Trek to Choquequirao, Peru

The ruins and scenery at Choquequirao are spectacular!

Peru has the most incredible outdoor experiences and natural wonders from Rainbow Mountain to countless ruins, Maras Salt Mines, and stunning scenery. So much to do and so little time! We decided to skip the popular option of Machu Picchu and decided to instead go to the larger sister city Choquequirao. This site is so much quieter with numbers of people visiting per day maybe around 50 versus up to 5,600 people per day. The catch is, you need to hike for a couple of days to get to Choquequirao and it's no easy feat, but totally worth it!

After doing a trek in Ecuador (Quilatoa Loop) earlier in the year, I was ready! Although we did quite a bit of research on blogs and in travel books, we discovered much of the information on English language blogs is out of date, so I want to share our experience in 2025.

The trail to Yanama

Here are answers to some of the questions we had before we set out.

Is the trail there and back or a loop?

Nearly everyone does this trail as a there and back, we chose to take an alternate route out to Yanama on a much less traveled trail after we saw the ruins.

Which route should I take?

If you do the hike to the ruins and back you will have better amenities, you will know what the hike out looks like, and the transport options are easier. The biggest pros on the route to Yanama and beyond if you choose are another large incredible ruin site Pinchaunuyoc with running water, a quieter trail, more rainforest versus desert environment, ending on a descent instead of ascent, and really stellar views. The cons are less campsites with amenities, less food and water availability, higher altitude on Yanama pass, longer travel back to Cusco. That being said we would absolutely do the Yanama route again.

Pinchaunuyoc ruins Our lodging on the way to Yamana Incredible views from the trail

How long does the trek take?

We did it in four days. Some people hiked the trail in three days, but they were not carrying large packs like we were and covered considerable mileage each day.

Do I need a guide?

It's not necessary unless you want help carrying your things. The trail is very clearly marked and most people seemed to do the hike self guided.

How much time do I need at the ruins?

More time than you might think! We stayed at a short hike from the ruins, hiked to the ruins, set up our tent at the designated campsite there and headed up to the ruins. There are 12 sectors of ruins to visit, from Plaza Principal to the Llama Terraces, Sacred Terraces, the House of the Priests, Sacred Platform, Phaqchayoq Terraces, temples, Sector Pikiwasi and others! I think we had five or six hours and we could have spent longer there. Unfortunately, the next day was rainy so the visibility was poor so we headed out. The ruins are another strenuous hiking day as every ruin is either up or down the mountain which is why we set up our tent and unloaded our gear before we went to the ruins.

Do I need a camping set up?

This is tricky, we used our tent two of three nights. There were many Peruvians who stayed in rooms at the campsites along the way and carried minimal supplies (i.e. a school sized back pack or fanny pack), but the rooms seemed to be first come first served (no reservations to our knowledge) so we were not confident that we would have had a room every night. We were glad we brought the tent and sleeping bags even though it meant carrying a lot more weight.

What amenities do the campsites have?

The campsites are basic, but definitely improving! There were always toilets and typically bottled beverages (except the campsite at the ruins, this one had no water, but did have breakfast of rice and beans by request), some campsites had food, and some had cold showers. They all had stunning views!

What kind of food and beverages do the campsites serve?

•  Lots of rice with chicken, eggs, and/or vegetables for breakfast, lunch, or dinner

• Gatorade or other sports drinks, bottled water, lemonade, sometimes Esencia de Cafe (a thick coffee concentrate served with hot water)

• Some had fruit

How busy is the trail/ruins?

The trail was pretty quiet with occasional mules and horses with their muleteers carrying supplies or people who chose to do the trek as a trail ride, locals working on the trail, and other hikers, we estimated about 30-50 people per day on the days we were there in July.

Is there food and water available?

Yes, very frequent water and food opportunities on the trail to and from the ruins. If you take the alternate trail out - through Yanama towards Machu Picchu, there is much less water and food available on that route.

Should I bring a camp stove/Jet Boil?

Yes! We didn't and regretted it. We were not sure if we could find fuel canisters in Cusco, as you cannot fly with them, but camp supply stores were everywhere and we would have rather have carried some oatmeal and backpacking meals, especially for the hike out and our night at the ruins where dinner was not served. We ate lots of trail mix and protein bars instead.

What is the weather like?

In July the weather rotated between hot and cooler and rainy, the hike had variable ecosystems from more desert like with cacti toa cloud forest with thick forest and eucalyptus.

How hard is the trek?

This is a pretty difficult hike, with steep elevation gains and losses. The total distance for the there and back hike is 25 miles (40 km) with an elevation gain and loss of 6,100 meters ( 20,013 feet) over the four days of hiking. The alternate route we did ending in Yanama was 32.2 miles (51.52km) with similar elevation gain and loss.

Is there another way to get there besides hiking?

Yes, you can hire a mules/horses for an expedition, you can hire a muleteer if you would like a mule to carry your gear, or you can backpack, which we think is the most rewarding.

Where can I stay before and after the hike?

We stayed in Cachora at CasaNostra Choquequirao which was a short drive to the trail and the host was able to call us a taxi and prepare dinner late upon our arrival and breakfast early before we hit the trail. After the hike, we stayed in Yanama, there are rooms available at a couple of hotels or camping.

How do I get back to Cusco from Yanama?

There are no cars in Yanama. To get to the nearest village with public transportation to get back to Cusco, we had to take a colectivo which only leaves very early in the morning so we had to stay the night in Yanama after ending the hike midday. The trip from Yanama to Santa Teresa took several hours. Then we took another short colectivo to Santa Maria where we caught a public bus to Cusco for a few dollars which also took several hours. We left Yanama at 5:30 AM and arrived in Cusco around 5:30 PM due to the nature of the slow, winding mountain roads. It is a beautiful ride back!

How long does it take to get to the hike from Cusco?

The drive from Cusco to Cachora took around five hours due to the slow winding roads to get there. We recommend leaving early from Cusco as taxi drivers do not like driving this road at night. We negotiated a rate of $120 with a hesitant taxi driver and after the long drive in the dark, we felt like we had under paid. Alternatively you can take a public bus and then a taxi to get to your hotel to save some money.

Do I need to worry about altitude sickness?

If you are susceptible to altitude sickness, you may want to consider acclimating in Cusco and/or medication to help with the effects as the trail reaches altitudes of 10,170 for there and back hikers and 15,324 ft if you hike to Yanama. Coca candies and leaves are also available in Cusco which are thought to help with altitude sickness.

Is the trail marked well?

Yes, we did not need to do any route finding, but it's always a good idea to have a map app like Cal Topo in case of any confusion. There is also a nice map at the trailhead that indicates distances and amenities at the various campsites.

What should I wear?

The sun and bugs can be very intense so a hat, sun hoodie or thin, long sleeved moisture-wicking shirt, and long quick dry hiking pants are very helpful. A full change of dry clothes for sleeping is incredibly important for cool nights. Bring a packable rain jacket in case it rains. Hiking boots are great if you need the extra support, otherwise trail runners or shoes with good grips can do the trick. If you have any issues with knees or ankles, I highly recommend bringing ace bandage or a brace as this hike is hard on the joints.

What should I bring?

Bug spray, sunscreen, first aid supplies, cash*, hiking poles, a water bladder and Lifestraw or another water sanitizing device**, JetBoil or tiny campstove, dehydrated meals, snacks, pack towel, as little and light camping gear as possible, you really do not want to over pack on this hike!

*for camp sites or lodging, food, taxis, park fees around $500 is what we recommend

**we thought the Lifestraw was much better than a pump filter would have been given the small streams of water we had as sources. We went through a lot more water than we thought we would.