In quechua, the word ¨Choquequirao¨ means golden cradle. The inca ruins by the same name are located on the peak of a rocky outcrop overlooking the apurimac canyon in the southern area of the peruvian andes.
The Choquequirao citadel in the vilcabamba valley was constructed by the inca empire in the 16th century and used as a refuge for many years until, apparently, it was abandoned and left to face the forces of the cloud forest for over 250 years. In 1834, it was discovererd by a frech explorer, eugene de sartiges.
Thirteen years later, the french vice consul visited Choquequirao and left his testimony recorded in his own pencil drawings. Choquequirao is made up of nine carved rock constructions with great doors and numerous trapezoidal niches. The complex boasts a religious center, many rooms, hundreds of terraces and a complex irrigation system.
The buildings are distributed around an open area essentially like a main plaza. The landscape that surrounds the choquequiraw outcrop is mostly made up of deep narrow canyons and deeply eroded mountainsides. In the backdrop stands an impressive chain of perpetually snowpeaked mountains.
The area usually has warm weather due to the canyon’s depth; the rocky walls that line the cliffs are heated up by the sun during the day, keeping the valley warm at night. This is a very important aspect to Choquequirao’s ecosystem. No narration has ever been enough to describe how difficult it is to reach Choquequirao, and niether is it easy to describe the fascinating landscape created by the vilcabamba mountain, or the impressibe experience that it is to hike down Choquequirao
Route: cusco-cachora ( 4 hrs. Aprox.)
Cachora-choquequirao 30 km.
Program:
Day 1. Cusco-cachora (by bus) hiking to Chiquiske (camp)
Day 2. Chiquiske-Choquequirao (tour) (camp)
Day 3. Choquequirao-Huanipaca ( camp)
Day 4. Huanipaca-Cachora (by bus)-Cusco
Includes:
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Local transport ·guide
Horses ·all meals
Entrance fee ·transfer
Cook ·oxygen and first aid kit
Camping equipment ·history
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Excluded:
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Sleeping bag
first breakfast and last supper.
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