A dust devil spins its way along the opening section of the Choquequirao trail near Capuliyoc, Peru. The remote trek is one of the greatest adventures on Earth. Click the icon in the lower righthand corner of the player to expand the video.
Regarded as one of the world’s top adventure destinations, the trek to Peru’s Choquequirao ruins will push you to the limit. Including videos and a map, this is how I soloed it.
Move over, Machu Picchu: The ruins of Choquequirao Archaeological Park are now regarded by some leading travel authorities as the premier place to visit in the area of Cusco, Peru.
Named as the one of the world’s best adventure travel destinations by National Geographic (2023) and Lonely Planet (2017), the mysterious city was built by the Inca sometime before Spain’s 16th-century conquest. Archaeologists have only excavated around a third of the sprawling site, but what they’ve uncovered already reveals that Choquequirao (meaning “cradle of gold” in the Quechua language) was a marvel of high-altitude design and architecture.
The trek to the ruins is considered to be so intrepid because of its remoteness, brutal elevation changes, and limited access. Choquequirao can only be reached by a daunting 40-km out-and-back hike that winds through a scattering of native villages and totals 19,700 ft (6,000 m) of gain/loss. The trail’s elevation tops out in the thin air of the ruins, which stand in a cloud forest at a shade under 10,000 ft (3,047 m) above sea level.
Guided tours from Cusco to Choquequirao are available, but the real adventure lies in soloing the trek. Including videos and a map, this is how I made it to the ruins:
1. Buy your ticket at Capuliyoc
While the Choquequirao trek officially starts in the nearby town of Cachora, almost everyone begins at Capuliyoc.* The mountain outpost is shown in the lower right quadrant of my above custom map. It’s a critically important stop on your journey; the trail office next to Choquequirao Wasi is where you pay for admission to the ruins. It goes without saying that you will be tremendously disappointed if you reach the end of the trail without a ticket.
Admission is $60 PEN (~$15 USD). After you sign the trail book and receive your ticket, I suggest you place the slip in a waterproof compartment in your pack. If you arrived late in the afternoon at Capuliyoc, you can check if Choquequirao Wasi has a vacant cabin (Spanish: cabaña) for between $25-$50 PEN (~$6.50-$13 USD). They also have discounted plots for a tent, which should be part of your gear. You should also ensure you are hydrated and fully stocked with fluids; I was carrying 2.5 liters in my water reservoir and another liter in my pack.
Once you are ready to start the trek, head west 0.5 km to the Capuliyoc overlook. The stunning yet foreboding vista is shown in the video above. It’s marked as Kilometer 11; as I mentioned earlier, the trail technically begins in Cachora. You are now in position to start the plunging descent to the Apurímac River.
Note: While I am providing the exchange rate from Peruvian soles (PEN) to U.S. dollars (USD), all cash on hand should be in PEN.
* Once you leave Cachora, don’t expect to have cellular signal again until you return. While businesses at the villages of Capuliyoc, Chiquisca, and Marampata claim to offer wifi, it’s reliant upon solar power. I was never able to connect anywhere along the trail.
2. Make the drop to the Overlook of the Birds
Referencing the elevations marked on my map, the Capuliyoc vista is at 9,646 ft (2,940 m). The first milestone on the trek is the Overlook of the Birds, a sheltered bench that’s only 1.7 kms away but 1,099 ft (335 m) below. You’ll likely be full of enthusiasm; this is the time to get your emotions under control.
Carrying a 30 lb. (14 kg) pack, I forced myself to slow down and adopt a measured pace as I began my descent near daybreak. It took me a leisurely 45 minutes to cover the distance. After reaching the checkpoint, I spent 10-15 minutes slowly pacing at the Overlook of the Birds, taking time to get my trail legs fully under me.
3. Continue to the village of Chiquisca
Before you leave the Overlook of the Birds, make sure you apply bug spray; by the time you reach the Cocamasana overlook just before Kilometer 16, you will be in a thick haze of bloodthirsty sand flies and mosquitoes. Get used to their presence: They’ll be following you until a short reprieve at the river.
The sand flies in the Cusco area are particularly troublesome for the unprepared. Larger than the ones I have encountered in North America, they work in teams to slice open and expand wounds. Even after showering myself in maximum strength repellent, I still got a few bites on my wrists. It took 2-3 weeks for the unsightly blisters to fully heal.
Besides the annoyance of bugs, the 1.9 km stretch between the Overlook of the Birds and Cocamasana vista (7,425 ft, 2,263 m) is one of the easiest of the trek. It took me 35 minutes to cover, and I enjoyed a 5-10 minute break on the shaded bench.
Continuing west, I encountered my first refreshment stand around Kilometer 17. Like most on the trail, it was essentially a covered patio with tables and chairs that offered fruit, bagged snacks, and drinks. Expect to pay $5-$10 PEN ($3 USD or less) for the most expensive items like Gatorade.
An hour and 3.3 km after leaving Cocamasana, I walked into the village of Chiquisca (6,161 ft, 1878 m). It was mid-morning under clear skies, and the rising heat was starting to take a toll. I eagerly shed my pack on the benches in the center of the community, sitting for a few sweat-drenched minutes to catch my breath and rehydrate.
Chiquisca has a refreshment stand and the serviced accommodation La Cabañita, the latter of which offers cabins, camping, meals, and snacks. I settled for an early lunch of chicken and rice, beans, potatoes, assorted vegetables, and jello. Meals, all of which I found delicious, cost less than $20 PEN (~$5 USD) at villages on the trail. Views like the one shown below at my table in Chiquisca, however, are priceless.
