Choquequirao: a quieter 15th-century Inca site near Machu Picchu

Independent.co reports Choquequirao, a 15th-century Inca hilltop city roughly 31 miles from Machu Picchu as the crow flies, offers a far quieter alternative to the overcrowded Machu Picchu; it is three times the size of Machu Picchu but only partially excavated. The site receives about the same number of visitors in a year that Machu Picchu gets in a day, and the author encountered just one other group on their visit.

Tucked into the Vilcabamba mountains, Choquequirao is reached by a four-day trek (two days out, two back) that starts from Cusco. The first morning begins at 3am with a five-hour minibus to the trailhead at Capuliyoc, followed by an 8.6-mile section that includes about 1,500m of descent and 700m of ascent — a route described as "challenging" by tour operator G Adventures.

Guides, mules and campsite teams support walkers and G Adventures says it directly employs an all-Peruvian team and benefits the families who run the three remote campsites. Choquequirao’s era of tranquillity may be nearly over: controversial plans to construct a cable car to the site are in play, which would cut a two-day walk to about 20 minutes and bypass the campsites.

Key Topics

Culture, Choquequirao, Machu Picchu, Vilcabamba Mountains, Apurimac River, Cusco