Trek Choquequirao to Machu Picchu

Our guide was amazing. The food was amazing. Overall, the hiking and trekking was great. Very challenging, not for a beginner. The issue with the trip is you are not absolutely issued a ‘ticket 2’ to actually enter and tour the grounds of Machu Picchu. The other two tickets is a further away viewing distance. You are also not informed to what ticket you have until the day before by the tour company. This is a huge flaw if your dream is to see the ruins. While it’s not the company fault what ticket is issued, it could drastically affect someone’s trip if their dream is to see Machu Picchu.

The scale of this trip was truly epic – long days of challenging trekking through the magnificent Andes, each day revealing new and fascinating aspects of the region. The whole team were incredible, dealing impressively with the complex logistics and difficult terrain. Lino couldn’t have been a better guide, sharing his extensive knowledge and unbounded enthusiasm, and always knowing the exact details and little secrets to get the very best from every place along the way. He made certain everyone in the group had the best possible experience. The landscapes we travelled through were awe inspiring, and far more varied than I had expected. Surrounded by stunning scenery, wonderful nature and rich history, this was truly a trip that I’ll remember (and be talking about) forever.

Amazingly well organised trip with beautiful sceneries and great cultural insights. Our guide Lino and team made this treck extremely smooth - we were always well informed and Lino catered for different paces really well on the hikes. The vegetarian food was great, lots of varied options of veg and protein! Some of the campsites were a bit colder than I expected so I wish I’d brought more warmer layers (September group). But it’s all worth it! Most campsites had showers (sometimes even warm water) and some even had wifi!

Love the trekking route which is more challenging and less travelled! Our guide Lino was absolutely amazing, and was passionate about introducing the Inca history and sites along the way. The group was such a wonderful company through out the trip. Friendly, fun and supportive. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a great trekking experience to Machu Picchu!

Incredible trek—physically demanding but worth every step. Highly recommend if you want an adventure. Choquequirao is majestic and the route to Machu Picchu is full of dramatic scenery. Long days, steep climbs, basic campsites, but unforgettable views and zero crowds until the very end. The crew, chefs, and the guide team are wonderful.

Can’t imagine trekking to Machu Picchu any other way! So thankful for the days on this trail that we rarely saw other hikers. Steep hiking both up and down while at altitude. Lino is an amazing guide - he took great care of us and it was wonderful to see how well-respected he is by the local communities. Lovely small touches throughout the trip and food on the trail far exceeded expectations, thank you Freddy & Alberto. Our 11 horses and 3 horse keepers kept the trip running smoothly. Bring extra trail snacks, electrolytes, and toilet paper! Light weight pants worked better than shorts.

This was probably the best hike I've ever done. The landscape throughout the whole journey is breathtaking. I was really surprised how much it changed as well, starting with really dry and desert-y looking places and then changing to lush high forests. The trail in Choquequirao was very empty, we barely saw any other groups on it, and made for a very peaceful trip. The highlight for me was camping on the Inca terraces in Pinchaunuyoc. It was definitely challenging at times, but it felt manageable and the guides took really good care of us and made sure we're safe and managing the altitude. The whole staff was amazing. Our guides, Hipo and Eddie, were incredible. Super knowledgeable about the history of the places we saw but also very friendly and fun. They definitely kept things light and helped us all enjoy the trip. The food was also fantastic. I honestly can't recommend more. I was very happy I chose to do this and not one of the busier routes to Machu Picchu.

