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Jan 01, 1970 12:00 AM CHOQUEQUIRAO
CHOQUEQUIRAO
Day 1: Cusco – Cachora – Chiquisqa
Early in the morning we will have breakfast in the Hotel around 5:30am then the bus will pick us up from the hotel around 6 a.m. then we will start with our journey to the village of Cachora from Cusco 5 hours drive to the trail head of Cachora. During our journey we will stop a moment to observe the archaeological remains of Tarawasi from the bus, continuing thereafter towards the Cunyac Bridge between the departments of Cusco and Apurimac. Next we will travel through the district of Curahuasi and Saywite Andean Comunity, arriving at Cachora 2800 masl. at 10 a.m. approximately. Here we will meet our donkey drivers and We will begin our trek from this area, along sloping path leading to the pass of Capuliyoc 2915 meter sea level for about 2 hours, here we will have lunch and from where we have our first beautiful views of the Apurimac valley stretching below as well as the snow-capped peaks of Padrayoc and Wayna Cachora, from Capuliyoc we will have the first view to Choquequirao far from us,. then We will descend toward Coca Masana 2330m where the climate becomes noticeably warmer and the flora and fauna begin to change. Finally we arrive at Chiquiskä at 1900m closer to the Apurimac River where we will set up camp and spend the night in tents. Here in this camping area we will find humble huts where people from Cachora live offering soda drinks to the trekkers.choquequirao
Day 2: Chiquisqa – Playa Rosalina – Santa Rosa – Maranpata
Early in the morning after the breakfast around 6:00 am, we will continue our trek, we will walk for about 1 hour down to cross the Apurimac River over the hanging bridge, then we will start climbing up the hill towards Santa Rosa (2115 m.a.s.l) where we will stop for lunch. This course is the hardest and we will take three hours after which we will climb up to the Maranpata (2850 m.a.s.l) that is an easier climb. During our journey we will observe the vegetation existing in the area. Then we will arrive to Maranpata beside the Chunchumayo River where we will have a short rest. Along the way we will observe many orchids and wild flowers as well as many birds, well after the hardly climbing we will arrive to Maranpata around 2pm. Here we will find humble huts and next them we will make our camp area. Camping in our tents.choquequirao
Day 3: Day: Maranpata – Choquequirao – Maranpata
Our Andean breakfast will be very early around 7:00 am and after it we will walk from Maranpata to Choquequirao (3035m) is a 2 hour hike. We will arrive at the archaeological site in time to enjoy the the impressionist views of the deep canyons and maybe the opportunity to see a Condor flying nearby, we will walk towards of the Choquequirao archaeological complex, which is a one-hour walk to see the Choquequirao and where our guide will explain you for three hours with all the details about this important Inca ruins. At the scheduled time around 3pm, to Maranpata, dinner and beautiful sunset, overnight in Maranpata camping.
Day 4: Maranpata – Santa Rosa – Playa Rosalina – Chiquisqa
After the Choquequirao Breakfast around 7am, we will start descending to Santa Rosa 2115 masl., where we stop for lunch. Thereafter we will continue descending to Playa Rosalina 1550 masl. Upon our arrival at Rosalina Bach, we will continue our trek to the village of Chiquiskä 1950 masl., two hours away from Rosalina beach, where we will spend the night in the tents at Chiquisqa 1950 masl, here we will find soda drinks, beers in the humble hut offered by a Young boy Uriel.
Day 5: Chiquisqa – Capuliyoc – Cachora – Cusco
After our last Andean breakfast in Chiquisqa around 06:00 am, we will return along the same route to Cachora 2800 masl., the slope we descended on the first day and which is a soft climb of two hours until the pass of Capuliyoc 2915 masl. From here, it will take us another four hours to get the village of Cachora 2800 masl., arriving at 12:00 am approximately. During our journey we will observe the exotic flora and fauna as well as sights of majestic snow-capped peaks and the impressive canyon of the Apurimac. After to get Capuliyoc where the Climbing path finishes we will have lunch, then we will continue 2 hours more flat area to Cachora arriving around 3pm In the afternoon we will travel to the medicinal thermal baths of Qonoq where we will stay for one hour (optional) and continue with our trip to Cusco. Arriving around 8 p.m., passengers will be transferred to the hotel. End of the services.
Choquequirao means "cradle of gold" in Quechua although this is probably not its original Inca name. It is another "lost city of the Incas" located high on a ridge spur almost 1750m above the raging glacier-fed Apurimac River and surrounded by towering snow-capped peaks.
The US explorer Gary Ziegler suggests that Choquequirao treks may have been the place where the last Inca, Tupac Amaru, was raised among Inca Priestesses. The abundance of many double jamb doorways and niches indicates that the place was held in high status.
The ruins were first visited and described to the western world by a French explorer during the 18th century. Hiram Bingham visited the site in 1910.
This was his first experience of "lost cities" prior to his discovery of Machu Picchu in 1911.
The remoteness and inaccessibility have discouraged visitors until fairly recently when COPESCO constructed a footbridge over the Apurimac River below the ruins. Even today the ruins are still rarely visited although, with the enforcement of new regulations on the Inca Trail, Choquequirao treks is destined to replace the traditional hike as the serious trekker’s alternative.
http://www.choquequiraotreks.com
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