Ancascocha Trek & Short Inca Trail 5 Days / 4 Nights

Day 1 ​Soqma to Chancachuco

• Start time: 5:30 AM

Travel

• Transfer to starting point of hike at Soqma (approximately 2 hours
• Approximate hiking time: 10 hours.
• Walking distance: 16 km / 9.9 miles

Our guides will pick you up from your hotel at 5:30 AM to take you on a private car ride to Soqma (3,205 m/10,512 ft), the starting point of our four-day trek. Upon meeting up with the rest of our staff, our horsemen and porters we will embark on our trekking adventure toward our destination for the day which is the Valley of Chancachuco.
An hour and a half from the starting point we will arrive at the Perolniyoc waterfalls’ lookout followed by a visit to an ancient Incan site. At every point of interest, our professional and knowledgeable guides will give you small bits of information about the background of these locations. From there we will continue the ascend along a gorgeous valley toward our lunch spot at Rayan. After Lunch, we will go on a challenging climb to reach the highest point of the day at the Kuychiccasa pass (4,450 m /14,599 ft). On this location, the impressive views of the Sacred Valley on one side and the Chancachuco Valley, on the other hand, will be the prelude of the majestic scenery of this trek for the days to come. We complete our day by going down the hill for about an hour toward our campsite at Chancachucho.

Difficulty level

Moderate to hard. A steady ascent to Kuychiccasa pass (4,450 m /14,599 ft).

Day 2 Chancachuco Valley – Ancascocha – Huaynay Pass – Quesqa Valley

• Approximate walking time: 11 hours
• Walking distance: 18 km/ 11,1 miles

The day starts with a delicious breakfast where we have coffee, tea, omelets, and oatmeal. The scenery during this day is just magical, but it is a challenging day nonetheless. The magnificent backdrop provided by views of the impressive Veronica Mountain (5,822 m/ 19,100 ft) will be the centerfold of our day.  We will overcome three mountain passes on this day, two of them will be of moderate difficulty level which will be covered before we have lunch at the Ancascocha turquoise lake, while the third one and last one will be strenuous. After lunch, the climb to the Huayanay Pass (4,650 m/15,255 ft) will take us approximately two hours of walk over an ancient Incan road. The views from this mountaintop are mindblowing; we will spot the classic Inca trail at a distance and visit the Incan sites of Incarakay. Then we will walk downhill for three hours through green and lush ravines toward our campsite at Quesqa valley (3,850 m/12,631 ft).

Day 3 Quesqa Valley – Km 82 – Ollantaytambo

• Approximate walking time: 7 hours
• Walking distance: 15 km/9,3 miles

Most of the trek today will be performed backward on what is the first day of the classic Inca Trail toward the 82 KM. The trail is mainly downhill from the beginning. Along the way, we will visit the impressive Incan sites of Paucarcancha and Llaqtapata before we finish our three-day hike at our lunch place at Piscacucho or 82 KM. From here, our van will take us on a one hour ride to Ollantaytambo where we our accommodation for the night will be a nice hotel room.

Other information:

We spend the night at Ollantaytambo.

Day 4 Chachabamba – Wiñay Wayna – Aguas Calientes

The day starts with a scenic train journey (approximately 2 hours) to the starting point of the Inca trail, which is the 104 Km or Chachabamba. From this place, we hike for approx. 3 hours to the Incan site Wiñay Wayna  (Forever Young) 2680m/8792ft. After lunch, we continue the walk until we reach the Sungate or Inti Punku 2730m/8957ft, from where you will have your first dramatic panoramic view of Machu Picchu  (2400m/7873ft). We continue  the walk toward Machu Picchu where we have an amazing view of the sunset. Finally, we take a shuttle bus down to Aguas Calientes.

Day 5 Machu Picchu

Highlights of the day

A walking tour (2 hours) of Machu Picchu by your guide.

On completion of the tour those that have selected to climb of Huayna Picchu 2720m/8923ft (It takes 45 minutes to reach the top) will commence their climb.

Other  Information

You will be given your train tickets by your guide at lunch time. The train usually leaves about 2:55 PM and arrives back in Cusco at 7:45 PM although this may be subject to change. You can opt to have an extra night in Aguas Calientes to explore Machu Picchu further and visit the thermal springs in Aguas Calientes.