This hike is perfect for those who prefer to travel on non-overcrowded routes. The charm of the Huchuy Qosqo trek lies in the combination of amazing Inca towers and fortifications, original villages, magical snow-capped mountains, exotic vegetation and extraordinary ecological diversity. The path is far from the beaten track and leads over the Andes mountain passes, through the Sacred Inkatal, with unforgettable views of this magnificent scenery.
We leave Cusco at 6 o’clock and drive via Chinchero to Tauca, a small Andendorf and starting point of our hike. At first, we walk uphill, with constant views of the surrounding imposing mountain scenery, Lake Piuray, and the presence of llamas and alpacas, until we cross the only mountain pass on this tour at 4,500 m. Then we hike, about 1 hour, down on an old, restored Inca path, pass the village of Pukamarca at 4,010 m and on, in the direction of the Leon Punku Gorge. There we find the remains of an Inca bridge. We reach Huchuy Qosqo, on a footpath along the river, through the gorge, in the late morning. Huchuy Qosqo lies at 3600 m and is an Inca ruins complex, with an impressive architecture. Here you will find a long-established ceremonial center, from where you can enjoy panoramic views of the Sacred Valley, the Vilcanota River and the snow-capped mountains. In Huchuy Qosqo we do a guided tour. We spend the night in the inn of a small community near Huchuy Qosqo.
The next morning we walk down to Lamay, a village located between Pisac and Calca in the Sacred Valley. From there, take a private vehicle to Moray and Maras. Moray is a unique archaeological site consisting of various depressions that lead down to terraces over terraces of up to 100 meters. Each terrace had served as a kind of agricultural platform, with its own irrigation channels. Then we continue to Salineras, a salt extraction plant, near the village of Maras, which consists of more than 3000 small salt pans. The salt production process has changed only marginally in the last 500 years. From Salineras, a van will take us back to Cusco and you will reach your hotel at 6pm.
