HOW TO GET TO CHOQUEQUIRAO FOR YOUR ACCOUNT

The Inca history still keeps infinity of secrets. One of them is Choquequirao: the one known as the last Inca bastion and sister citadel of Machu Picchu is still a mystery to researchers in this South American culture.

Choquequirao is located between the jungle and the Peruvian Andes, on a mountain 3033 meters above sea level and has a great peculiarity: it can only be accessed by walking, on a 62 km round trip and with descents and rises from 3100 to 1400 and vice versa.
Is this effort worth it? Without a doubt. Its difficult access makes Choquequirao one of the most charming places in all of Peru: with an almost intact fauna and flora and with less than 25 visitors per day.
How to get to Choquequirao? The easy way (and expensive) is to do it with a tour, which charges you around 300 dollars with everything included. But today we want to talk about the most adventurous and cheap way to visit this citadel: on your own.

Get to San Pedro de Cachora

The starting point of Choquequirao is the small town of San Pedro de Cachora, in the department of Abancay. To get here, you can do it from Cusco or from Lima, via Abancay.
We recommend you spend a night in Cachora to start the hike the next day very early.
From San Pedro de Cachora to the Santa Rosa campsite
The starting point of is the Capullylloc viewpoint, located 7 kilometers from San Pedro de Cachora. Although many people make this stretch walking, we recommend doing it by taxi and thus save energy for the rest of the way.
The first part of the route is a great descent until you reach Playa Rosalina, where there is a camp where you can stay for the night, but if you still have energy, we recommend you simply take a short break and continue to the Santa campsite Pink.
From Santa Rosa to Choquequirao
As soon as the first rays of sun come out, it is time to continue with the road and thus we will reach our destination avoiding the hottest moment of the day.
From Santa Rosa to Choquequirao you will go through a long curve and climb road. Before reaching the Inca citadel, you will go through the town of Marampata, where you can stop for lunch and recharge. From this point to Choquequirao it is only about an hour away where you will go through a more jungle area full of different types of butterflies.

Arrival to Choquequirao

Once in Choquequirao you have the option to see the citadel in what you have left during the day or spend the night there, since there is a campsite, and take the next day to explore the construction with more tranquility.
As Choquequirao is not 100% discovered (most buildings still remain under vegetation), the citadel can be traversed quickly. Do not miss the main square and its surroundings and the llamas platforms (the visit to the latter requires extra effort, but it is very worthwhile!)

Tour of San Pedro de Cachora

After enjoying Choquequirao, the return to San Pedro de Cachora you must do it the same way you came. Our advice is that you leave the citadel very early and arrive at the Cocamasana camp. Here you can spend the night and resume the road the next day: you will only have 14 kilometers left to arrive!

Frequent questions

Food: to avoid carrying a lot of weight, we recommend you take only a few snacks (fruit, nuts, etc.) in your backpack. In all campsites you will find families offering food dishes at an economical price.
Water: there are different places to buy or recharge your water bottle along the way, yes, if you prefer to refill it, we recommend you take purifying tablets to clean the water.
Camping: the campsites on the way to Choquequirao charge around S / 5 for letting you camp there, while the one in the citadel is totally free. Some of them have tents to rent but others do not, so it is advisable to bring your own.
Cargo mules: the road to Choquequirao is long and tedious, so if you see that you can not with all the cargo you carry in your backpack you will always have the option to pay a muleteer and take your things in a cargo mule . Of course, this always with responsibility and without burdening the animal in excess.
Signaling: the road is perfectly signposted, so the risk of getting lost until reaching Choquequirao is nil.
Dates of visit: it is advisable to avoid the visit to Choquequirao between the months of January and March, since it is the rainy season and the soils can be very muddy.
Price: the general admission price to Choquequirao is S / 60.
Information of Choquequirao Trek

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