We leave Cusco early and drive to the trailhead at Capuliyoc. The first day helps your body adjust, moving from high Andean valleys down into the warmer air of the Apurimac canyon at an easy, even pace.

1. Pickup and drive to Capuliyoc

   We collect you from your Cusco hotel at 5:00 a.m. in private transport. The road passes country towns and mountain scenery and reaches the Capuliyoc viewpoint (2,900 m / 9,514 ft) around 8:30 a.m.

2. Breakfast and loading the mules

   Breakfast is served at the viewpoint. While you eat, the crew loads the mules, and the guide gives a last safety talk before you step onto the trail.

3. Descent into the canyon

   The first stretch is a 4 hour walk downhill on a long series of switchbacks, with the river gorge open below you the whole time.

4. Lunch at Chiquiska

   We stop for a filling lunch in the hamlet of Chiquiska (1,893 m / 6,210 ft). There is shade here, and time to rest and drink during the hottest part of the day.

5. Across the river to Santa Rosa

   After lunch we walk 2 more hours, cross the bridge over the Apurimac and start up into cloud forest. The day ends at our guesthouse in Santa Rosa (2,230 m / 7,300 ft) with hot tea and dinner.

Distance

14 to 15 km (8.7 to 9.3 mi)

Walking time

6 to 7 hours

Highest point

2,900 m (9,514 ft) at Capuliyoc

Day 2 is the hardest and the most satisfying. We get up early to stay ahead of the heat and climb steadily out of the canyon to the high shelf where the Inca city stands.

1. Climb to Marampata

   After breakfast a steep, winding path takes about 4 hours. On the way you pass small sugarcane plots where families distill canazo, a spirit made in these valleys for generations.

2. Lunch at Marampata

   Lunch is at a farmhouse in Marampata (2,911 m / 9,550 ft). From the table you look over the ridges and the Apurimac far below.

3. Approach to Choquequirao

   The trail eases for the next 2 hours as it crosses dense cloud forest and reaches the outer sectors of Choquequirao (3,050 m / 10,007 ft).

4. Evening beside the ruins

   Our guesthouse is right next to the archaeological park. You have the rest of the afternoon to recover and a warm dinner from the crew.

Distance

10 to 12 km (6.2 to 7.5 mi)

Walking time

5 to 6 hours

Highest point

3,050 m (10,007 ft) at Choquequirao

You wake up next to the site. The morning is for exploring the citadel, and the afternoon begins the return into the canyon.

1. Morning in the citadel

   Coca tea is brought to your room in time to see the sun rise over the mountains. Then we visit the main sectors of Choquequirao, hear its story as a remote Inca stronghold and enjoy the quiet.

2. Descent to Santa Rosa

   A steady 3 hour walk down gives a last look at the terraces in the cloud forest and ends at Santa Rosa (2,230 m / 7,300 ft).

3. Lunch at Santa Rosa

   The cooks have lunch ready. It is a welcome pause for your legs and a break from the midday sun.

4. Down to the river and up to Chiquiska

   Two more hours of descent bring you to the canyon floor and back across the Apurimac. A final 2 hour climb leads to our guesthouse in Chiquiska (1,800 m / 5,905 ft). The evening is warm, good for birdwatching before dinner.

Distance

16 km (9.9 mi)

Walking time

6 to 7 hours

Highest point

3,050 m (10,007 ft) at Choquequirao

An early start gets the last climb done in the cool of the morning. A traditional feast and one more Inca site are waiting before the road home.

1. Final climb to Capuliyoc

   After breakfast with the crew we walk up and out of the canyon to the Capuliyoc viewpoint, where the trek ends.

2. Pachamanca

   At Capuliyoc the team prepares a pachamanca: several meats, native potatoes and vegetables cooked slowly underground on hot stones. It is the right way to celebrate and to say goodbye to the crew.

3. The Saywite monolith

   Private transport then takes us to the Saywite archaeological site. Its famous carved rock is thought to be an Inca map of the water systems and geography of the region.

4. Drive to Cusco

   We drive back over the mountains and drop you at your hotel or Airbnb in Cusco around 6:00 p.m.

Distance

8 to 10 km (5 to 6.2 mi) on foot, then by road

Walking time

3 to 4 hours uphill

Highest point

2,900 m (9,514 ft) at Capuliyoc