Just like at Capuliyoc, I suggest fully reloading your supply of fluids in Chiquisca. Before topping the mountain in Marampata, you will also have opportunities to use your water filtration system at the beach past the Rosalinas Bridge and Santa Rosa Alta and/or purchase fluids at Santa Rosa Baja.
Lunch is served with a world-class mountain vista in the Quechua village of Chiquisca, Peru. The settlement is an important checkpoint on the Choquequirao trek. Click the icon in the lower righthand corner of the player to expand the video.
4. Descend to the river then make the climb to Santa Rosa
My legs were a little cold after my lunch in Chiquisca, so I took it easy on the steep descent to the river. Those who have taken on challenging trails like the Choquequirao trek already know this: Long downhill stretches under heavy load can be more challenging — and more dangerous — than going uphill. A different set of muscles are utilized for brakes than the one required to propel on an incline. As the hours add up and your legs begin to tire, trekking poles become increasingly important as a protective measure against a potentially debilitating fall.
Just under an hour after leaving Chiquisca, I arrived at Kilometer 21, which is marked near the south side of Rosalinas Bridge. That’s 10 long kms from and 4,817 ft (1,468 m) below the starting elevation at the Capuliyoc overlook. I once again took off my pack, this time at the abandoned Playa Rosalinas settlement (4,829 ft, 1,472 m). All of my clothes were soaked in sweat, so I sat in the shade until noon to dry off, reapply bug spray, and replenish fluids.
The most daunting leg of the trek was before me.
My shoulders aching from my backpack straps, I leaned into the excruciating climb toward the ruins. Up to that point, I had only seen a handful of hikers. Several Quechua locals, however, passed me with their horses and mules throughout the morning. The pack animals, along with the frequent rains that come during the Southern Hemisphere summers, have significantly eroded trail conditions.
With footing an issue and thousands of feet of incline left to go, I navigated the rise to Santa Rosa Baja (6,437 ft, 1,962 m) very carefully. It took me two hours to make it 2.3 kms to the small site, which has a food and drink stand, showers, and campsites for $5 PEN (~$1 USD). It was just before mid-afternoon when I decided to press on, and I knew I had an important decision looming: Where was I going to sleep on my first night?
Mules carrying supplies trod across the Rosalinas Bridge on the Choquequirao trail in the Peruvian Andes. The trek leads through native villages to Inca ruins. Click the icon in the lower righthand corner of the player to expand the video.
5. Top the mountain at Marampata
Comparing notes with a few other trekkers at villages along the trail, I heard multiple strategies for how to manage the approach to Choquequirao. Some were conservative, spending their first night in Chiquisca before making an early morning push to Marampata and then the ruins. Others pressed further to Santa Rosa Baja.
I walked onto the trail with a different and more ambitious plan. My initial goal was Santa Rosa Alta (7,228 ft, 2,203 m), a small abandoned campsite with a fresh water source. It’s just past the Kilometer 25 marker and less than a km away from Santa Rosa Baja. Once I arrived, I would assess my energy and decide whether to hazard the 3.3-km, 2,286 ft (697 m) rise to the town of Marampata.
Sitting on Santa Rosa Alta’s bench in a swarm of sand flies and mosquitoes, I pondered the time as a slowly sipped water. My legs were tired but willing, and I knew I had around 1-2 hours left before nightfall. My ambition won, and I trudged onward.
From the standpoint of safety, I’m not sure I can advise anyone else to follow my example; it took me three painful hours to reach Kilometer 28 and the welcome sign for Marampata (9,514 ft, 2,900 m). Half of that was spent hiking in the still of the Andean night with only the thin beam of my headlamp cutting through the pitch black.
Exhausted upon my arrival, I stripped my pack and hand carried it into the first restaurant I saw in town. I devoured every bite of my dinner plate then inquired about a room at the Inti Condor, a serviced accommodation just down the footpath. I paid $25 PEN (~$6.50 USD) for the night, prepared my gear for the ruins the following morning, and settled into a deep sleep.*
* Although my rate was $25 PEN ($6.50 USD) for the evening, I suggest budgeting $50 PEN ($13 USD) per night for lodging along the trail. As I mentioned in the first step, you should pack a tent in the event that there are no vacancies at the serviced accommodations in Marampata, Chiquisca, or Capuliyoc.
6. Complete the journey to Choquequirao
I woke up before dawn to a cold morning in Marampata. I slowly put on my trail clothes and gathered my gear for the day, all the while sipping water to prepare myself for a full day of exploring. It’s best to stay at least two nights in Marampata, especially if you land a room at Inti Condor; you can lock up most of your belongings and go to the ruins with a daypack.
I stepped out the door as the roosters began crowing, heading back over to the same restaurant for breakfast. Once I had eaten my fill, I stopped back by the Inti Condor and paid for a second night, which I had forgotten to do the prior evening. Trekking poles in hand, I set out on the 4.1-km stretch to Choquequirao (9,990 ft, 3,045 m).
My map indicates that the elevation gain to the ruins is only 476 ft (145 m) from Marampata. While that may be true, your gain/loss for the day will be at least triple that number; the trail rises and falls several times before you make it to the site. Walking on tired legs, I saved as much energy as I could by slowing my pace. It took me a little under an hour and a half to reach the terraces below the main plaza.
To learn about how I toured the ruins of Choquequirao by myself, click the read “How to Take a Self-Guided Tour of Choquequirao.”
Related Content
– Click to read my travel guide “How to Get to the Choquequirao Trailhead” to learn about the two ways I reached the starting point of the trek to Choquequirao.
– Click to read my feature article “Choquequirao: The Last Stand of the Inca” for the story of how the Neo-Inca state of Vilcabamba resisted Spanish colonialism in the 16th century.
– Click to view my high-resolution photo collection from the Choquequirao trail.