Trek from Choquequirao to Machu Picchu and Santa Cruz trek

Day 1: Arrival in Lima, night in Miraflores

Arrival in Lima according to the schedule of your international flight. Meeting with a member of our team and transfer to a hotel in the Miraflores area, where we will spend the first night.

• Hotel in Miraflores Standard
• French-speaking guide for the transfer
• Transfer

Day 2: Visit of Cuzco and four surrounding ruins

Morning flight to Cuzco.

Discovery of the colonial city of Cuzco, capital of the Inca Empire.

Visit of Koricancha, the temple of the sun, which represented the most sacred place of the Inca Empire. Then we will discover the four neighboring ruins of Qenqo, Pukara, Tambomachay and finally Saqsaywaman, the fabulous rampart above the city. End of free day in Cuzco. Overnight in Cuzco.

• Hotel in Cuzco
• French-speaking guide
• Entrance ticket to Koricancha
• Entrance tickets to the four ruins mentioned in the program
• Private transport to get to the four ruins
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

Day 3: Maras, Moray, Chinchero, Cuzco.

We will start our day with discovery of the open-air saltworks of Maras, whose salt exploitation dates back to the time of the Incas. This landscape of thousands of man-made terraces is very impressive. The Maras site is still currently operated by locals in the form of a cooperative and Maras salt has become renowned in gastronomy.

Then we will visit the site of Moray, a veritable agronomic laboratory. The Incas had recreated different microclimates there thanks to a system of terraces, which allowed them to study the seeds and their yield according to the altitude.

And finally, we will stop in a typical Peruvian village of Chinchero, where we can admire some of the most beautiful traditional costumes of Peru. Chinchero has a rich cultural heritage, it is believed that this is one of the few places fully planned by Incas, it is entirely built on the site of the Inca’s settlement.

Return to Cuzco with night in Cuzco.

• Hotel in Cuzco
• French-speaking guide
• Entrance – tickets to all attractions according to the program
• Private transport for getting attractions
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

Choquequirao is an Inca site, the remnant of a huge city lost in the Vilcabamba Valley (Plain of Spirits), and whose access is earned: neither car nor other type of transport allows you to get there. A magnificent trek during which the concept of adventure will take on its full meaning.
The physical effort generated to reach this destination is intense – significant elevation changes, steep paths – but largely rewarded by the beauty of the scenery that will accompany us during these few days of walking, among the richest in biodiversity in the whole country.
Perched on a mountain and on the edge of the Amazonian forest, the “Cradle of Gold” (in queshua) would have been the last refuge of the Incas against the Spanish occupation. We invite you to discover the “Sacred Sister of Machu Picchu” via an itinerant trek which will then take you to Machu Picchu, passing at the foot of snow-capped mountains then plunging into humid forests passing through one of the deepest canyons of the world, the Apurimac canyon.
We will leave Cuzco to reach the village of Cachora by road, on the heights of the Apurimac canyon. The vehicle will drop us off not far from the Capuliyoc pass (2880m) where our first walk will begin.
A long descent will take us to the Chiquisqa camp (1840m), in the depths of the Apurimac canyon, where we will spend our first night.

• Night in tent
• Private transportation to Cachora
• French-speaking guide
• Logistics with muleteers and cooks
• All food
• Tents
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

We will start this day with the end of the descent to the bottom of the Apurimac canyon (1480m), cross the river and then make the steep climb to the archaeological site of Choquequirao (2840m). The camp will be set up in the place provided for this purpose, within the archaeological site itself.

• Night in tent
• French-speaking guide
• Logistics with muleteers and cooks
• All food
• Tents
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

Few of us on Earth have dared to reach this lost place. And therefore, today we have a whole day of rest dedicated to the study of the archaeological excavations of Choquequirao. The city was the ceremonial center of the Inca elite, honoring and praising their gods – patrons of mountains, rivers and various natural phenomena. This is one of the most unique «Places of Power» where we can purify ourselves and recharge with virgin energy. The area of the city is quite large, but we have time to explore it at our own pace and based on personal preferences.
We will have a privileged and dizzying view of the canyon below.

• Night in tent
• French-speaking guide
• Logistics with muleteers and cooks
• All food
• Tents
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

Today we have a long challenging day for reaching to the Maizal camp. We will start it with an ascent to the Abra-Choquequirao pass (3300 m), then make the first descent to the bottom of the Rio Blanco valley (1910 m) and climb to the other side to reach the Maizal camp (3010 m).

• Night in tent
• French-speaking guide
• Logistics with muleteers and cooks
• All food
• Tents
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

In the morning we will leave the Mazal camp and crossing the San Juan Pass at 4150 meters above sea level from where you can enjoy a magnificent view of the Choquetacarpo Valley.
Then we will go down to the village of Yanama (3550m). The camp will be established in this small isolated village on the banks of the Yanama River.

