“ON ROUTE TO CHOQUEQUIRAO, SHORTER DURATION”
(4 Days /3 Nights)TRAVEL PLAN
1st day / Cusco - Saywite - Villa Los Loros lodge
Travelers are picked up at their hotel at 7:00 am on a private bus. First stop will be Saywite Archaeological Park. This mysterious monolith and the nearby archaeological remains including the “ushnu” and the “pacchas” must remain in our memory to contrast their correspondence with the ceremonial architecture of Choquequirao. After a healthy box-lunch, we continue down the remote Huanipaca Valley, a place in the Peruvian highlands reserved for travelers. Villa Los Loros lodge awaits at the bottom of the gorge. The rooms ready and after a necessary rest, a short meeting is held to dispel the anxiety a trip like this brings up in every traveler. Dinner and overnight.
2nd day / Villa Los Loros lodge - Playa San Ignacio - Choquequirao
We leave at 5:30 am right after breakfast, walking down a footpath that leads to the Hacienda San Ignacio and then tumbles downhill towards the raging Apurimac River (Playa San Ignacio). Across the hanging bridge is where the serious hiking starts; ascending from water level (4757 feet) to Choquequirao campsite (9415 feet) is nothing less than overwhelming. On the one hand, the beauty of the landscape, rivers, waterfalls, flowers, all is movement... On the other, the wild environment: the steep slope and your heartbeat combine in an intimate connection with the surroundings. At the campsite and after lunch, a quick visit to the Phaqchayoc Sector (a terraced agricultural system where corn is still grown) and The House of Waterfalls (according to archaeologists, the home of the Inca of Choquequirao.) Back at the campsite, tired and proud, a warm meal is enjoyed before a good night’s sleep. (Bathrooms and cold showers available)
3rd day / Choquequirao full day
Beautiful day. We are stricken to observe how the vast majority of visitors take 4 days trekking but only a few hours or even minutes (!) to enjoy exploring the different sectors of Choquequirao. Bearing in mind that Choquequirao is scattered on both sides of the spur of Apu Corihuayrachina we know a fair amount of time is needed to understand the integrity of its context. Travelers will enjoy lunch near the ruins and hopefully view condors’ flight over the deep canyon. Back at the campsite, dinner and overnight. (Bathrooms and cold showers available)
4th day / Choquequirao - Villa Los Loros lodge - Cusco
We head back to our lodge early after breakfast. The known route makes returning easier. The ever changing landscape is fully appreciated with our now recovered muscles. The voice of the river as background and the imposing Apurimac Canyon seems to swallow the traveler. Finally, Playa San Ignacio. "Black Whip", "Machuco", "Cayguash" or some others are waiting for us. Our return on horseback is the perfect chance for a last look at the landscape we are now part of. Riding allows a great way to photograph friends who are traveling with us and the new friends this journey has given us; our fellow horsemen and their way of life will remain deep in the traveler’s heart. We will continue on horses until we reach Villa Los Loros lodge. After a shower and lunch we'll take a ride on the bus back to Cusco, arriving in approximately 5 hours, at 9:00 pm.
EXPECT:
Briefing at your Cusco hotel the day before departure; private transport service (Cusco - Villa Los Loros lodge - Cusco); professional bilingual guide (English - Spanish); professional field chef; one night lodging at Villa Los Loros; two nights camping in Choquequirao; high quality outdoor equipment (including 4 season tent, sleeping bag with personal hygienic sheets, extra comfort mattress, kitchen tent, dining tent, dining tables and chairs, all kitchen and dining utensils, lighting equipment, etc.); radio communication throughout the journey; first aid kit; all meals and beverages at the lodge and during the excursion; snacks; horsemen and pack mules; emergency saddled horse throughout the trek (1 for every 4 or 5 hikers); entrance tickets to Saywite and Choquequirao; personal saddled horse on your way back up from San Ignacio Beach to Villa Los Loros lodge.