Itinerary
Day 1
We will depart from Cusco at night to Chihuanguire, which is about 10 hours driving. When we arrive in Chihuanguire, where we have the opportunity to sleep approximately 3 hours.
Day 2
Early breakfast before we start the trek. Today we walk 5 hours from Chihuanguire to the archaeological site Espiritu Pampa. This site forms the last known residence of the last Inca ( Manco Inca) of Tawantinsuyo.
Day 3
After breakfast, we have some time to explore the ruins of Espiritu Pampa. Afterwards, we hike from Espiritu Pampa to Concevidayoc in about 3 hours, enjoying the tropical landscapes and the huge diversity of flora and fauna. In Concevidayoc we set up our campsite and spend the night (1100 meters above sea level).
Day 4
After an early breakfast, we leave Concevidayoc and head to Vista Alegre (8 hours of walking). Here we will see parts of the Inca trail system that still hasn't been restored, but has been maintained the way it was discovered.
Day 5
After breakfast, we continue our hike from Vista Alegre to Ututo in roughly 7 hours. During this part of our trek, we will see mountains with a lot of vegetation that is similar to the vegetation of the high primeval forest. In Ututo we set up camp.
Day 6
After breakfast, we hike from Ututo to Vilcabamba (Huancalle), which will take us approximately 8 hours. In Huancacalle we will stay for the night.
Day 7
On this day, we are going to visit the archaeological centers of Ñusta Hispana. The Incas dedicated this place to the fertility of the land and of the woman. Vitcos was a military center of Ñusta Hispana where the Inca used to control the payments for the cities Espiritu Pampa and Vilcabamba. Rosaspata is the agricultural area of Ñusta Hispana that supported the alimentation of all surrounding sites. Afterwards our trail continues to the next camping site: Ccollpa.
Day 8
Today we will walk in a roughly 8 hours hike from Ccollpa to Kelccamchachay. During this part of the trek we will cross a mountain pass of 4678 meters above sea level. Furthermore, we will hike a part of the Inca trail system that connects Machu Picchu with Ñusta Hispana.
Day 9
We leave Kelccamachay and continue our trip to Yanama (ca. 9 hours of hiking). On this day, we will see impressive quarries for silver and lead of historic importance.
Day 10
From Yanama we hike to Maizal, which will take us around 9 hours. Again, we cross a mountain pass with a height of 4300 meters above sea level. We will also visit the Victoria mines where the minerals silver and lead were unsurfaced.
Day 11
Our trek continues from Maizal towards Pinchi Unuyoc (Ccoripinchioc) and to Choquekirao (approximately 9 hours hiking). We will visit the archaeological sites of Corralpata. Later on, we cross the Victoria River and the White River. Afterwards, we climb up till we reach the archaeological site Pinchi Unuyoc. Ascending further, we will arrive at another archaeological site named Choquekirao, where we will stay for a whole day exploring the ruins and to take some rest.
Day 12
Today, we continue our hike from Choquekirao to Abuela and walk for about 9 hours. We will enjoy a very impressing panoramic view over the Apurimac Canyon and camp in Abuela.
Day 13
On this day, it will take us 5 hours to hike from Abuela to Ccollpapampa. On our way, we will cross a mountain pass of 4320 meters above sea level, which is called Acco Puerto. Finally, we will arrive at the thermal baths in Ccollpapampa.
Day 14
From Ccollpapampa we hike to Llactapata, which will take us approximately 8 hours of hiking where we see some waterfalls and a couple of rivers. We go up to Llactapata to visit the archaeological centre. From here we will enjoy some first views of Machu Picchu.
Day 15
After breakfast, we leave Llactapata and go to Puente Ruinas, which is a walk of approximately 4 hours. From this site, we are going to a hostel in Aguas Calientes to take some rest and to prepare us at our visit of Machu Picchu on the next day.
Day 16
Early in the morning we will visit the old Inca city Machu Picchu. In the afternoon, around 3:oo pm we return to Cusco by train and bus.
This trek visits multiple archaeological sites of importance in 16 days. Passing through the impressive Andean highlands, as well as fascinating jungle vegetation, the path leads us over historical sites like Espiritu Pampa, Vilcabamba and Choquekirao all the way to the ruins of the lost city of Machu Picchu. We see spectacular mountain peaks, visit fascinating cultural ruins and enjoy panoramic views over the Andean valleys. This is a challenging tour due to the terrain, altitude and length of the trek.
