Choquequirao, the ultimate new years experience

I have been planning this trip since I was 18 years old, but for one reason or another, I was never able to do it. The hidden, not very popular archeological site of Choquequirao. Only reachable by foot.

Highway to the mountains

We took the windy highway to the small town of Cachora, the colors at sunset were outstanding and the expansive views of the mesetas filled with aplacas, breathtaking. We stopped for the night at almost 4000 meters over sea level, and had one of the worst nights I can remember. The morning couldn’t come fast enough, we woke up dizzy, nauseous and with massive headaches. I don’t know how Matty managed to drive but we made it down the road to a more manageable altitude where we finally felt ok.

Cachora is a small town at the end of the road, and the home town of our guide Dayme. His family has been there for many generations, and him and his brother are the best guides to take you to Choquequirao. They built the road that connects Cachora to the archeological site 30 years ago.

Ready to hit it

Beginning of the trail

We gotta go all the way down to the river

We found Dayme through a good friend of mine from college. This man is robust, strong, friendly and at his 70 years old can manage the 30 kms up to the site as fast as a young and graceful athlete.

The first 15 kms are going down, from an altitude of 2800 to 1550, crossing the Apurimac river, and then going up again to 3050 meters over sea level. So if your knees tend to hurt, like mine, be sure to wear knee braces and use hiking poles. Do not be ashamed, this is a serious hike, and if for any reason you get injured, the only way out will be with a mule, if you get to see one that isn’t busy.

Apurimac River

About to cross to the other side of the canyon

Our tour included Dayme as the guide, who cooked every meal for us, lend us a tent and managed the 2 mules that were carrying everything needed for the 4 days of camping, plus our backpacks. The first day walking down was pretty hard, the mules almost escaped and went back to the farm, we were exhausted, but we made it to the campsite across the river by the end of the day, where Dayme was already waiting for us, fresh like a lettuce.

The next day we climbed up, it was hot, and it was hard, you wouldn’t think 15 kms is that much but at that altitude the story changes. We made it to Marampata, the tiny town before Choquequirao, set camp, and took a long break. We saw chickens with a plastic cape, the funniest and weirdest outfit for a chicken I have ever seen. It seems hawks tend to hunt chickens if no one is around, but the plastic capes scare them, and in that way protect the innocent birds from being attacked.

A blanket of fog covered the mountain that afternoon, and I was able to see only a couple hundred meters in front of my eyes. My heart was pounding as we got closer and closer to the entrance of the site, I couldn’t believe that I was finally going to visit this mystical place.

We walked into the main terrace alone, it was December 31st and there was no one around, like the whole world disappeared. My heart exploded of happiness and I started crying, tears of joy, this place was beyond anything I ever imagined.

Choq’ekiraw means cradle of gold, it’s a massive citadel, the bigger sister of Machupicchu, and only 40% of it has been accessed so far. It has different levels with constructions of different sizes, with the terraces being the most outstanding architectural part of the site. The construction type resembles a lot the Chachapoyas’ technique, much more than the classic Inca’s massive, rounded stones. Which brings up a lot of questions about the place. One must really pay attention to all the beautiful details of this magical place.

At this point there were no more thoughts in my mind, I was present in every single step, in every single breathe, in every blink of my eyes. I was wondering if I was taking enough photos, but at certain point I had to stop, I had to put my camera down and take that moment in, savor it, record it in the back of my mind so I could come back to it for as long as I live. That night we went to bed early, tired, with our hearts full. I received 2019 at an ancient site, that I wanted to visit for decades, I was in the company of the man I love, there was no booze, no fireworks, no party, but this was by far one of the best new years of all my life.