CHOQUEQUIRAO 7D/6N Day 1. Cusco - Cachora - Chiquisca Departing from Cusco in the early morning, we take a spectacular drive across the farmlands of the Anta Plateau, surrounded by the snow-capped peaks of the Andes. The winding road plunges more than 1,800 m. / 6,000 ft. to a bridge over the Apurimac Gorge, then climbs through lush fields and orchards before making a final descent to the village of Cachora, at 3,400 m. / 11,100 ft., where we encounter stunning close-up views of the snow-capped Cordillera Vilcabamba. Here we meet our crew and horse pack train and begin our hike, catching our first glimpse of distant Choquequirao at the Capuliyoc lookout before dropping steeply through dry cactus and orchid country into the Apurimac River Canyon. We camp at the small oasis of Chiquisca, 2000 m. / 6,550 ft. Day 2. Chiquisca - Choquequirao We descend the last fifteen hundred feet of elevation to the Apurimac River – "Great Spirit Speaker" in the Quechua language of the Incas – and cross the mighty river on a suspension footbridge, at 1550 m. / 5,100 ft. A broad trail makes a zig-zagging ascent, which takes us out of the dry canyon zone past small sugarcane plantations to green upland meadows where, across a deep valley, we meet our first panoramic vista of the buildings and terraces of Choquequirao. The final leg of today’s hike passes through the cool shadows of a native cloud forest as we approach the wooded ridgetop (3000 m. / 10,000 ft.) where the Incas built their remote ceremonial center. We camp near theInca ruins. Day 3. Choquequirao –Pinchaunuyoc –Rio Blanco We have the entire day to explore this stunning Inca settlement. As mysterious as Machu Picchu, its name means “Cradle of Gold”. Early Spaniards knew of this place, yet its remoteness protected it. French explorers visited it in the 19th century, and in 1909 explorer Hiram Bingham was the first to scientifically investigate the site. Some speculate that the emperor Topa Inca had it built as a personal spiritual retreat, to rival his father Pachacuti’s magnificent estate at Machu Picchu. Whoever built this place, it was undoubtedly an elite settlement, built for ceremonial purposes and occupied by Inca nobility. The Apurimac river roars distantly 1,450m./4,800 ft. below, visible on either side of a steep ridge to which clings the Inca city. As we approach the heart of the city, a sweep of enormous curved terraces leads our eye to an artificial hill and ceremonial platform overlooking the main plaza. Manuel Bañón 461 – San Isidro, Lima - Perú Teléfono (51 1) 203-5000 Fax (51 1) 422-9225 1 Web http://www.inkanatura.com Here afternoon thermal currents bring Andean Condors soaring over the complex of temples, mausoleums, royal residences, ritual baths and water channels, great gathering halls, storehouses, hidden gardens and a giant stairway, all still standing as testimony to the careful planning of Inca engineers. Excavation work at the site is very recent, and archaeologists are continually uncovering hitherto unknown areas and structures. South and east, below the main plaza, lie several clusters of newly-discovered buildings, including the so-called Ridge Group, and the Waterfall Temple, an intriguing ceremonial complex facing the cascades of a steep ravine. Other investigations have revealed more than 130 terraces on the precipitous drop-off to the west, some of them faced with white stone friezes featuring zig-zag and checkerboard patterns, along with 22 llama figures. We climb a narrow trail through bamboo thickets and dense cloud forest, spotting exotic bird and plant species as we round the mountain spur above Choquequirao and cross a moderate pass, before descending broad, grassy slopes into the Yanama river basin. Spanning the skyline ahead of us to the north we see the massive blue-green ridge of Qoriwayrachina, once home to an Inca farming and mining complex which supplied Choquequirao. The looming heights of Cerro Victoria upon this ridge feature a sacred platform where the Incas once observed the winter solstice. With the Yanama river gorge visible far below, the sheer scale of the landscape here , is breathtaking. By lunchtime we reach the outlying site of Pincha Unuyoc -- “Water Gushing Forth” -- a fan of carefully-built stone farming terraces, topped by a small temple complex. Camping near the terraces, we enjoy the views and the relaxation offered by this short day’s hike. Day 4. Rio Blanco - Maizal We begin the steep switchback descent into the Rio Blanco ravine, threading our way through a dry micro-environment of gnarled, ghostly trees draped with lichens and epiphytes; this is a day for spotting unusual orchids, tillandsia flowers, and varieties of cactus. Leaving the torrid, boulder-strewn