Ancascocha Trail to Machu Picchu is one of the off the beaten path trails. It offers one of the best adventure trekking experiences in Peru. National Geographic Travel Magazine recently recognised it as one of the best 20 treks in the world.
The hike takes you through some of the untouched wilderness in the Andes. Dotted with glacial lakes and Andean Tundra, the hike offers a captivating view of the snow capped peaks of Humantay, Salkantay and Huaynanay.
Hiking through some of the lesser known Incan sites you will be witnessing the life of remote people who maintain their age old customs and traditions. This makes this five days experience one of the best alternatives to the Classic Inca Trail.
If you are craving to experience the best of nature in complete solitude before reaching the iconic Inca citadel, Machu Picchu then we highly recommend Ancascocha Trail to Machu Picchu.
It is best to do the trail during the dry season.
Ancascocha Trail to Machu Picchu is one of the less popular treks. Treks in Cusco, as an outdoor adventure company, has well experienced dedicated guides. Our guides are locals. They have an extensive knowledge on culture and history.
This is a high altitude trek with the highest point of the trek at 4200 metres above sea level. We recommend you to spend at-least 2-3 days and acclimatize in Cusco before the trek to avoid altitude sickness. You may choose to experience our Cusco City Tour or Sacred Valley Tour while you are acclimatising to get an introduction to Incas history.
We operate the trek both as private or in small group.
Cusco Hotel Transfer
0500 AM
Early in the morning we will be picking you up from your hotel in Cusco. Then in our private transport, we will be driving you to Mollepata. It is a three hours drive.
At Mollepata we will have a brief stop so you can buy some snacks and water, if required. We will then drive for an hour more to Soraypampa. This is the starting point of the five day trek.
We will start with a gradual uphill hike to Salkantay Pampa. This is the trailhead of the popular Salkantay Trek. You will have jaw dropping views of the Andes from here.
Then we will be hiking to Pampa Japonesa. It is a pass snuggled at 4600 m/ 15,091 feet between the snowcapped peaks of Salkantay and Humantay. Here we will be stopping for lunch.
After lunch, we will be hiking for an hour and a half to Inca Chiriaka. It is the highest passes on this five days Ancascocha Trail to Machu Picchu at 4959 metres/ 16269 feet.
The pass offers stunning views of the valley below. From here, we will be descending to Yanaq’aya where we will be camping for the night.
Our crew will be waking you up to a freshly brewed cup of coffee or coca tea. We will then serve breakfast. Then we will begin the second day’s hike.
We will start hiking on Qhapaq ñan, the ancient Inca roadway system. Retracing the footsteps of Incas, we will be reaching Toqto Pass (4850 metres / 15912 feet). The trail then continues to Salkantay.
From here we will be hiking further to Cruz Casa. It’s a two hours hike. Then we will be hiking to Millpo Pass.
We will then descend to Millpo where we will be stopping for lunch. After lunch, we will be hiking up the hill for an hour and a half to Qosqueñaq Pass (4600 metres / 15091 feet).
We will then be descending to Yajuarmaky where we will be camping for the night.
We will be leaving the campsite quite early in the morning. The third day’s hike begins with a hike up the hill to Chusqenay Pass. It nestles at 4630 metres/ 15191 feet.
From here, we will be descending to Rumi Inca Inca pass and onward to narrow Yahuarmakay Valley. We will then hike up the hill for an hour and a half to Aqocasa Pass. It is at 4686 metres | 15374 feet).
The pass nestles on a beautiful red coloured mountain. It offers a captivating view of the Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Here we will stop for a while to indulge in the enchanting beauty of the surrounding peaks – Humantay, Salkantay, Huacauwillka and Huayanay.
We will then visit the Incas archaeological site, Inca Raqay. We will then descend for three hours to Inca Rakay. From here it will be an hour and a half climb up to Huayanay Pass. Finally, we will be hiking down the hill to Ancascocha.
After three challenging days of hikes at high altitude we will be looking forward to a much easier day. We will begin the day with a downhill hike from Ancascocha to an Andean town named Chillca.
The five hours down hill hike will be taking us through some remote Andean villages. You will also see many distinct flora and fauna.
Chillca is closer to Ollantaytambo. We will be stopping for lunch here. Then in our private transport we will be driving you to Ollantaytambo train station.
Here, you will be boarding the train to Aguas Calientes town. We will be accommodating you in an ensuite room. Later at night we will be meeting at the restaurant for dinner.
Early in the morning, after breakfast, you will be taking a bus up to the citadel. Our local expert will give you a guided tour of Machu Picchu. On this tour you will be visiting sites like the main plaza, religious centre, temples and many other prominent places.
After the tour, you will have some free time to saunter around the citadel. If you have booked your trek to Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu mountain, our guide will assist you in finding the entrance.
Alternatively, you can visit the sun-gate. It is a two hours round trip from the citadel by foot. Sun-gate offers incredible views of the citadel. Through this gate, trekkers on Inca trail enter Machu Picchu at sunrise.
After the tour we will meet at Aguas Calientes train station. We will transfer you to Ollantaytambo by train from here. At Ollantaytambo, our local representative will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in Cusco.
The company guide a day before explained me very well about the tour, was very attentive gave me his number to call if I had any questions or setbacks, the service was excellent.
Very reliable tour company. Carlos is a fantastic guide and is very helpful and friendly. Totally recommend them. Due to some issue with our arrival to Peru, I had to change my departure date. They were easy to communicate with and were very accommodating too.
