Choquequirao Vitcos Trek is a historical trek from Cusco. On this eight days trek, you will be retracing the footsteps of Incas. The journey begins with a Classic Choquequirao Trek from Cusco.
After visiting the lost city of Incas, we will be trekking on a trail that was highly important to Incas. We will be hiking along the Vilcabamba Mountain Range. We will then be reaching the highest point of the trek at 4600 metres above sea level.
You will have an entrancing view of the snowcapped Andean peaks as you will be descending down to Vitcos. Vitcos – Rosaspata was the last stronghold of Incas.
It was built by Pachacutec during the same era as Machu Picchu. Choquequirao in Quechua means “Cradle of Gold”. It is often referred to as the the sister city of Machu Picchu. It is located quite remotely, this was the reason the Spanish conquistadors could not invade it.
Vitcos Rosaspata was the last stronghold of Incas. After winning the battle of Ollantayambo in 1537, Manco Inca was certain about a following fierce-some attack by Spanish troops. He left Ollantaytambo as it was closer to Cusco. Manco Inca moved to Vitcos Rosaspata and then to Vilcabamba.
If you want to culminate the eight days Choquequirao Vitcos Trek at Machu Picchu, check out our Choquequirao Vilcabamba Trek to Machu Picchu. If you want to get a deeper insight of the last refuge of Incas, you can continue with our Vilcabamba Espiritu Pampa Trek.
Treks In Cusco is a specialised outdoor travel company based in Cusco, Peru. Our guides are tourism professionals with an extensive knowledge about history and culture. Our crew have excellent mountaineering skills and have knowledge on first aid.
This is a high altitude trek with the highest point of the trek at 4600 metres above sea level. We recommend you to spend at-least 2-3 days acclimatising in Cusco before the trek. You may choose to experience our Cusco City Tour or Sacred Valley Tour while you are acclimatising to get an introduction to Incas history.
Cusco Hotel Transfer
0400 AM
Between 0330 and 0400, we will be picking you up from your hotel in Cusco. Then in our private transport, we will be transferring you to Capuliyoc. It is a small Andean town. Capuliyoc is a four hours dive away from Cusco. We will be stopping here for breakfast. We will be organising your personal belongings and camping gears on a mule.
After the breakfast, we will be hiking for twenty minutes to a view point. From here you will be having captivating view of the Padreyoc. It is a snowcapped peak, a part of Vilcabamba mountain range. Along the route, you will also be having a spectacular view of the Apurimac river. Then, we will be hiking down the hill for three hours along the Apurimac canyon. This section of the trek will offer you sight of different plantations. Some of these plants are used for medicinal purposes. Our local expert will be giving you a detailed explanation of this.
On this route, you may also get to see the flight of the Andean condor. We will then descend to a hamlet named Chiquisqa. Here we will be stopping for lunch.
After lunch, we will be continuing our descent for 45 minutes to a place along the Apurimac river called Playa Rosalinas. This area is the border between Cusco and Apurimac.
From here, we will be climbing up the hill to Marmapata. It nestles at 3500 metres above sea level. On this section of the trek, we will be passing through many Andean farms. We will be spending the nigh at our campsite in Marmapata.
We will be waking you up to a fresh cup of coffee or tea. Then we will be serving you breakfast. After breakfast, we will be hiking to the archeological complex of Choquequirao. Here our local expert will be giving you a detailed tour of the complex. On this full day tour of Choquequirao, you will be visiting the prime sites in the archeological complex. This includes, the main plaza, faring terraces, ceremonial centre and more.
After the tour, we will be returning to our campsite for lunch. Later we will be visiting a waterfall in the jungle.
We will then return to the campsite for dinner.
Early in the morning we will be visiting the archeological complex of Choquequirao again. We will then hike up to the Llama sector. This is one of the fascinating sights in the complex of Choquequirao. It is some 20 minutes up hill hike away from the complex.
From here we will be hiking 40 minutes up the hill to Pinchayunuyoc farming terraces. Here our local expert will be giving yo a guided tour. Then we will descend to Rio Blanco (White River). It is at (1990 meters / 6525 feet). We will be camping here for the night.
Tip: You can make the most of your evening by swimming in the clear waters of this river. Also, make sure to have your insect repellent here.
After the breakfast, we will start with one of the most challenging part of the Choquequirao to Vitcos Trek. We will be climbing up the steep hill to a point called Maizal. You will have an enchanting view of the valley and Apurimac canyon from here. As this section of the trek is an arduous one, we will be stopping here for the night.
You will be waking up to the sound of chirping birds. We will prepare your breakfast. We will then start the trek to Yanama. On this section of the Choquequirao Victos Trek, we will be passing through lush tropical vegetation. Here you will be able to see some native flowers. These includes different types of orchids.
We will then be trekking along a section of Qhapaq Ñan, an original Inca Highway. This is no longer in use. Through this route, we will be hiking up to Victoria Pass. This section of the trek will be taking us through Victoria Mines which is abandoned after colonisation. The pass nestles at 4150 meters / 13,610 feet. Here you will be able to see the flights of the Andean condors.
From here, we will be hiking down the hill to Yanama. It is a three hours hike. Yanama is a village at 3650 meters / 11,970 feet. We will be camping here for the night.
We will be starting quite early in the morning. We will be trekking along some scenic mountain routes to our lunch camp. Our lunch camp is snuggled between the craggy mountains.
From the lunch camp, it is a two hours trek to our campsite in Kelkamachay.
After breakfast, we will be leaving our campsite in Kelkamachay. Then it will be a 3-4 hours climb to the highest pass of Choquequirao Vitcos Trek, Choquecatarpo pass at 4600 metres | 15091 feet.
From here we will be descending to Huancacalle (2900 metres | 9514 feet. Along the way we will be stopping for lunch at a place called Laguna.
This will be quite a relaxed day of the Choquequirao to Vitcos trek. We will start the day with a visit to the archeological complex of Vitcos Rosaspata. Here our guide will give you a detailed tour of the complex. We will also be visiting Ñustahispana (White Rock). This rock was sacred to Incas.
After the tour, we will be returning to our campsite in Huancacalle. After lunch, we will be taking our private transport back to Cusco.
We were a group of four trekkers. I must admit this was the highlight of our South America trip. The trek is very interesting. Carlos is a wonderful guide. Highly recommended.
