9 day trek from Cochora to Machu Picchu (via Choquequirao) — the adventure of a lifetime
The initial thought of trekking to Machu Picchu went on the bucket list 10 years ago. My girlfriend, at the time, and I started dreaming about doing the Inca Trail and had always wanted to get that classic photo with Machu Picchu in the background. It never quite materliased as life got in the way and Kim and I went our separate ways.
Fast forward to 7 months ago, I received a phone call from Kim. She told me she was traveling South America for the year and I should join her in Peru and tick Machu Picchu off our list. I thought about it for quite some time and figured, why not. Never mind the fact that we haven't seen each other or spoken in 2.5 years we were planning on spending 9 days together in a tent. Without showering!
The research began. We started to look at various paid and guided tour options leading to Machu Picchu. All which cost anything from 300GBP for a 4 day trek of the Salkantay peak to 750GBP for the classic Inca Trail. The Inca Trail is something you have to book a very long time in advance as they only allow a certain amount of people on the route each day.
All the listed treks include big groups, sherpas and mules that carry your bags and gear. We didn’t like the thought of being tied down to other people’s fitness levels and schedules and started to research if we could do it on our own.
Kim asked various tour groups in Peru if this was possible and all of them looked at her like she was crazy. None of them suggested we do it on our own. We managed to find a single blog. Someone had done a 9 day trek to Machu Picchu. Completely self guided, carrying all your own gear. I thought it was a bit crazy too. Getting lost in the Peruvian Andes following a blog. Who knows what we’re getting ourselves into. But we went for it!
We flew from Lima to Cusco. Lima is on the coast and Cusco is 3400m up in the Andes Mountains. The flight in is quite spectacular. Snow capped mountains for daaaays! We landed mid-day and had an afternoon to organise everything as we had planned to do a day trip to Rainbow mountain early the next morning. The frantic preparation began. Cusco is quite a big city nestled high up in the mountains. Cobbled streets line the main square and local woman walk around with llamas on leads!
First and most importantly — food. And of course, where else but the local market of San Pedro. You can buy everything from fresh fruit and veg, amazing avo’s, mesculine or a whole cow, which might have been a bit too heavy for us to carry!
We stocked up on the essentials and then headed to the supermarket to buy the rest. Its difficult to plan what you need to eat for 9 days when you have no refrigeration. The selection was dried fruit and ramen noodles. And of course a bottle of whiskey!
In the evening we had to find the bus station. Some sketchy instructions from a local and our limited Spanish, we made it there. Hoping we had bought the right bus ticket.
Next stop, equipment rental. We had to carry everything in our backpacks. We hired a 2 man tent (for tiny people) sleeping mat (essential!), pots and cutlery, and gas cooker. You can rent other gear if you need to but we brought some of our own.
Now we had to pack everything we had just bought into our backpacks. We thought we had been savvy and packed light but Kim ended up carrying about 20kg and I had about 28kg.We probably could have done without the 9 avocados but felt they were essential!
We were packed and ready to for the adventure to begin!
Day 1: Cusco — Cochora — River Camp
The first morning started very early heading to the bus stop where we noticed 3 other travelers frantically looking at a map upside down and standing in the same bus stop as us. They became our family for the next 9 days. Patrick from Germany, Javi, from Chile and Mike, from Texas.
They had decided to do the same unguided trek with the same limited knowledge that we had. At least we were all in the same boat, not knowing what to expect! The bus trip is about 4 hours and took us to small town called Cachora. Once in Cochora you can bargain with taxi drivers to take you to the start of the trek. Be sure to confirm a price (about s/.7 per person) before getting in the taxi because they might rip you off!
The trek began. Throughout the hike there are check in points for safety reasons. You fill in your name, passport details and which way you heading (towards Machu Picchu) so they can keep track of you if anything happens.
If you Spanish is limited, try saying “Si, Si, gracious!”, it can get you a long way :)
First day was all down hill. Getting to know the crew we just had met. We made it to our campsite in the dark on the first night. Thankful to have a place to sleep we cooked our first gourmet dinner. Kim was hopefully impressed with the limited resources but delicious meal. I think this was the reason why she invited me on the trip, to cook and carry all the food :)
Day 2: River Camp to Choquequirao
After a successful first day we woke up in a pool of water. This is how it would be for the next couple days. Wet tent, clothes, everything. Adding a few kilos to our backpacks!
The second day was quite hard as it was all up hill. With a gradient of about 2/1 at the steepest sections. We were en route to Choquequirao. After coming across a few rouge mules we were luck enough to find a locals house and stop for a well deserved beer overlooking the Choquequirao ruins. Although a bit misty, very impressive!
Day 3: Exploring Choquequirao
Initially we didn’t think we had time but after a bit of persuasion and a few whiskeys we decided to spend the next day exploring the ruins rather than carrying on to the next point!
Choquequirao is the second biggest ruin discovery after Macchu Pichu. And very off the beaten track. The only way to get there is to trek. 2 days in and 2 days out. The beauty of it though is that not too many people are there. We explored the ruins pretty much on our own. Coming across our first Inca Ruins was quite something. The shear size and scale of it is not what you expect. Carved into the mountainside on almost vertical slopes.
You need a full day to really explore and appreciate the Choquequirao ruins. With so much to see dont expect an easy day off the legs.
Day 4: Choquequirao — Meizal
After Choquequirao we knew we had a big day to get to the next camp. It involved ascending another 800m to 3600m, descending 1500m, and then ascending another 1800m up to the next camp. We stopped to have lunch at a beautiful river where we were unknowingly annihilated by sand flies! But the skinny dipping in the glacial water was well worth it :)
The hike to Meizal campsite was gruelling and felt like the uphill never ended. It took us about 4 hours to get to the top, fighting altitude, steep elevation and midday heat! The entire way up I couldn’t stop thinking about a cold beer and rest. We came across a sign which said 15 minutes left to the campsite. The 15 minutes was in Peruvian time which is equivalent of an extra hour. At that point all that mattered was getting there!
