Built atop and around a mountain peak in the Peruvian Andes west of the former Inca capital of Cusco, Choquequirao was a former imperial city with a mysterious history. The ruins of the “cradle of gold,” as it roughly translates in native Quechua, are still being excavated by archaeologists, who live in remote camps as they work to peel back the thick cloud forests engulfing most of the site.
It’s the isolation that makes Choquequirao (and its main plaza that’s shown above) a better experience than heavily-trafficked Machu Picchu. There’s only one way to reach the ruins, which is an incredibly challenging out-and-back hike that winds into a plunging canyon. Native villages are scattered along the trail; all of them are off the power grid. The remoteness and difficulty of the trek severely limits the number of visitors.
As a tour guide I spoke with in Cusco mused, there’s an intimacy to exploring a major set of Inca ruins virtually alone. The mystique of Choquequirao only enhances the site’s aura: No one knows why the city was abandoned, and details of its history have been lost to time.
If you are interested in learning more about trekking to and touring Choquequirao on your own, check out my travel guides section.
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 view my high-resolution photo collection from nearby Cusco, Peru.