The mysterious ruins of Choquequirao’s main plaza stand on top of a mountain in the Peruvian Andes. The Inca city was abandoned sometime in the 16th century. Click the icon in the lower righthand corner of the player to expand the video.
The Inca ruins of Choquequirao are considered to be one of the world’s premier adventure travel destinations. Including videos, this is how I toured the site by myself.
Translating to “cradle of gold” in the Quechua language, the high-altitude Andean ruins of Choquequirao Archaeological Park are as mysterious as they are spellbinding. The Inca city, located west of the empire’s former capital Cusco, was built atop and along the side of a mountain not long before Spanish conquest of Peru in 1533. It was abandoned soon afterward without record, only to be discovered and excavated by Western archaeologists in the 20th century.
Picking up where my companion guide “How to Hike to Choquequirao” left off, this article shows you how I explored the ruins by myself. I made it to Choquequirao on tired legs after covering nearly 20 kms and enduring approximately 10,000 feet (3,048 kms) of elevation gain/loss the day prior. The remote and arduous trek is the only way to access the site, and it’s the primary reason travel authorities like National Geographic and Lonely Planet regard it as one of Earth’s greatest adventures.
Here’s how to take a self-guided tour of Choquequirao:
1. Start at the terraces east of the main plaza
After completing the 4.1-km hike from the town of Marampata, the first place I explored at Choquequirao was the terraces to the east and below the main plaza. The stone walls stand well above head-high, and they offer the first glimpse of the wonder that this city must have been. Organized neatly in a long set of rows, the terraces are just a sampling of the actual number the Inca constructed; many more are buried down the steep slope that plunges thousands of feet toward the Apurímac River.
It was around midmorning, so I took my time enjoying this section of the ruins. I visited Choquequirao during the winter solstice, but the grassy plains between the terraces were still green. The sun’s eastern angle also provided some shady spots for me to relax and refresh after the hike from Marampata. Although the hard part is getting to Choquequirao, don’t expect your tour to be an easy day; the city was built in one of the world’s most rugged mountain environments. Pace yourself and stay hydrated, especially if you are touring alone like me.
2. Ascend to the main plaza
Choquequirao’s eastern terraces start just below the main plaza, which is the central attraction of the ruins. The short trail from the stone walls is easily followed, wrapping to the south before ending at a flat, grassy section of the mountaintop. Beautifully excavated stone structures are set against the grandeur of the Andes in what was once the heart of the city.
Choquequirao was built along age-old trails that connected mountainous population centers like the Inca capital of Cusco to the resource-rich jungle lowlands of the Amazon. Very little is known about the history of the city, but nobility that oversaw this vital checkpoint would have likely presided at or near the buildings that have been uncovered at the main plaza.* Considering Choquequirao’s prime location between two abundant natural environments, common sense says the city may have been both wealthy and powerful.
I spent a couple of hours at the main plaza, marveling at its world-class mountain vistas and strolling through its mysterious buildings. Just like the eastern terraces, there’s shady spots that provide reprieve from the high-altitude sun rays.
I ate an early lunch in almost complete solitude while sitting in one of the stone buildings. While its nearby cousin Machu Picchu may get almost a million visitors in a year, Choquequirao doesn’t see anywhere near 10,000 tourists annually.
* I only encountered around 20-30 people during my tour of the ruins, most of whom were part of tour groups. As hikers sat in the shade, guides gave a purported history of Choquequirao. The reality is this, however: No one, including scholars and the local Quechua people, really knows the story of the ruins.
3. Hike to the overlooks of the main plaza
It was before noon when I finished my lunch. Standing up and stretching my stiff legs, I slung on my backpack and prepared myself to climb the two overlooks that flank the main plaza. Since it was closest, I chose to start with the trail to the northern vista. It took me about 10 minutes to reach the summit, which offers a bird’s-eye view of the deep canyon.
Walking down to and across the main plaza, I followed the sloping path to the southern overlook. This is the more popular vista; it offers unobstructed and jaw-dropping views of both the canyon and the ruins. Looking to the north and beyond the plaza, I realized that I was facing toward the not-so-distant Peruvian section of the Amazon rainforest. Several of the last uncontacted peoples on Earth live just as they would have when Choquequirao was an important stop between their jungle environ and other Inca settlements in the Andes.
The towering vista at Choquequirao’s Llamas Sector plunges thousands of feet down a canyon carved by the Apurímac River in the Peruvian Andes west of Cusco. Click the icon in the lower righthand corner of the player to expand the video.
4. Descend to the Llamas Sector
Returning to the main plaza, I followed the sign west (left facing the ruins) toward the Llamas Sector. The trail down is very steep, so I quickly deployed my trekking poles. It took me 5-10 minutes of careful walking to descend to the top of the sector.
While Choquequirao’s eastern terraces were built along a sharp grade, the stone walls of the Llamas Sector look as if they fall off into oblivion. The footpath to the bottom is bordering on sheer; use great care when taking the drop. The terraces are adorned with artwork depicting llamas, which were sacrificed by the Inca in hopes that the gods would make their herds fertile.
5. Take the spur to Pikiwasi
Laboring back up to the main plaza, I stopped again to admire the ruins while catching my breath. It was past noon, so I decided to begin my return to the town of Marampata. As I mentioned earlier, I trekked to Choquequirao during the height of the Southern Hemisphere’s winter. Daylight hours were short, and the cliffs near town make hiking at night exceptionally treacherous.
I ambled down to the bottom of the eastern terraces when I noticed a sign pointing to the right. It marked the path down to Pikiwasi, yet another set of ruins that offers perhaps the park’s most picturesque vista. Choquequirao’s campsites are next to its stone structures; it takes around 5-10 minutes to reach from the main trail.
6. Take the plunging decline to the House of the Waterfall
As I neared the ruins in the morning, I encountered a side trail veering to the left. The sign read “Casa de la Caida de Agua,” a Spanish-named group of terraces meaning “House of the Waterfall.” I made a mental note to explore the site on my way out.
If you are saving the House of the Waterfall for your last stop like I did, I strongly advise that you pace yourself throughout the day; the hike down is long and incredibly steep. It took me 45 minutes to make the drop, which cuts through archaeological camps. The vistas, however, are worth the effort, as the video above illustrates.
I stayed for 30-45 minutes at the House of the Waterfall. Marampata is visible in the distance across a deep, yawning gorge carved by the Chunchumayo River. I set out on my return journey to the town in the late afternoon, arriving back at my room at the Inti Condor before nightfall.
Stone steps descend steeply beside the terraces of Choquequirao’s House of the Waterfall in the remote Peruvian Andes. The Inca ruins are west of Cusco. Click the icon in the lower righthand corner of the player to expand the video.
Related Content
– Click to view my high-resolution photo collection from the Choquequirao trail.
– 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 browse my travel guides for nearby Cusco, Peru.