Choquequirao Trek hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Choquequirao trek is the classic walk to Choquequirao, an Inca city on a ridge 1,500 m above the Apurímac river in southern Peru. It is often called the sister of Machu Picchu, but there is no road, train or cable car: the only way in is on foot. From the village of Cachora (2,900 m) the trail drops into the Apurímac canyon to the river at about 1,460 m and climbs the far side to the ruins at about 3,050 m. It is about 30 km each way, and almost everyone walks in and out the same way in 4 or 5 days. You sleep at family campsites and simple lodges, or at the park campsite below the ruins.

The route

From the plaza in Cachora a dirt road leads 11 km to the Capuliyoc pass (2,900 m), where most groups start walking after a short drive. Here you get the first view of the canyon and the snow peaks of the Vilcabamba range. A long, dusty mule path then zigzags down past the Cocamasana camp to Chiquisca (1,930 m) and on to the Rosalina bridge over the Apurímac. On the other side the path climbs about 1,400 m in 6 km of switchbacks, past Santa Rosa, to the hamlet of Marampata (2,900 m). The last 3.5 km is a gentle contour path to the park campsite, with Choquequirao in view across a side valley.

This guide follows the route mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits the walk into 3 stages, about 10.1 km each: Cachora to Chiquisca, Chiquisca to Marampata, and Marampata to the Choquequirao campsite. You walk back by the same path. A longer option continues from Choquequirao over high passes via Maizal and Yanama to Machu Picchu in about 8 days; it is not covered here.

Highlights

• The Apurímac canyon: one of the deepest in the Americas, where condors are often seen from the Capuliyoc viewpoint
• The main plaza and the Usnu: the ceremonial platform and the houses of the upper town, with views up and down the canyon
• The llama terraces: terraces below the main sector decorated with a flock of llamas in white stone
• Pikiwasi and the Paqchayoc water channels: outlying sectors with fine stonework, almost empty of visitors
• Marampata: the balcony of the trek, with cabins, cold drinks and the first full view of Choquequirao

When to go

The dry season, May to September, is the best time: clear skies, cold nights at the top and very hot days at the river. April and October are quieter and still mostly dry. The rainy season runs from about November to March. Landslides are common then, the path becomes slippery and the authorities can close the site: in 2026 it was closed from early February until about 22 April. Start the big climbs early in the morning, because the canyon floor can pass 30°C.

How many days do you need?

4 days is standard: Cachora or Capuliyoc to Chiquisca, then Chiquisca to Marampata or the Choquequirao campsite, a day at the ruins and the descent to Chiquisca or Santa Rosa, and the climb back to Capuliyoc. 5 days gives you a full day at the ruins and a shorter last day, which most people find much better. The return is harder than the way in: from the river to Capuliyoc you climb about 1,450 m.

Getting there and logistics

Cachora is about 4 hours by road from Cusco. Take a bus or colectivo from Cusco towards Abancay and get off at the Cachora turn-off (Ramal de Cachora), then take a taxi down to Cachora or straight to Capuliyoc. From Abancay, Cachora is about 1.5 hours by colectivo. Taxis also run from Cachora to Capuliyoc, which saves about 3 hours of road walking.

No permit, quota or guide is needed, but you pay an entrance fee at the Capuliyoc control, in cash, of about S/60 for foreign adults and about S/30 for students; one agency gives US$15 instead. The ticket includes the park campsite. Most hikers book a 4- or 5-day trek with an agency in Cusco, which includes transport, a cook, tents and mules. Independent hikers can hire a mule and muleteer (arriero) in Cachora, for about S/40 a day.

Campsites on the way charge a few soles for a tent, and rooms in Chiquisca, Santa Rosa and Marampata are basic. Most places sell drinks and simple meals, but the park campsite has only water, toilets and cold showers, with no food. Bring all the cash you need in soles from Cusco or Abancay: do not count on an ATM in Cachora, which has only a Banco de la Nación agent. Expect little or no phone signal below Capuliyoc.

Difficulty

This is a hard trek, not because of altitude but because of the climbs and the heat. Each way there is about 1,500 m of descent and 1,450 m of ascent in one go, on loose, steep mule paths in full sun. The altitude is moderate (1,460-3,050 m), so if you have spent a few days in Cusco altitude sickness is rarely a problem. Allow 6-7 hours for each of the big days, and carry plenty of water: there are taps at the campsites but long dry stretches in between. Trekking poles help your knees on the descents.

What to pack

Sun hat, sunglasses and strong sun cream, a long-sleeved shirt and insect repellent for the sandflies at the river. Take a warm jacket for the nights at Capuliyoc, Marampata and the ruins, a rain jacket from October to April, water purification, a headlamp, blister care and a basic first-aid kit. If you camp independently you need a tent, stove and food for the night at the ruins.

Safety

In an emergency call 105 (police) or 106 (ambulance). There is no mountain rescue team for the canyon, the nearest road is at Capuliyoc, and help comes on foot or by mule, so it can take many hours. The nearest hospitals are Diospi Suyana in Curahuasi, about 1 hour by road from Cachora, and the regional hospital in Abancay; serious cases go on to Cusco. Do not walk alone, tell your campsite where you are going, and take travel insurance that covers hiking and evacuation.

History

Choquequirao, in Quechua roughly "cradle of gold", was built by the Incas in the 15th century, probably as a royal estate and ceremonial centre. After the Spanish conquest it is thought to have been linked to the last Inca state in Vilcabamba. Explorers reached it in the 18th and 19th centuries and Hiram Bingham visited in 1909, two years before Machu Picchu. Serious restoration began in the 1990s, the llama terraces were uncovered in the early 2000s, and much of the site is still under forest.