This campsite was my favourite with boundless views and snow capped mountains that went on forever! At 3 am we were woken up by the local farmers pig who had got into the campsite and was snorting around our tents trying to find leftovers from dinner.
This was the first night that we had a comfortable sleep with everything having some time to dry in the sun. We now felt like experienced campers!
Day 5: Meizal — Yanama
Little did we know that day 5 would bring some of the most amazing views. After another gruelling long ascend of about 1000m we stumbled over the ridge and were blown away by the shear size of the mountain range ahead of us. At this point we were at 4200m and surrounded by snow capped mountains! We had lunch enjoying the views and just relaxing for a bit before heading down into Yanama. This was the start of being back in somewhat of civilisation. It was great to be able to resupply from the locals and buy some fresh produce to add to our dinner that night. We also enjoyed a few beers sitting around the campfire.
Day 6: Yanama — Colpampa
At this point we were feeling pretty tired as we had covered about 70km with heavy ups and downs. The girls were kind enough to offer to take all the heavy gear and hitch a ride in a potato truck! We walked through the snow capped mountains and reached the highest point on the trek which was 4660m. From that point it was mostly downhill to Machu Picchu.
We arrived in Colpapampa. This is where you join with the other trekking groups. We now had to rumble around with 100’s of tourists on the guided treks carrying only a day pack followed by their heavy loaded mules! We were fully back in civilisation with lots of towns of shops along the way. The walking was easier as it follows paths next to roads and the packs were lighter as it had been dry for the last few days. Eating most of our food at that stage probably also helped out.
Day 7: Colpampa to Machu Picchu View Camp
Leaving Colpampa you mainly hike along gravel roads and through small towns. We were heading to a campsite that we heard overlooks Machu Picchu in the distance. On the way you walk through some beautiful coffee farms. A welcome resting point and time to enjoy freshly roasted Peruvian coffee.
We finally arrived at the Machu Picchu View Camp. Stunning views across the valley to see Machu Picchu for the first time. The campsite we stayed in that night also offered a buffet meal that we could not resist. Freshly cooked chicken or fish, veggies, pasta, popcorn, beers! All for s/.20. A welcome cooked meal after a diet of mainly ramen noodles and instant soup for flavouring. We tucked in!
Day 8: MP view camp — Agues Calientas
The final day of trekking took us along the railway track from Hydro electrica to Aguas Calientas. A small tourist packed town based at the bottom of Machu Picchu. It was a much longer walk than expected. At this stage we were all pretty tired and wanted to get there. We treated ourselves to another restaurant meal and a hotel bed! Which was pretty great after 8 nights in a tent.
The final day: Machu Picchu
We had made it to Machu Picchu! We started at 5am and decided to hike the last bit. You have an option of paying $25 to take the bus or an walk up for an hour. Even though we were tired the bus seemed like a week alternative and we cracked on! Getting to Machu Picchu was quite a feeling. Even in amongst all the crowds, and when I say crowds literally thousands of people queing to get a glimpse of the sunrise over Machu Picchu!
It was mixed emotions of achievement, exhaustion and a sadness that it was all over. We formed a family of foreigners, shared so many funny moments, trekked 105kms in 9 days completely self guided carrying everything on our backs. We felt like true Incas. And I can only imagine what it must have been like for them!
This is the reason I love travel so much. You meet incredible people and form amazing relationships in a short amount of time. It gives you the opportunity to experience so much more. You create memories that last a lifetime. And in my case, rekindle an old and very happy relationship.
The details of the trip:
Cost of the trek:
- Food — s/.200 (£45) for two
- Gear rental — available in Cusco from a number of shops just off the main square — s/.180 for 9 days (£40) for two
- Machu Picchu tickets — book in advance — $80 per person (£60)
- Campsites — s/.5 per tent if they do charge, but mostly free
- Transport
- Bus from Cusco to Cochora — s/.25 per person
- Taxi to start of trek — s/. 5–7 per person
- Train from Agues Calientas back to Cusco — $75 (£57) per person
To pack:
- Headlamp/torch
- 1 hiking shirt and 1 chill shirt
- Trekking trousers
- Lighter — for your gas
- Swim Shorts/bikini
- Sandals
- Whatever the heart desires :)
- Multi-tool
Route Advice:
- Easy to follow, well walked routes by locals and tourists alike
- Download maps.me (downloads offline maps of the trekking routes in the region)
- Distance covered: 105km
- Day 1–6 is very up and down
- Day 7–9 is relatively flat with some ascending
Other advice
- Take some fresh food for the first night and treat yourself. Ramen noodles are good, but eating them for 6 days…
- When you run out of food you can buy the basics from the small towns after day 5.
- Waterproof everything. Black bags work well for this. If it rains everything will get wet.
- Take insect repellent. Lots of it!
- Don’t expect any hot showers along the way, only cold swims and the occasional ‘trickle’ shower.
- Take coca leaves for the altitude, energy and tea.
- Take cash for the route.
- Take water purification pills.
- Get out of the way of mules when they are coming down the routes. They stick to their line.
- Proper hiking shoes. I did the trek in Nike running shoes, which were okay but not ideal.
- Don’t pack too much. You won’t end up using it.
- Have fun! It’s a truly incredible experience
- Start saving for your trip now with Moneycado, a savings account for travel. Take our fun travel quiz here and find out your travel style :)
You can watch a video from our trek below.
