crops in varied microclimates. Then return to the village of Pongobamba in Chinchero for a Pachamanca cooking experience. This ancient technique involves layering meats, potatoes, and vegetables with aromatic herbs, cooking them underground with hot stones and covering the pit with leaves.

After lunch, head back to Cusco with memories of traditional music, dance, food, and the vibrant spirit of Chinchero.

Included:

• Breakfast, Pachamanca lunch
  
• Private transport and guide
  
• Entry tickets: Maras & Moray
  
• Andean cooking experience
  
• One night in Cusco hotel
  

Not Included:

• Dinner
  
• Travel insurance
• Extra costs or delays

We begin this adventure early in the morning. Around 4:30 AM, we’ll pick you up from your hotel in Cusco and travel for 5 hours by private tourist transport to Capuliyoc (2,890 m / 9,482 ft). Here, you’ll meet part of the support team who will join us for the next 4 days: the cook, pack horses, and muleteer, who will carry all the gear and provisions for the journey.

After a quick repack of your personal items, the hike begins gently, but as the hours go by, you’ll start to feel the challenge. The trail is flanked by impressive mountain views and offers a stunning panorama of the Apurímac Canyon. As we continue, we’ll enjoy a view of the Vilcabamba mountain range, including the snowcapped Padreyoc.

We’ll descend for about 3 hours through lush landscapes and areas filled with medicinal plants such as muña and chilca, until reaching Chiquisca (1,900 m / 6,234 ft), where our mountain chef will prepare a delicious lunch.

After a 30-minute rest, we’ll continue descending to Playa Rosalinas (1,500 m / 4,921 ft), and then begin a final uphill section until we reach our first campsite in Santa Rosa (1,970 m / 6,463 ft). Settle in, enjoy dinner, and relax under the silence and stillness of the night.

Included:

• Boxed breakfast from hotel in Cusco
  
• Tourist transportation from Cusco to Capuliyoc
  
• Lunch and dinner at the campsite
  
• Professional trekking guide
  
• Pack animals and muleteer
  
• Mountain chef
  
• Entry tickets to Choquequirao
  
• Full camping gear and meals for the 4-day trek
  
• Overnight in Santa Rosa camp
  

Not included:

• Travel insurance
  
• Extra expenses
  
• Costs or delays beyond our control
  
• Saddle horse
  
• Sleeping bag ($20 USD for 4 days)
  
• Inflatable mat ($20 USD for 4 days)
• Trekking poles ($20 USD for 4 days)

Wake up to a hot cup of tea and start organizing your gear before breakfast. Today is the most challenging day of the trek, with a steep 4-hour uphill hike to Marampata. Along the way, we’ll visit local families who produce cañazo, a traditional alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane.

We’ll enjoy lunch at a scenic lookout with views of the valley below. Then, we continue climbing for two more hours to reach the archaeological complex of Choquequirao (3,050 m / 10,007 ft), where your guide will lead a full tour of the site’s most important sectors.

Discover why Choquequirao is known as the “lost city” and a sister site to Machu Picchu. It was one of the last Inca cities built in the cloud forest and later abandoned during the Spanish conquest. Some believe it served as a checkpoint on the route to Vilcabamba.

Explore iconic areas such as the Llama Terraces, astronomical observatories, and the impressive agricultural platforms.

After taking in the incredible surroundings, we’ll return to Marampata camp for a quiet evening and dinner surrounded by nature.

Included:

• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
  
• Professional trekking guide
  
• Pack animals and muleteer
  
• Mountain chef
  
• Full camping gear and meals for the 4-day trek
  
• Overnight at Marampata camp
  

Not included:

• Travel insurance
  
• Extra expenses
  
• Costs or delays beyond our control
  
• Saddle horse
  
• Sleeping bag ($20 USD for 4 days)
  
• Inflatable mat ($20 USD for 4 days)
• Trekking poles ($20 USD for 4 days)

Wake up early and enjoy a nourishing breakfast. Make sure to stay well hydrated—you’ll need your energy for the return journey. We begin with a 3-hour descent to Playa Rosalinas (1,500 m / 4,921 ft), where we’ll take a short break and enjoy the refreshing waters of the Apurímac River.

Afterwards, we’ll begin a 2-hour uphill hike to Chiquisca (1,900 m / 6,234 ft), where we’ll have lunch and set up our final campsite.

This is a day to fully enjoy the flora of the region. If you’re traveling during the rainy season, the area will be filled with orchids, blooming flowers, and birdsong. With a bit of luck, you may even spot waterfalls in the distance—and possibly condors gliding overhead.

Enjoy your final night under the stars, surrounded by majestic mountains and peaceful landscapes. Tomorrow, we begin the last leg of the trek.

Included:

• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
  
• Specialized trekking guide
  
• Pack animals and muleteer
  
• Mountain chef
  
• Full camping gear and meals for the 4-day trek
  
• Overnight at Chiquisca camp
  

Not included:

• Travel insurance
  
• Extra expenses
  
• Costs or delays beyond our control
  
• Saddle horse
  
• Sleeping bag ($20 USD for 4 days)
  
• Inflatable mat ($20 USD for 4 days)
  
• Trekking poles ($20 USD for 4 days)

Enjoy your last breakfast on the trail and get ready to return to Cusco. We start early to avoid the midday heat. Hike the final 4 hours up to Capuliyoc (2,890 m / 9,482 ft), where you’ll say goodbye to part of the trekking team—our muleteers and horses will have completed their journey. It’s customary to tip them according to the service provided.

