Spectacular and distant, lonely and forgotten, Choquequirao ( 3,085 m.a.s.l.) is built at the top of a mountain almost untouched in the province of La Convención, department of Cusco. This fact explains why it became, along 40 years, the last resistance point of the Sun's children who were looking for shelter under its stone walls when Manco Inca, the rebel Inca, was defeated.
TRAVEL AGENCY - TOUR OPERATOR - MACHU PICCHU TOURS INFORMATION
Two miles above the Apurimac Gorge stands the imposing fort and town of Chokequirao. Hiram Bingham was brought here by a treasure-hunting provincial official, and so unexpectedly began his adventures in the highlands that led to the discovery of Machu Picchu. Bingham wrote: ''Magnificent precipices guard the ruins on every side… Every avenue of ascent, except such as the engineers determined to leave open, was closed, and every strategic spot was elaborately fortified.'' Come see the terrifying canyon of the Apurimac (''Thunder Under the Mountain'') and the ancient fortress that controlled it.
ITINERARY
Day 1 : Cusco - Cachora We go by bus to the town of Cachora, which is located in the department of Apurimac, on the south bank of the Apurimac River. We head east across the plains of Anta and cross the watershed from the high puna to high tropical valleys running into the Apurimac. We cross the river and travel among the fertile valleys of the province of Apurimac, where the river has been bridged directly below Chokequirao. On the way we will visit the complexes of Sawite and Tarawasi. The Rosalina beach at the bottom of the gorge is also an optional place to camp
Day 2 : Climb up to the ruins. Condors. We descend 7000 feet to the river, cross the suspension bridge over the raging Apurimac River, climb back up to a pass that is 6000 feet above the river, and then navigate to the ruins, 5800 feet above the river. This will take all day. In the evening we encounter a refreshing cataract of glacial water and know we are nearly at the end. At night we camp among the ruins. Bingham writes, “As we mounted, the view of the valley became more and more magnificent. Nowhere had I ever witnessed such beauty and grandeur as was here displayed. The white torrent of the Apurimac raged through the canyon thousands of feet below us. Where its sides were not sheer precipices or scarred by recent avalanches, the steep slopes were covered with green foliage and luxuriant flowers. From the hilltops near us other slopes rose six thousand feet above to glaciers and snow-capped summits…”
Day 3 Outlying buildings.
The guide will give an explanatory lecture about what we see. We will go on excursions to the outlying buildings. Bingham writes, “At the top of the southern and outer precipice, five thousand eight hundred feet immediately above the river, stands a parapet, and the walls of two buildings without windows. The view from here, both up and down the valley, surpasses the possibilities of language for adequate description…” The ruins have two main sectors, one above and NW of the other, reminiscent of Machu Picchu, and many outlying suburbs.
Day 4 Descend to the Apurimac river
Today we return to Cachora. We may see Condors or high jungle vegetation. Bingham says, “Far down the gigantic canyon one catches little glimpses of the Apurimac, a white stream shut in between guardian mountains, so narrowed by the distance that it seems like a mere brooklet. Here and there through the valley are marvellous cataracts, one of which has a clear fall of over one thousand feet. The panorama in every direction is wonderful in variety, contrast, beauty, and grandeur.
Day 5 : Cachora - Cusco
We will take the bus to Cusco. Once we re-cross the river, we pass Limatambo, whose ruins may have been the main communication point between Choquequirao and Cusco.
THE PROGRAM INCLUDES
Private service
Professional English/Spanish Speaking guide
Private Bus in and out to the beginning of the trail (Cusco-Cachora,)
