- Soqma
- Rayán
- Inti Punku
- Choquetacarpo
- Ollantaytambo
- Aguas Calientes
- Machu Picchu
Inca Quarry Route to Machu Picchu 4 Days
The Inca Quarry Trail to Machu Picchu (also known as the Cachicata, Soqma, and Chaski Trek) is an excursion that's stayed out of the crowded traditional tourist circuits. It's an excellent tour for those looking to delve into the Incas' history and learn first-hand how life in the Andes works. The Inca Quarry Route was recently included in the top six Alternative Routes to Machu Picchu by National Geographic.
-
Overview
-
Itinerary
-
Inclusions
-
Before You Go
-
Pricing
-
Enquire Now
The Inca Quarry trek is one of the newest and least crowded trekking routes to Machu Picchu. This wonderful trek will take you past high waterfalls, Inca ruins, and beautiful scenery.
Amidst the exuberant local flora and fauna, you’ll visit the archaeological site of Perolniyoc and pass through various communities near the Cachiqata quarry. The Incas took the stones from this quarry to build Ollantaytambo. You’ll be able to appreciate some rocks that were cut by the Incas in that place!
After three days of walking, you’ll go to Aguas Calientes by train. On the fourth day, you’ll visit the magnificent city of Machu Picchu. Our standard package includes the premium service of the Vistadome Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and accommodation in a pleasant and comfortable hotel there. It also includes dinner in the best restaurant in Aguas Calientes and the entrance to climb the Huayna Picchu Mountain.
Briefing before the excursion
You’ll have an informative meeting with your guide 1 or 2 days before the start of your walk. This meeting will take place at our offices in Cusco. Take this opportunity to ask any questions you have and get ready, the adventure is about to begin!
Itinerary at a Glance
-
Day 0
Pre-Departure Briefing
Cusco
-
Day 1
Cusco | Soqma - Rayán
-
Day 2
Rayán | Inti Punku - Choquetacarpo
-
Day 3
Choquetacarpo | Ollantaytambo - Aguas Calientes
-
Day 4
Aguas Calientes | Machu Picchu - Cusco
We’ll pick you up from your hotel very early in the morning and travel for 2 hours to Soqma (3,205 masl / 10,512 fasl), the starting point of our trek. Our vans are incredibly comfortable; we’ll also provide blankets if you want to enjoy a few more minutes sleep.
After meeting the porters and horse riders, our trek will begin 2 hours to the Perolniyoc waterfall. You’ll have the opportunity to get to the base of the waterfall to cool off. You can also stay on the road and take amazing pictures.
After half an hour, we’ll arrive at the Inca archaeological site of Perolniyoc, built on a cliff with spectacular views of the surrounding valley. All our guides are experts in Inca history, so quality information is guaranteed. There we’ll also have lunch and, for the first time, you’ll taste the exquisite food prepared by our team.
We’ll ascend for about 1 hour to our camp in Rayán (3,700 masl / 12,139 fasl) after lunch.
The clear nights of the Andes are lovely. As we prepare for a full 3-course dinner, you’ll see the sky full of constellations and shooting stars. Then, a pleasant night of rest awaits you in your comfortable tent.
- Meals: Lunch and dinner.
- Accommodation: Camps
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Walking Distance: 4.9 miles
- Minimum Elevation: 3205 m / 10512 ft
- Highest Elevation: 3700 m / 12139 ft
After breakfast, we'll ascend for 3 hours to the first mountain pass of the excursion: Puccaqasa (4,370 masl / 14,333 fasl). From there, you can appreciate incredible views of the Sacred Valley. A perfect place to take pictures!
Later we'll descend for 25 minutes to the lunch spot. Once you have recharged your energy with the delicious food prepared by our chef, we'll continue hiking a 2-hour going up and down. This section's last 20 minutes will take us to the highest point of our excursion, the Kuychicassa Pass (4,457 masl / 14,619 fasl).
From here, we'll descend for 2.5 hours to the archaeological site of Inti Punku or Puerta del Sol from where we'll appreciate a spectacular view of Verónica Mountain (5,682 masl / 18,637 fasl) and the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will only have 30 minutes of descent to go to our camp, which upon arrival will already be set up in the Choquetacarpo sector (3,600 masl / 11,808 fasl).