On the return drive, we’ll stop at Conoc Hot Springs, a natural thermal pool nestled at the base of the mountains by the river. Take time to relax and soothe your legs after four days of trekking.

Later, we continue on our 3-hour journey to Cusco, where you’ll be dropped off at your hotel in the historic center for a well-earned rest.

Included:

• Breakfast and lunch at the campsite
  
• Specialized trekking guide
  
• Pack animals on the route
  
• Entry ticket to Conoc hot springs
  
• Hotel night in Cusco
  

Not included:

• Dinner
  
• Travel insurance
  
• Extra expenses
  
• Costs or delays beyond our control
  
• Saddle horse
  
• Sleeping bag, mat, trekking poles ($20 USD each for 4 days)

After breakfast at your hotel in Cusco, we’ll pick you up at the scheduled time depending on your train schedule and drive to Ollantaytambo station. Board the Vistadome Observatory Train, complete with an onboard show, bound for Aguas Calientes.

During the 1 hour 40-minute journey, admire the lush jungle scenery and the powerful Urubamba River, running alongside the tracks—making for an unforgettable visual experience.

Upon arrival, a representative will be waiting to escort you to your hotel. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure. You can rest, explore the peaceful town of Aguas Calientes (2,040 m / 6,693 ft), or have lunch at one of the many restaurants.

Included:

• Breakfast at your hotel in Cusco
  
• Tourist transport to Ollantaytambo station
  
• Vistadome Observatory train ticket to Aguas Calientes
  
• Hotel night in Aguas Calientes
  

Not included:

• Lunch and dinner
  
• Travel insurance
  
• Extra costs or delays beyond our control

Today is the big day! We depart early to be among the first to experience the majestic Machu Picchu. Don’t forget your passport!

Take the first bus from Aguas Calientes up to the citadel (35–40 minutes). The road winds through dense vegetation, arriving at the entrance gate of Machu Picchu (2,430 m / 7,972 ft). Be sure to use the restrooms before entering, as there are none inside the sanctuary.

Accompanied by your private guide, begin your assigned tour route through the mystical Inca city. You’ll be amazed by the precision of the stonework and the Inca’s ingenious water system. Your guide will pause at key points to explain the history and symbolism, and you’ll have time for plenty of photos.

After the 2.5-hour guided tour, return by bus to Aguas Calientes. Enjoy lunch on your own, explore the town on foot (no cars in the village), and make your way to the station 30 minutes before your return train to Ollantaytambo.

From there, a vehicle will take you to your hotel in Cusco.

Included:

• Breakfast at the hotel in Aguas Calientes
  
• Private tour guide
  
• Entry ticket to Machu Picchu
  
• Roundtrip bus: Aguas Calientes ↔ Machu Picchu
  
• Train ticket: Aguas Calientes → Ollantaytambo
  
• Transfer from Ollantaytambo station to hotel in Cusco
  
• Hotel night in Cusco
  

Not included:

• Lunch and dinner
  
• Entry to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (upon request)
  
• Return Vistadome upgrade
  
• Travel insurance
• Extra expenses or delays

Enjoy a free day to rest or explore Cusco at your own pace. You can visit museums, artisan centers, or enjoy lunch at one of the many restaurants in the Plaza de Armas.

After trekking through Choquequirao and Machu Picchu, this is the perfect opportunity to unwind. Optional massages are available for an extra cost—just ask your travel advisor.

Included:

• Breakfast at your hotel
  
• Hotel night in Cusco
  

Not included:

• Lunch and dinner
  
• Optional tours or treatments
  
• Travel insurance
  
• Extra costs or delays
  

Optional: Full-day tour to Rainbow Mountain or a half-day Cusco city tour. Ask your advisor for details.

We begin the tour early, around 4:00 AM. Your guide will pick you up from your hotel and drive 3 hours to the town of Mollepata, where you’ll enjoy breakfast. Then we continue by vehicle to Soraypampa (3,900 m / 12,796 ft) for the trek.

You’ll receive trekking poles before starting the 1-hour uphill hike to Humantay Lake (4,200 m / 13,780 ft). The final stretch is steep but rewarding, with views of snowcapped Salkantay and Humantay peaks. Once at the top, take in the incredible turquoise waters of the lake, fed by nearby glaciers.

Together with your guide, you’ll perform an apacheta ceremony—offering stones to the mountain spirits (Apus) as a gesture of gratitude and protection.

Spend about 40 minutes at the lake before beginning the descent. We return to Mollepata for lunch and then head back to Cusco. Arrival is around 5:00 PM. Consider enjoying a farewell dinner in the city—it’s your last night in Cusco.

Included:

• Private tourist transport
  
• Private tour guide
  
• Entry ticket to Humantay Lake
  
• Breakfast and lunch in Mollepata
  
• Trekking poles
  
• First aid kit and oxygen
  
• Hotel night in Cusco
  

Not included:

• Dinner
  
• Saddle horse (approx. 120 soles)
  
• Travel insurance
  
• Extra expenses or delays

Enjoy your final breakfast at your hotel in Cusco. At the scheduled time, we’ll transfer you to the airport for your flight to Lima. From there, you’ll connect with your international flight.

Included:

• Breakfast at the hotel
  
• Private transfer from hotel to Cusco Airport
  

Not included:

• Lunch and dinner
  
• Hotel in Lima
  
• Travel insurance
  
• Extra costs or delays