ravine behind, we ascend once more to cloud forest and fresher altitudes, as we reach our camp at the small farm of Maizal. We ascend through ever-changing layers of cloud forest, soon passing the first of many abandoned mine-shafts -- the remnant of a once-prosperous lode of silver first worked by 17th-century Spanish Jesuit missionaries and their native flock. As we climb beyond the tree line we find ourselves following the remains of an Inca road which crossed the ridge ahead of us, at Minas Victoria pass (4,400m./14,500ft.) At the pass we face startling views of the Cordillera Vilcabamba, with the 6,000m./19,800ft. peaks of the Pumasillo range dead ahead of us and Choquetacarpo pass off the north-west. This spot is right on the flight path for Andean condors soaring the north slope of Qoriwayrachina, and we usually see them here. After the pass the trail descends past dozens of shafts and piles of mine tailings rich with glittering minerals, following a broad path carved into a dramatic cliff face. Manuel Bañón 461 – San Isidro, Lima - Perú Teléfono (51 1) 203-5000 Fax (51 1) 422-9225 2 Web http://www.inkanatura.com The trail penetrates thickets of giant lupin and weaves through small farming plots as we approach Yanama, where friendly villagers may trade weavings or farm produce at our streamside campsite. Day 5. Maizal - Yanama Our route ascends a of valley broad pastures between the snow capped ranges of Pumasillo to the north, and Padreyoc to the south. The climb is gradual but continuous, until finally we leave grassy meadows behind and cross the stony, windswept slopes of Puerto Yanama (4,700m/15,500ft). At this pass, as we cross the watershed between the Apurimac and Urubamba river systems, we can gaze down into the Santa Teresa valley, and across to dramatic vistas of Salcantay (6,270m/20,565ft) and Humantay (5,917m/18,760ft), the last great peaks of the Vilcabamba range, beyond which lies Machu Picchu. We make a winding descent to our camp by a stream near the village of Totora. We take a dramatic trail that traverses the steep south bank of the Santa Teresa river. Bird and plant life teem along the banks of tumbling side streams as we enjoy this short and easy day. We camp in a meadow at the tiny village of Collpapampa, where we can take some rest time, or descend a footpath to soak in a delicious hot spring pool by the Santa Teresa river. Day 6. Yanama – Colpapampa – Aguas Calientes We cross to the north bank of the Santa Teresa and take an undulating path downriver through delightful cloud forest and then coffee plantations and tropical orchards of passion-fruit, papaya and avocado, with towering mountains to either side of us. We meet schoolchildren and the mule trains of local farmers as we approach the roadhead at the village of Playa. Here we camp by the schoolhouse and enjoy a dip in the river. After a short walk we leave the dirt road and start to climb a well preserved Inca highway to a ridgetop that divides the Santa Teresa from the next valley east, the Aobamba. The ridge is forested with tall trees, a rare example of pristine climax cloud forest, and here we encounter a broad Inca road running along the ridgeline. We take this for a short way, so that we can glimpse our first views of Machu Picchu, perched on a mountain saddle far to the east. Then we descend through the ruins of Patallacta, a site first discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1915, subsequently lost to science, and then rediscovered in the 1980s. This extensive site seems to be an outlier of the main Inca city, with ceremonial significance relating to the winter solstice sun, which rises over Machu Picchu, as seen from here. We explore these ruins as we descend towards our campsite, a grassy and secluded meadow with stupendous views toward Machu Picchu, the Urubamba river, and the snow-capped peaks of Salcantay and Wakay Willka. Manuel Bañón 461 – San Isidro, Lima - Perú Teléfono (51 1) 203-5000 Fax (51 1) 422-9225 3 Web http://www.inkanatura.com Day 7 . Aguas Calientes – Machupicchu - Cusco We leave early to catch the first bus to Machu Picchu, the mysterious Inca settlement scientifically discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Here we tour the highlights of the Inca site, and then take time to explore and discover the hidden corners of the Inca city for ourselves. Mistakenly identified by Hiram Bingham as the last Inca refuge of Vilcabamba, Machu Picchu is now known to have been a private royal estate of Pachacuti, the emperor who launched the Inca imperial expansion in the mid-15th century. It is still not known exactly why Pachacuti chose to build such a large and complex settlement in this place, remote from the major centers of the Inca world.