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Accommodation: Camps
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Walking Distance: 8 miles
- Minimum Elevation: 3600 m / 11808 ft
- Highest Elevation: 4457 m / 14619 ft
Like every morning, we’ll enjoy breakfast and begin with a 1-hour descent to the Cachiqata quarries (3,525 masl / 11,562 fasl), where the stones were taken to build the wonderful fortress of Ollantaytambo. Here we’ll have a guided tour and observe the cut stone blocks whose transportation was interrupted by the Spanish arrival.
We’ll descend from the quarry for 3 hours until we reach Ollantaytambo (2,840 masl / 9,315 fasl), where we’ll have lunch. You’ll board the train on the Vistadome service to Aguas Calientes (2,040 masl / 6,692 fasl) in the afternoon. This train trip will give you many opportunities to take some great photos.
Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes, you’ll check-in at your hotel where you can rest until dinner. If you still have energy left, you can visit the hot springs, which are a great place to relax. Later, we’ll enjoy dinner in an excellent restaurant. Remember to go to bed early because our trip to Machu Picchu will start before sunrise.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Accommodation: Hostel
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Walking Distance: 7 miles
- Minimum Elevation: 2840 m / 9315 ft
- Highest Elevation: 3525 m / 11562 ft
You’ll enjoy breakfast at your hotel, and then we’ll embark very early (5:30 a.m.) on a bus to the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu to see the sunrise. You’ll discover the secrets of this mysterious place on a 2-hour guided tour.
If you chose to climb the Huayna Picchu Mountain (not included in the package), you must do so at 10:00 a.m. Otherwise, you’ll have free time in Machu Picchu (you can walk to Puerta del Sol or the Inca Bridge) before returning to Aguas Calientes by bus.
In Aguas Calientes, you’ll board the Expedition train heading to Ollantaytambo and later travel to Cusco in a private van. We’ll drop you off at the hotel door. The time of your arrival will depend on the time of your train ticket.
- Meals: Breakfast.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Minimum Elevation: 2040 m / 6691 ft
- Highest Elevation: 2440 m / 8052 ft
What Is Included?
-
High Quality Service & Safety
-
Pre-departure briefing
You will meet your guide and group in our office for an orientation before your trek. At this time, we will provide you with the duffle bags which will be carried by our porters. The meeting will be at 6:00 PM the evening before the trip begins.
-
Experienced Guide
All our guides are graduates of the professional career of Tourism of the National University San Antonio Abad of Cusco. Also, they speak English. As good cusqueños, they feel a great commitment to transmit the knowledge they have inherited from their grandparents. They are very friendly and professional. They’ll make sure you are safe and happy.
-
Medical Kit
All Cusco Expeditions guides have received specialized training in first aid. We hold mandatory training sessions with our guides every February. Your guide will always carry a first aid kit to face basic emergency situations (altitude sickness, traveller’s diarrhoea, cuts, scrapes, etc.) as well as oxygen. If necessary, we’ll evacuate you from the path as quickly as possible and ensure that you arrive at a clinic for treatment.
-
Customer Service 24/7
We have telephone service available 24 hours/day for ease of communication and preparation with the agency leading up to your trek.
-
Satellite phones:
Our main priority will always be the tranquillity of our clients. While all of our guides are prepared for emergencies in the mountains, being a phone call away from any doctor, hospital, or friend helps you feel more secure. Each Cusco Expeditions guides has a satellite phone that can be used anywhere on the mountain to call anywhere in the world. You can also use it even if it’s not an emergency.
What Is Not Included?
-
Travel Insurance
-
Tips for our staff
Tips are usual on any excursion to Machu Picchu. Although we pay good salaries to our entire team, something extra is always welcome, especially considering the hard work they do. Typically, group participants collect their tips to hand out to the porters and chefs together.
-
Additional costs or delays out of control of the management
Landscape, bad weather condition, itinerary modification due to a safety concern, illness, change of government policy, political instability/strike, etc.
-
Personal clothing and gear
We want to make your trip to Peru as memorable and as easy as possible. In this section, you will find speedy answers to all those questions you had in one place. Please read the following information carefully – it will help you with any questions about our services.
Has another question that we haven’t answered here? Drop us a line, and we will get back to you asap!
Briefing or informative meeting
All information meetings are held in your hotel at 6:00 p.m., one night before the tour begins. If you cannot attend, you must coordinate another time at the Cusco Expeditions offices. These meetings last approximately 30 to 45 minutes and there you will be given a small duffel bag, in which you’ll put all the belongings you intend to bring on the trek that won’t be in your day pack.
Duffel bag or canvas case:
ou’ll receive a canvas case or duffel bag during your briefing. The porters will take them on the way and will deliver them to you when you get to each camp. They measure 66 cm / 2 ft. Long x 36 cm / 1 ft. Wide.
