Huchuy Qosqo Trek to Machu Picchu

We will be picking you up from your hotel in Cusco at 0600 AM. Then in our private transport, we will be driving you to Puca Pucara. It will be a 20 minutes drive.

We will begin the trek with a gradual uphill hike for an hour and a half to the first mountain pass at 4100 metres above sea level. You will get a captivating view of Cusco and the snow capped peaks of Mount Veronica, Pitusiray, Chicon and San Juan.

The trekking guide will share some facts on how the Incas found this place and how the Spanish conquered it.

We will then hike for 45 minutes to reach the top of the valley. On our way, we will be crossing a small stream that snakes through the valley.

Lunch Stop

For lunch, we will be stopping on the shores of Queullacocha lake.

You will get a spectacular view of the Peruvian highland region here. Here you will also be able to spot different birds like Andean Geese, Lapwings and Partridges.

After lunch we will hike to our campsite at the village of Quencco. Making our way over the top of one of the ridges we will descend towards Qoriccocha Lake (Golden Lake).

It is about a two and a half hour walk to the village where we will be greeted by locals. They are very friendly and will be happy to meet and welcome us to their community.

After we settle in, they will offer us a hot cup of team. We will then visit a local family house to know about their way of life.

After visiting the family we will have some free time to relax and your guide will teach you more about the Andean way of life. If you are interested in taking home gifts or souvenirs of the Andes, there is a good opportunity to find them here

Distance walked: 14 km

We will be waking you up to a hot cup of Peruvian coffee or infusions. This will be followed by a typical Andean breakfast.

We will then begin with a two hours hike to Huchuy Qosco Archaeological site. It is a two hours hike before we will be hiking on the stretch of the Inca Trail or Qhapaq Ñan. We will be right below the village of Pumamarca.

Along the way we will pass by many locals grazing their Llamas and Alpacas. This is one of the main professions of the people here. The terrain here is perfect for it.

Once we reach the Inca Trail the scenery really changes going from the high mountaintop to a secluded valley. This valley is beautiful and is full of lush vegetation, there are many small birds that can be seen including a variety of hummingbirds that feed off the many flowers that grow here.

As we make our way down the valley we will be able to see snow capped mountains above us and the famous Urubamba mountain range. There will be ample time to take advantage of the many picturesque photos on offer.

Huchuy Qosqo Peru

Little by little we will be making our way towards the main site. As we will be approaching we will be passing through an adobe Inca gateway. Then we will finally reach the magnificent Inca site of Huchuy Qosqo ( LITTLE CUSCO 3600 msnm).

The complex is perched above one of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Here, you will see amazing Inca buildings like religious houses, store houses, Inca terraces for agriculture and  Inca reservoir used to deposit water in the dry season. Your guide will take you on a tour of the site and is an expert in the history of the Incas, so he will explain and teach you about everything.

Afterwards you will have time to explore the site by yourself before we have lunch. From here we will begin our walk downhill to the Sacred Valley, it takes about 2 hours to get to the village of LAMAY (2,800 msnm) on the Urubamba River where the bus will be waiting to take us to Ollantaytambo.

We will have dinner in a restaurant here before  taking the 7.pm train with your guide to Aguas Calientes. We will get set up in our hotel and be able to rest, hot showers are available.

Reaching Machu Picchu is the most important part of our trip. We will give you the option of how you want to arrive at this sacred site. You can either walk up the stairs for 1hr 20 minutes at 4.00am or you can take the first bus at 5.30 am, which takes 30 minutes.

We need to wake up early in order to arrive early to Machu Picchu to see the sunrise over this beautiful place (weather allowing) and once we enter you will have a guided tour around the area for 2 hours. Then you will be free with the options of climbing Huayna Picchu or the Sun Gate.

Both have breathtaking views but make sure there is plenty of time to explore Machu Picchu. Sungate or Inti Punku is the gate through which those hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu enter the citadel.

After you have taken in all of Machu Picchu, you will return to Aguas Calientes to enjoy lunch with your guide. Then board the afternoon train to Ollantaytambo where you will board a bus and return to Cusco at approximately 6.35pm. to Cusco.