Down into the Apurímac canyon and up to an Inca site at about 3,050 m, four or five days out and back from Cusco.
The short answer
The Choquequirao trek is a camping trek of four or five days from Cusco: down from Capuliyoc into the Apurímac canyon, up to the Inca site at about 3,050 m and back the same way. None of the tours compared here includes Machu Picchu; they all return to Cusco.
The five-day trek by Salkantay Trekking gives you a full day at the site but cannot be cancelled. TreXperience and Trails to Machu Picchu run four days with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
All Choquequirao tours walk the same path from Capuliyoc and back. They differ in how long you spend at the ruins, what you see on the drive back and the size of the group.
Tap a column header to re-sort. None of these tours goes on to Machu Picchu.
| Photo | Tour | Length | Time at Choquequirao | On the way back | Choquequirao entry | Group | Cancellation | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Choquequirao trek, 4 days and 3 nights TreXperience | 4 days, 3 nights camping | Afternoon visit and sunrise at the site | Saywite stone | Included (itinerary) | Up to 16 | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 5.0 (91) | $698 per person | Book now |
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Classic Choquequirao trek, 5 days Salkantay Trekking | 5 days, camping | A full day | Saywite stone and Conoc hot springs | Included | Small group of up to 10; age 12 and over | All sales final | ★ 5.0 (57) | $760 per person | Book now |
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Choquequirao guided trek, 4 days Trails to Machu Picchu | 4 days, camping | Afternoon tour, night by the ruins, morning visit | Direct drive to Cusco | Included (itinerary) | Up to 9 | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 5.0 (16) | $680 per person | Book now |
Prices and ratings are loaded from GetYourGuide and Viator once a day; on treks the price shown is the cheapest option, which may leave out the sleeping bag, the hiking poles or the return train class you want.
Pick the day you want to go, or the first and last day you are in Cusco. We read the booking calendar of each tour and show the ones that still take bookings. For Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, book early: entry tickets, trains and trail permits are limited.
In the next 7 days, all 3 tours on this page still have places.
Days: 4 days
Days: 5 days or more
Days: 4 days
Open a card for the itinerary, the pickup, what is included and what is not, as the operator gives them.
Sunrise at the site, a porter for 7 kg, Saywite on the way back; free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Departure from Cusco between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. to Capuliyoc (2,911 m), reached around 8:30 a.m. for breakfast. Day one is 4 hours downhill to lunch at Chiquiska and 2 more hours to camp at Santa Rosa (1,478 m), about 6 hours of walking in total. Day two is headed La Playa, Marampata and Choquequirao. Day three starts at sunrise at Choquequirao, goes downhill to Santa Rosa for lunch and on to camp at Chiquiska. Day four is a 4-hour climb back to Capuliyoc for lunch, then a private transfer with a stop at the Saywite stone and drop-off at your hotel around 5 p.m.
The day-two text in the listing repeats day one word for word, so the actual program for the arrival day at Choquequirao is not described. Entry to the Choquequirao site is not named under the inclusions. A personal porter carries up to 7 kg; mattress, sleeping bag and trekking poles are optional extras. The listing's own elevation and distance figures differ between days.
Pickup from hotels, Airbnbs and other places in Cusco between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m.; drop-off at your hotel around 5 p.m. on day 4.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
A full day at the site, entry included, Conoc hot springs on the way back; small groups.
Pickup at your hotel around 4:30 a.m. and a drive to Cachora for breakfast, then on to Capuliyoc to meet the cooks and muleteers. Day one is a 3-hour descent to camp at Chiquisca. Day two drops to Playa Rosalina, the lowest point, crosses the footbridge and climbs via Santa Rosa for lunch and about 3 more hours to camp at Marampata. Day three is a whole day at Choquequirao (3,050 m), an hour from camp, with your guide and a picnic lunch, including the stone llama terraces. Day four walks back via Santa Rosa and Playa Rosalina to Chiquisca, where a local family hosts you. Day five is about 4 hours up to Capuliyoc, then the Saywite monolith and the Conoc hot springs before you reach Cusco around 6:00 p.m.
Entry to the Choquequirao site is included, as are tents for 2, an inflatable mattress, a portable toilet and a duffel bag up to 5 kg carried for you. Sleeping bag and poles are not included, and nor is dinner on day five. The inclusions say small groups of up to 10, while the booking data allows up to 12. The inclusions also mention 3 nights in tents, while the itinerary has four nights of camping. Children from 12 may join.
Hotel pickup in central Cusco between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m.; return to your accommodation around 6:00 p.m. on day 5.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Groups of up to 9 and a night camped next to the ruins, entry included per itinerary.
