The 4-5 day Choquequirao trek begins about 200 Kms north of Cusco near Abancay. Far from a little frolic in the Andean mountains, the trek traverses a broad and deep valley with no less that two back-breaking climbs of about 1500 meters each (one on the way to Choquequirao and one coming back). But the long and hard slog is worth it as the spectacular Inca ruins of Choquequirao are on par with Machu Picchu and even better still, they are almost entirely deserted of tourists (as just a tiny bit of effort usually rules out the worst tourists).
The trick with this trek is travel as lightly as possible, say about 5 Kgs (and the trek is easy to do without guides with smelly ponies). Fresh drinking water is available on the way, either in springs or to buy, and food is also available in the camping spots (but take snacks as well just in case the donkey with the food is late). And it can take up to 6 hours to climb the relentless, unforgiving, hot and dusty switchbacks up and back from Choquequirao so again bring nothing except a good pair of shoes and a travel buddy who is preferably more healthy than you.
My travel buddy was a bright and loquacious poet I met in Pisac in the Sacred Valley near Cusco (from a nervous corner of that other America). We talked about Tolstoy and Obama and Tasmanian convicts and 1491 and Incas with long legs while stepping in pony shit and getting eaten by flies (the flies are exceptionally rapacious on this trek so bring some napalm).
Choquequirao is in the saddle of a ridiculously high hill at the junction of two ridiculously deep river canyons (the ones you have to walk through). And just to embellish this intrepid theme some more, Choquequirao is surrounded by thick jungle that perhaps hides many more secrets of the Incas (and perhaps some Incas themselves ready to fight the Modern savages from Jeddah or Frankfurt).
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