It was an amazing experience. The best

A challenging and incredible experience. The scenery was simply stunning, hiking through an array of ecosystems, from the Peruvian Andes, up through cloud forests and deep into parts of the Amazon jungle, rarely walked or offered by other tour operators. The mountain views from all our ‘wild camping’ locations were simply amazing and the final day reaching Machu Picchu for sunrise before the crowds arrived was incredible. Lino, our guide for the trip was outstanding in every way, professional, diligent, enthusiastic, funny, ridiculously fit, and extremely passionate about all things Inca and his amazing country. The Horse Porters and Chiefs were amazing, extremely friendly, always smiling and constantly going above and beyond to ensure our tents were set up prior to our arrival, regardless of how long they departed after us in the mornings. They constantly strived to ensure we were appropriately fed and watered throughout the entire trip. The cuisine provided during the trek was also first class, what the team produced daily along the trail was faultless, constantly providing a wide variety and always plenty to go around. Recommendations/ Observations: 1. ESTA Application: (if travelling via America) - make sure you remember to apply for an ESTA in advance, even if you are just transiting through and not leaving the airport, you still require it! You will not be allowed to even check into your flight UK side without it. Once applied for, it was authorised within a few hours. 2. Mosquito Repellent – This is an absolute must, make sure you take plenty of repellent or alternatives, I would recommend them having a deet content, as this was most effective, the repellent wrist bands and other Flextail like chargeable devices would also be recommended, we did not take them all and ultimately paid the price! The mosquito's and midges are on another level, particularly post shower and at stages on the trek near water sources whilst under the tree canopy. I would highly recommend taking antihistamines, creams, and other ointments to ease the itching post bite, that normally kicked off around 0300hrs each morning. 3. Additional snacks - these are an absolute must, although snacks are provided daily by the team at breakfast, some of the climbs are long and hard, made more difficult by the heat. A bag of nuts, haribo, assorted sweets or flapjack, would greatly assist with maintaining your energy levels. There are a number of shops along the route that you can purchase a welcome Gatorade/ Powerade and sweets from, but at the time, you are not always aware of where these are, and they may come after you crash. 4. Electrolytes/ water filter - I would highly recommend bringing some form of isotonic powder or electrolytes to help keep you hydrated, particularly on the longer, warmer days. I would also consider taking a small filtered soft flask and sterilising tablet, I craved cold water during the trek, and we often passed freezing cold, waterfalls, or springs, that id happily have drank from, if treated correctly. 5. Washing/ Showers - There were plenty of opportunities to wash and even shower during the trek. Nearly every campsite had either showers/taps or a freshwater spring to wash under. Some sites had hot showers you could purchase for ten soles. 6. Agues Calientes - is an amazing, vibrant town, oozing atmosphere. I would highly recommend not wasting any time in the hotel and getting out and exploring as soon as you arrive, therefore maximising the gorgeous sunset photo opportunities. 7. Machu Picchu – you must 100% make sure you are on time on the day you visit Machu Picchu itself. You only get a 45-minute window in relation to your allocated entry time slot (this is including your bus transit time to get up there). Walking poles are not permitted in Machu Picchu, so make sure to leave these at the hotel prior to departing. 8. Difficulty rating - The trek to Choquequirao on days could have been labelled as Challenging/ hard. We had a fit group, that would have struggled to get into our camp site locations during daylight if individuals had potentially been slower. 9. Downtime – Throughout the trek, there was often afternoons where you had free time, this I would suggest would be down to the overall speed of the group. I would recommend taking a kindle/book/ cards or music to pass the time, or just make the most of the opportunity to take a well-earned siesta. There is no way to charge items until you get to the hotel the night before Machu Picchu, so we took power banks, X2 were ample for us to charge our phones, head torches and other items as required. 10. Misc - I would 100% recommend booking an extra day at the end of the trip and remaining in Cusco before flying home. We visited Lake Humantay (Salkantay Lake), it was well worth it, even though it was a couple of hours traveling and a surprisingly tough climb, but the view at the top and over the lake was worth it. There was also an option to get a paid lift to the top on horseback if required. All in, this trip was truly an incredible experience, and one challenge I would highly recommend embarking on. Much Better Adventures were excellent throughout, I will 100% be booking with them again in the future.

An amazing hike through the Peruvian Andes visiting Incan sites and camping in places only accessible by foot. It felt like a real adventure that very few others have done. But it is very tough going at times and the camping facilities (showers, loos & electricity) are basic to say the least. On the other hand we were so well looked after by the crew (chefs, horsemen and our guide Lino) that this made it manageable. Lino was a great guide; passionate and knowledgeable about the Incan history and culture. The quality and quantity of food was outstanding. I'd say anyone with a reasonable level of fitness and multi day hiking experience and a willingness to rough it for a few nights should manage it but be prepared to cope with long steep ascents & descents, mozzies, heat, lack of oxygen at high altitudes and you'll be rewarded with unbelievable views and an unforgettable experience.