The drive leaves Cusco at 4:30 a.m., with breakfast around 9:30 a.m. and the trail start at Capuliyoc around 10:30 a.m. You descend into the Apurimac Canyon to Chiquisca (1,900 m) for lunch, pass Playa Rosalinas (1,500 m) around 3:00 p.m. and climb to camp at Santa Rosa by about 6:00 p.m. Day two continues to Marampata and reaches the ruins for lunch, followed by a guided tour at 1:00 p.m. and camp near the site. Day three starts with breakfast among the ruins and more time on the site, then back to Marampata for lunch and down to camp at Chiquisqa. Day four climbs back to Capuliyoc, with lunch at the end of the trail and the drive to Cusco, arriving around 6:00 p.m.
Camping near the ruins on day two gives you an afternoon and a morning at Choquequirao. The inclusions name camping equipment, campsite fees, porters and round-trip transport, and the itinerary marks admission to the Choquequirao site as included. The description gives the route as 64 km and the ruins at about 3,050 m. Groups are capped at 9.
Wait in your hotel lobby for pickup at 4:30 a.m. The pre-tour meeting is held near Cusco's main square.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Choquequirao is a large Inca site above the Apurímac river, west of Cusco. The tours reach it on foot: you drive about four to six hours from Cusco to the trailhead at Capuliyoc, around 2,900 m, near the village of Cachora, and walk the rest. The trek goes the same way out and back, which is why it is harder than the map suggests.
From Capuliyoc the path drops for three to four hours to Chiquisca at about 1,900 m and on to the river at Playa Rosalina, around 1,500 m. Then comes the climb that Salkantay Trekking calls the most demanding part: up through Santa Rosa to Marampata and to the site itself at about 3,050 m. On the way back you repeat it in reverse, ending with an uphill walk of about four hours from Chiquisca to Capuliyoc. Trails to Machu Picchu puts the round trip at about 64 km. Salkantay Trekking describes Chiquisca as a warm camp among arid mountains; expect heat on the climbs out of the canyon.
The four-day tours spend part of an afternoon and the next morning at the ruins. Trails to Machu Picchu camps right next to the site, so you can walk through it in the evening and again after breakfast. TreXperience has you watch the sunrise there. Salkantay Trekking adds a fifth day, camps at Marampata and gives you the whole of day three at the site, with a visit to the Saywite carved stone and the Conoc hot springs on the drive back. TreXperience also stops at Saywite.
Read the listings with some care. The TreXperience listing repeats the text of day one under day two, so the itinerary for that day is missing. Salkantay Trekking lists three nights in tents under inclusions, while its itinerary has four nights of camping. Salkantay Trekking lists the Choquequirao entry under inclusions; TreXperience and Trails to Machu Picchu mark it as included in the itinerary for the days at the site.
None of the Choquequirao treks compared here continues to Machu Picchu; all of them return to Cusco. If you want both, plan Machu Picchu separately as a day trip by train or a tour with a night in Aguas Calientes, or pick a route that ends there, such as Salkantay or the Inca Trail.
The long climbs in heat are the problem here, more than the height. Salkantay Trekking asks for a high level of fitness, a minimum age of 12 and two days in Cusco before the start; TreXperience and Trails to Machu Picchu ask for a moderate level. All listings exclude travelers with spinal injuries, poor cardiovascular health and pregnant travelers. TreXperience gives you a porter for 7 kg of your things, Salkantay Trekking 5 kg carried by porters or mules; sleeping bag and poles are not included on either. For the season, see weather by month; for the first days in Cusco, acclimatization. Other routes from Cusco are on treks compared.
TreXperience and Trails to Machu Picchu allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The five-day trek by Salkantay Trekking is a final sale without refund.
Not on the tours compared here. All of them walk to Choquequirao and back to Capuliyoc and drive you to Cusco. Machu Picchu has to be booked separately.
It descends to about 1,500 m at the Apurímac river and climbs to the site at about 3,050 m, then repeats both on the way back. Salkantay Trekking rates it as challenging and asks for a high level of fitness.
Yes, on all three tours. Salkantay Trekking lists the entry under inclusions; TreXperience and Trails to Machu Picchu mark it as included in the itinerary.
The drive to the trailhead at Capuliyoc takes about four to six hours on the listings; departures from Cusco are around 4:30 a.m.
Five days with a pass at 4,630 m, ending at Machu Picchu.
The permit route from Km 82 through the Sun Gate.
Train and bus from Cusco, back the same evening.
How long to adjust before a trek.
Days, highest point, nights and the way back for every route.
Two questions, and the finder suggests a tour from Cusco with two alternatives.
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