For most travellers to Peru, hiking the Inca Trail to the ancient fortress of Machu Picchu represents the definitive Andean backcountry experience. But while none can argue the beauty of a trek to one of the proposed New 7 Wonders of the World, the sheer popularity of the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu means that you’ll be sharing your Andean adventure with dozens, if not hundreds, of fellow travellers.
Fortunately, for those with a taste for adventure and some physical stamina, there are affordable and accessible ways to get off the beaten path in the Peruvian Andes. One of the newest and most exciting of these is Choquequirao, an Incan fortress comparable in size to Machu Picchu, but more remote and as yet only partially excavated.
The access to these ruins was revealed to my companion and me by Roberto Chipan Pereiga, an anthropologist working for the Peruvian National Institute of Culture who was in charge of the park in the year 2006:
“There are four main entrances,” he said, “but the easiest and most popular is via the town of Cachora. From there it is 32km on foot to the site of the ruins.”
Mr. Pereiga also informed us that the ruins were only recognized as highly valuable by archaeologists in 1981, even though the Quechuan people living in nearby villages had known about them for centuries. Serious research began in 1986 and excavation to develop the site for tourism in 1992. Compared to Machu Picchu, Choquequirao is over 2000 feet higher in altitude. The park in which it lies is 512,000 hectares in size (compared to 32,000 hectares for Machu Picchu) and includes the entire Vilcabamba valley.
The Journey
Cachora, it turns out, is a picture perfect Andean village of adobe houses settled into a sweeping valley surrounded by grassy hills. From there one sets out across the potato and quinoa fields on the outskirts of town to where a large, blue cement plaque marks the trailhead to Choquequirao. Snow-capped peaks over 16,000 feet high rise in the distance and foreshadow the journey to come.
Normally the first night’s camp is made at the beginning of the descent into to Apurimac valley, but if one starts early enough and makes good time, there are at least four other sites distributed along the brutal climb which switchbacks up the other side of the valley. The last of these, reached on the second day, is located just below the ruins.
The Ruins
Although the lost city of Choquequirao is not quite as large and intricate as Machu Picchu, it sits on a ridge that trails down from a series of breathtaking white peaks veiled in mist, and offers a spectacular view over the valleys of the Rio Apurimac and Rio Branco. What’s more, with a little luck, at Choquequierao one can experience something that is today virtually impossible at the site of an ancient cloud city – solitude. Unlike Machu Picchu, which is only open to visitors during the day, the ruins of Choquequirao are in a wilderness setting. If in fact any hours of operation exist, they are not enforced, and visitors can come and go as they please.
When we finally reached the circular plaza at the very top of the ruins at the end of our second day, the only other group of tourists on the entire mountain began making their way down. The sun set and the sky began to turn purple while we rested on the timeworn stones and took in the dramatic scene around us. Save for two condors slowly spiralling in the warm air rising from the Apurimac valley, we had the entire mountaintop city to ourselves.
Getting There
The easiest way to get to Choquequirao is by purchasing a guided tour in Cusco, which has regular flights to and from Lima. Trips to Choquequirao usually run 3-4 days and include an English-speaking guide, food, cook, and enough mules to carry everything except oneself. Prices are in the $200-$500 range, depending on the quality and popularity of the guide service. Alternatively it is possible to travel to Cachora by bus or taxi and hire mules and a mule driver/guide there.
Sources
- Todras-Whitehill, Ethan. “The Other Machu Picchu.” The New York Times. June 3, 2007.
- Pereiga, Roberto Chipan. Personal Interview. July 3, 2006.
Join the Conversation