Compare Inca Trail Choquechaca to Machu Picchu Trek by SA Expeditions
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Trip |
5 | Excellent
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Duration | 8 days |
Price From | $ 3,190 |
Price Per Day | $ 399 |
Highlights |
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Trip Style | Private guided tour |
Lodging Level | Luxury |
Physical Level |
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Travel Themes |
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Countries Visited | |
Cities and Attractions |
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Flights & Transport | Ground transport included |
Activities |
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Meals Included | N/A |
Description |
The 8-Day Inca Trail Choquechaca to Machu Picchu Trek is a unique and authentic experience developed by SA Expeditions in conjunction with the people of the Choquechaca Valley who have become lifelong friends with our founder. You’ll trek through remote and pristine landscapes accompanied by the men who have lived there for millennia, camp in spectacular locations and visit your guides’ ancestral village and meet their families. What’s more, you’ll enjoy a guided tour of Machu Picchu and spend a few days exploring Cuzco and imbibing its intoxicating blend of Spanish and pre-Colombian history. |
Day 1: Arrival in Lima, Peru
Accommodations: Hotel B / Luxury
Welcome to Peru! After gathering your luggage, simply exit the airport and walk across the street to your Lima hotel, Costa del Sol Ramada.
Day 2: Lima to Cuzco
Accommodations: La Casona / Luxury
In the morning you will just need to walk back across the street to check in for your flight to Cuzco, the capital city of the former Inca Empire. Upon arrival in Cuzco, you'll be met at the airport by your guide and driver and escorted to your Cuzco hotel. Since you're going from sea level to 11,500 feet, you will want to spend today slowly adjusting to your new beautiful but literally breath-taking surroundings. Cuzco is one of the most charming towns in all of South America, and extremely pedestrian and visitor friendly.
Day 3: Private Cuzco City Tour
Accommodations: La Casona / Luxury
During your tour of Cuzco, you'll visit Sacsayhuaman, an immense Incan complex with impressive stonework; Koricancha, one of the most important Incan temples (the walls were once actually coated in gold!); and Cuzco's Cathedral where you'll learn about the Cuzco School of Art.
Day 4: Cuzco to Azul Cocha
Heading out early from your Cuzco hotel, you will be driven to the village of Patacancha, where you will begin your trek. You will quickly become immersed into the Andean world passing through a stunning valley with ancient Andean cultures dispersed among the plateaus. You will eventually arrive to Azul Cocha (Blue lake) your camp for the evening where you will have a delicious lunch and dinner and spend the afternoon enjoying the lake and scenery.
Day 5: Azul Cocha to Choquechaca
Today is the most challenging portion of the trail. You will climb to the Halancoma Pass (more than 14,000 feet above sea level) before descending into the Choquechaca valley following the Yuroq Mayu (White River) and eventually arriving to a high valley plateau which is both your camp for the evening and the home of your Andean support team. Following a delicious lunch, you will meet the families of your Andean hosts, experiencing ancient textile practices of the region with the wives and daughters of your local guides and horsemen.
Day 6: Choquechaca to Machu Picchu
Accommodations: Pueblo Hotel / Luxury
After breakfast, you will spend the morning descending to the Inca citadel of Pumamarka. These rarely visited ruins are perched high over the village of Pallacta with stunning views. After lunch below the ruins, you will go by vehicle to the town of Ollantaytambo and board your train to Aguas Calientes (6,230 ft), located at the base of Machu Picchu, where your hotel awaits you.
Day 7: Machu Picchu to Cuzco
Accommodations: La Casona / Luxury
Uncover the secrets of Machu Picchu during an early morning tour of this Incan citadel. You'll visit the most important parts of the ruins to learn how and why they were constructed. After the tour, you'll have time to further explore the ruins or sit back and enjoy the magic of Machu Picchu. Departing from Machu Picchu town, enjoy a train ride to Cuzco. Upon arrival at the train station you will be met and transferred to your Cuzco hotel.
Day 8: Cuzco to Lima
You will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the Cuzco airport for your flight to Lima. Optional upgrade before international flight home: Private Lima City Tour which includes a visit to the historical center, the Larco Archeology Museum and Casa Aliaga, the longest continually owned colonial home in the Americas.