Enjoy this amazing and picturesque hike from Huchuy Qosqo Trek to Machu Picchu. Is your idea of the perfect vacation a tour to Machu Picchu but away from the crowds? If the answer is yes, look no further. You will spend 3 days touring breathtaking landscapes while observing beautiful villages and encountering llamas and alpacas as you witness towering mountain peaks and an amazing variety of local flora and fauna.
In addition, you will meet new friends in the local communities, immerse yourself in their world and learn all about their customs and traditions as you walk in the footsteps of their ancestors on parts of the mythical Inca Trail. This is the perfect trip for those who are short on time and want to live a true rural Andean experience.
Join us today for the adventure of a lifetime!
Whether you are traveling with friends, family or as a couple, you can join our 3-day adventure to Machu Picchu with expert guides passing through the most incredible Andean landscapes. The Huchuy Qosqo tour is like taking a journey into the past, so it’s hard to believe that such an adventure is so close to Cusco. Make the most of your time in the land of the Incas by taking this unique and out of the ordinary hike.
From the moment the trip begins, this tour takes you away from the typical tourist route. You will walk along ancient trails and visit and stay overnight in a local community where you will immerse yourself in the local culture and be amazed by the vast landscapes.
On the second day, you will visit the little-known archaeological complex of Huchuy Qosqo, a pre-Inca site that was conquered by the Incas as part of their empire in the early stages of their expansion. This site offers an interesting mix of pre-Inca and Inca architecture and is located on the side of a beautiful hill in an incredible location overlooking the Sacred Valley.
After exploring this fascinating complex, you will begin your journey to Ollantaytambo, where you will board the train to Aguas Calientes. From here, we will visit the most famous Inca site of all: Machu Picchu; this amazing Inca citadel is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO; you should not miss the opportunity to see it during your stay in Peru. What are you waiting for?
Join us in this epic experience traveling through ancestral lands until you reach the most incredible fortress.
HIGHLIGHT
ITINERARY SUMMARY
DAY 01: TAMBOMACHAY – QORICOCHA LAGOON – PUCAMARCA – QENQO COMMUNITY
Start your hike from Tambomachay and have lunch at the Qoricocha lagoon. In the afternoon, hike another four hours to reach the campsite on the terraces of the Qenqo community.
DAY 02: QENQO COMMUNITY – LAMAY – OLLANTAYTAMBO – AGUAS CALIENTES
In the morning, explore the Huchuy Qosqo complex before lunch in Lamay. Later, board the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes for an overnight stay in a hotel.
DAY 03: AGUAS CALIENTES – MACHU PICCHU – OLLANTAYTAMBO – CUSCO
After spending the morning exploring Machu Picchu, we will descend to Aguas Calientes for lunch. From there, board the train to Ollantaytambo, where our private transportation will be waiting to take you to your accommodation in Cusco.
Highlight of the day: Walk through the impressive Andean landscape.
To start your Huchuy Qosqo trek, we pick you up at your hotel at 6 a.m. and take you to the Inca site called Puca Pucara (3,700 meters). It is only 20 minutes from the city of Cusco. We will start walking slowly uphill for an hour and a half until we reach the first pass (4,100 meters), where we will have spectacular views of two valleys.
To your right, you will see the capital of the Incas, Cusco, with impressive mountains surrounding it. Your tour guide will give you information about how and where the Incas arrived in this area and about the conquest of the Spanish. There are two Inca sites at the bottom of the valley and to your left, there will be a beautiful landscape of mountains and farmland.
From the pass, we will continue along the side of the valley, making our way to the top, to cross to the other end. It is about a 45 minute walk to the upper end of the valley. Once we get there, we will cross a small stream that divides the valley and arrive at our lunch spot, at Queullacocha Lake. The landscape at the lake is quite arid because the whole area is a high puna between the mountains and is covered with hard Andean grass, called Ichu. It is possible to see a great variety of birds, such as Andean geese, lapwings, partridges, among others.
After our lunch, we will continue to our campsite in the village of Qenqo. We will continue our trek over the top of one of the ridges as we descend and circle around Lake Qoricocha (Golden Lake). It is a two and a half hour hike to the village, where we will be greeted by groups of locals who are always proud to welcome us into their community.
After settling in and having a hot drink of mate de coca, we will visit one of the local families to learn about their lifestyle. If you have brought any gifts with you, you can share them with the family at this time.
After visiting the family, we will have time to relax and your tour guide will teach you more about the Andean lifestyle.
Highlight of the day: Tour the unique Huchuy Qosqo complex and learn all its secrets.
Explore the fascinating site of Huchuy Qosqo
This day our staff will wake you up with a cup of hot coca tea so you can welcome a nice day and take the opportunity to pack your personal belongings and then enjoy a delicious breakfast. We begin our hike from Quencco to the Inca site of Huchuy Qosqo. After approximately two hours of hiking, we will reach a stretch of the original Inca Trail, just below the village of Pumamarca.
Along the way, we will see many local people grazing their llamas. Once we reach the Inca Trail, the landscape changes from high mountains to a secluded valley. This valley is a beautiful microclimate, full of lush vegetation. Many small birds can be seen, including a variety of hummingbirds feeding on the flowers. As we drive through the valley, we will be able to see snow-capped mountains and the famous Urubamba mountain range. There will be plenty of time to take in many of the picturesque views.
We will head towards the main site, pass through an Inca gate and finally arrive at the magnificent Inca site of Huchuy Qosqo (Little Cusco – 3,600 meters), which towers over the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Here you will see Inca buildings, such as sacred temples, storehouses, Inca terraces for agriculture and an Inca reservoir used to store water in the dry season.
Your guide will take you on a spectacular tour and sites where he will teach you about the Inca antecedents. Before lunch you will have time to explore the site on your own. From here, we will begin our hike downhill into the Sacred Valley, which takes approximately two hours less to reach the village of Lamay (2,800 meters) on the Urubamba River, where our private transportation from Tunqui Expeditions will be waiting to take you to Ollantaytambo.
We will have dinner at a restaurant before taking the 7 pm train and then we will board the train to Aguas Calientes, once there you can rest at the hotel.
Hot showers will be available.
Highlight of the day: Explore every inch of the amazing feat of humanity, Machu Picchu.
Tour the incredible Inca citadel of Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is the most important part of our trip. We suggest waking up to have breakfast and then board one of the first buses to Machu Picchu.
All these buses start their service from 5:30 am. Once we arrive at the citadel of Machupicchu your guide will lead you to a strategic point from where you can observe the Inca architecture of Machu Picchu, and will go to a well located place from where we observe the sunrise (depending on the weather).
You will be able to take your postcard photo of Machu Picchu, then you will start the guided tour through the main sectors of the citadel, for a time of 2.5 hours. During this guided tour, you will learn a little more about the history and culture of the Inca Empire.
At the end of the tour, you will have some more free time so that you can continue with the photo shoots and explore what is left to visit on your own or, if you have arranged to hike Huayna Picchu* (must be booked in advance, as they are sold out and cost $75 per person), your guide will show you where to begin this hike, which will take no more than 2 hours round trip.
After having enjoyed Machupicchu, you will return to Aguas Calientes on your own in the park’s buses and enjoy lunch in the village, and then board your train to Ollantaytambo. Once you arrive in Ollantaytambo, we will board our private transportation from Tunqui Expeditions and you will be in Cusco at approximately 8 p.m. where our service will end at your hotel.