A maximum of 5 kg is allowed for each duffel bag that includes the weight of your sleeping bag, mat, clothes and other personal items.
Payment of Trek Balance (in Cusco)
The trek has to be paid for in full by at least 7.30 pm two days before departure. For example, if your tour departs on a Wednesday, then you must come to our office before 7.30 pm on Monday.
It would be much appreciated if you pay the trek balance in cash US dollars or local currency. You can withdraw some money from several ATMs along Avenida Sol (either in US dollars or local Peruvian Soles). You can pay by credit card or PAYPAL online, but you will have to pay an 8% service charge, charged by VISA and PAYPAL. We do not accept bank checks or payment of the balance by traveler’s checks.
Storing your luggage at our Office.
Of course! During the travel, your main luggage can be stored at our office(you can organize briefing day or by email) or at your hotel, both free of charge.
Any equipment that you are not going to need on the trek can be stored safely in your hotel. Nearly every hotel will provide this service. Don’t leave items of value with your bags, put them in the hotel safe and obtain an itemized receipt (In the unlikely case of theft many insurance companies require that you have a copy of the receipt itemizing all the items). Best put items such as credit cards inside a sealed, signed envelope for extra peace of mind.
Pickups:
Cusco Expeditions can pick you up from your hotel, as long as it’s in the Historic Center of Cusco. The pickup time will be coordinated with your guide in the briefing. The pickup time may vary between 30 and 45 minutes due to traffic. Cusco is a very old city, therefore, it has many narrow cobbled streets. Some hotels and Airbnbs may be located on streets without access to cars or on long, steep slopes, making it difficult to transport luggage. We strongly recommend that you book accommodation with good access.
Group tours:
Group tours are made up of different types of people. Physical conditions and ages can vary. By agreeing to be part of a group tour, you also accept that some people may be faster or slower than you. Therefore, each person can go at their own pace on the route. It may be the case that a group wishes to modify the tour; however, it will be the guide who decides, after consulting with all the participants, if said modifications can be made.
Strikes and demonstrations:
Strikes and demonstrations are usually frequent in Peru and this may interrupt some of our tours. Roads can be blocked and train tracks can be taken over. However, we will try to keep your excursion as planned, even if it means leaving the night before the scheduled date. Under these circumstances, tours may also be cancelled. In case of changes or cancellations, all situations will be coordinated with you by our operations department. Your safety is our highest priority and our decisions will be made to protect it.
Lost objects:
You’re responsible for your objects during the tour. Please pay attention to where you leave your things and remember to take everything once you leave our trucks, tents, or restaurants.
Talk to a Destination Expertito
Your dedicated specialist will take the time to understand your preferences and build them into an itinerary to match, working to your budget. He or she will keep perfecting it until you’re completely happy and ready to book.
The Inca Quarry can leave any day of the week, from March through January. We do not run this trek in February because rainy season & maintenance.
-
Group Price
-
-
2020 Land Cost
US$450per person
-
Pre-payment
US$200(Required)
-
Balance
US$250
- This small-group journey is guaranteed to operate with just two guests.
Additional Items
There are additional items you can include in this trip. Below is a quick list of prices.
- Huayna Picchu: $25
- Machu Picchu Mountain: $25
- Single Room at Aguas Calientes: $25
Extensions & Offers
There are several extensions you can include to your Salkantay Adventure:
- Rainbow Mountain: $100 $80
- Sacred Valley: $100 $80
- City Tour: $20
Price Guarantee
Once your booking has been confirmed we guarantee the price will not increase, whatever the circumstances. Before booking please ensure you have read our important tour pricing information
Thank you for your interest in having an adventure travel experience in Peru curated by Cusco Expeditions. Please take a moment to complete our short form, so one our friendly Adventure Consultants could provide you all the information for your trip of a lifetime in Peru.
Our Pledge | Your privacy is respected and protected. The Cusco Expeditions Company will never share, sell, or make public any of your personal contact information to third parties.
We give advice and recommendations that are right for you
Feel free to reach us via email at sales@cuscoexpeditions.com or by calling us directly at +51 947 736 747
Triunfo Street 392, office 212, 2nd floor - Main Square of Cusco, Peru
Monday - Friday
9:00 am to 8:00 pm
Saturday
10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Due to the rainy season and trail maintenance, we don't offer this trek during the whole month of february. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, we are working to provide you a better service!