• Night in tent
• French-speaking guide
• Logistics with muleteers and cooks
• All food
• Tents
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

Today, one vehicle will take us from Yanama to Santa Teresa and then to the Hidroelectrica checkpoint. A track of about 60 km with the passage of a pass at more than 4600 meters before descending in the tropical part to Hidroelectrica (1800m).
Then, after a good meal we will walk to the village of Aguas Calientes along the railway line. We will be surrounded by tropical mountains and will be able to observe many birds as well as an extraordinary flora.
Overnight in Aguas Calientes.

• Hotel in Aguas Calientes
• French-speaking guide
• Transfer from Yanama to Hidroelectrica
• Breakfast and lunch included
• Free evening meal in Aguas Calientes
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

We will leave our hotel after breakfast around 5:30 am and head towards Machu Picchu by bus. We will leave early because at this time the site is less crowded and the morning is a good time to enjoy the peace and the ancient spirit of the most famous archaeological site on the continent. After arriving at the citadel around 6:00 am, our guide will give you detailed information about Machu Picchu and the history and culture of the Inca.
After that we will be able to climb the Machu Picchu, which offers an incredible panoramic view. Then a bus will take us to Aguas Calientes and finally we will return to Cuzco by train.

• Hotel in Cuzco
• Train back to Cuzco
• French-speaking guide
• Entrance to Machu Picchu with Montaña Machu Picchu
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

Morning transfer to Cuzco airport to take a flight to Lima.
Transfer to the bus terminal then comfortable day bus to Huaraz, where we will arrive at the end of the day.
Arrival in Huaraz then transfer to your hotel.

• Flights Cuzco-Lima
• All transfers in Cuzco, Lima and Huaraz
• Bus Lima-Huaraz
• Hotel in Huaraz

We will begin our 12th journey with 5 hours by road/track in a private vehicle to the hamlet of Vaqueria where our muleteer will be waiting for us. Along the way we will see the magnificent Llanganuco lakes and then pass the Portachuelo pass (4767m), from where we can photograph the Huascarán, Huandoy, Pisco mountains, and the Llanganuco valley with its two turquoise lagoons.
We will start our first day of walking, about 3-4 hours up to the Paria Valley and have a spectacular view of Mount Garcilaso.

• Night in tent
• French-speaking guide
• Logistics with muleteers and cooks
• All food
• Tents
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

After breakfast, we will begin our walk of about 7 hours (14km) towards the camp of Taullipampa (4100). We will climb to the highest pass of this hike, Punta Unión (4760m) and the reward for our efforts will be the superb view offered on the snow-capped mountains that are on this road : Artesonraju (the mountain of “Paramount Pictures”), Quitaraju, Taulliraju, Alpamayo, Pucajirca, Rinrijirca, Caraz, Aguja. After having immortalized these landscapes in photos, we will descend to the camp for a well-deserved rest.

• Night in tent
• French-speaking guide
• Logistics with muleteers and cooks
• All food
• Tents
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

That day, after a good breakfast, we will start our 6-8 hours walk (18 km). Arriving at the Quisuar junction, we will climb to the Alpamayo base camp (4400) and then we will hike to the Arhueycocha lagoon.
We will then have a view of the Quitaraju and the Pucajirca in addition of course to the Alpamayo. Then we will return to Quisuar to continue the path to the Llamacoral camp. We will see a lot of trees called “queñual”, wild plants such as “Tarhui” and we will be able to observe wild ducks and Andean geese known as “huacha”.

• Night in tent
• French-speaking guide
• Logistics with muleteers and cooks
• All food
• Tents
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

The last day will give us a quiet walk to Cashapampa village, the descent will take about 2-3 hours and we will be at the exit of the Santa Cruz valley. During this day we will observe typical flowers of the region such as the “zapatitos del diablo” (the devil’s shoes), “el machito” (the macho), the “patas de gallo” (the rooster’s legs), as well as the Yanapaccha waterfall, formed as a result of snow melting of the summit of the same name. A change of vegetation and landscape in a short time and which makes the charm of trekking in the Peruvian Andes that you could appreciate it..
From Cashapampa we will return to Huaraz in a private vehicle, a trip of about 3 hours. We will spend the night in Huaraz.

• Night in tent
• French-speaking guide
• Logistics with muleteers and cooks
• All food
• Hotel
• 2 IDTrek guides speaking French/English/Russian and Spanish

Transfer from the hotel to the bus terminal. We will take a comfortable bus to Lima where we will arrive at the end of the day.
Transfer to the hotel in the Miraflores district.

• Night in hotel in Lima
• Transfers in Huaraz and Lima
• Bus Huaraz-Lima

Unfortunately, our journey is over and we must say goodbye, for this last day you will enjoy your free morning in Lima then transfer to the international airport according to the schedule of your return flight to your country.

• Transfer with driver