I bet you have heard of Machu Picchu. And if you follow my blog, you've read about the Colca Canyon. These two places are some of the most visited tourist destinations in Peru. According to Peru’s tourism department Colca canyon is #1 and Machu Picchu is #41. But have you heard of Choquequirao? Not many people have, and well in my humble opinion:
Machu Picchu and the Colca ain’t got shit on Choquequirao.
These ancient Incan ruins, called the Cradle of Gold (Chuqui K’iraw in Quechua) span at least 4,400 acres; probably more since excavators haven’t even uncovered half of the site (a publication from 2005 cites less than 30% had been excavated2 and another article3 from 2007 gives the same number, wiki reports4 30-%-40%). To access the site, one must hike North out of the town of Cachora, paralleling potato and corn fields, then west across a hillside to reach the top of a grandiose canyon, down almost 5,000 feet to the banks of the mighty Apurímac River, and up the other side gaining back all the lost elevation (and then some) along an even steeper trail. The trail flattens and turns west, paralleling another hillside covered in rock-fall, mudslides and waterfalls. Twenty-nine kilometers into the trip a friendly park ranger charges S./35 pp to enter the site and visitors write their name and travel information in a book: the reason for the book is to keep track of tourism, but it sure feels good to announce to everyone else that indeed you made it and you are still capable of piloting a pen, even if the handwriting is a bit shaky. The journey to Choquequirao is not quite over yet, down about 500 feet and back up is the camping site, and exploring the ruins is a hike in and of itself.
There are numerous tour companies that offer guided trips to the ruins. Backpacks are strapped to mules, Peruvian guides offer historical tidbits and lead the way, and food is provided and prepared by a trained chef. Some companies even offer horses so that one need not exert themselves too much. Alex and I chatted with a number of people who hiked to the ruins prior to setting off; all had wonderful accounts of their journey, but only one had done the trip unassisted. When we learned it was possible, there was no question in either of our minds; we were going to do the trek sans guide.
Turns out the trails are well marked and one need not have advanced orienteering skills to find their way and while the hike is burley, especially with 6 days of food and supplies on one’s back, it isn’t really that bad; I did the whole thing in my chacos (although that may not have been the smartest thing-see fb picture of my ankles on day 3). Most guided trips were completed in 4 days and consisted of very long hikes each day and only a half a day to explore the ruins. Alex and I took 6 days, had a reasonable hiking schedule and almost 2 full days to explore the vast ruins. The guided trips cost upwards of $200 usd pp. We calculated that including transportation and food, we each spent $60 usd. Unquestionably, we made the correct decision.
Our second night on the trail found us at the Casa de Santa Rosa. We probably could have found a free spot to set our tent for the night, but for S./2 we were given a lovely grassy yard on which to camp, access to a diverted stream to wash and an affable and loquacious host. Julian must have been used to speaking with gringos; he spoke clearly and slowly and used simple words and phrases. Over a dinner of fajitas and local fruit, Julian told us about his home.
Excavation of the ancient Incan site began in 1993 and the first tourists began to trickle in; most were from
Europe. In 2007 when the New York Times
travel article on the site was published, there was an onslaught of American tourists. Prior to the article 15-20 tourists were passing though
Santa Rosa each day; shortly after that number increased to 200. The change was short-lived however, as soon as the severity of the economic recession was realized in the
US, Julian’s social interactions dropped substantially (as a side note: the NYT article made our lovely host famous, I encourage you check out the article if you can). The day Alex and I arrived in Choquequirao, there were two other gringos in the entire 4,400 acre site.
According to Julian the ruins of Choquequirao isn’t the only reason his home is so amazing and we can attest to that. According to him there are 5 spectacular features:
- The canyon in and of itself is amazing: steep walls prone to rock-fall and landslides (both of which we had the fortune of witnessing from a distance) tumble into the angry rapids of Apurímac. The 25’ waves, tide-like movements of water along the banks and 15’ holes reminded us that we were visiting in the height of the wet season. The Apurímac seemed to me, like less of a river, and more of an angry ocean that was late for an appointment downstream. At lower water levels, this section is raft-able (in fact I will be rafting another section of this river with Roadmonkey later this year, come join me if you are inspired!), but in the present condition, Alex, the competent veteran river guide swore that there would be no possible way for a raft, much less it’s passengers to survive a ride.
- Obviously the Ruins
- The biodiversity of the area: The huge variations in elevation give rise to distinct climates. On the Cachora side of the canyon it was hot and humid; all shades of green were accounted for in the vegetation as we slid our way down the muddy path. I commented to Alex that I felt like we were on a jungle tour. Ten minutes later our mouths fell open as a flock of bright green parrots soared out of the dense undergrowth. Two hours later, on the dry and dusty canyon bottom, I pretended to be part of an old western movie as I, in my leather cowboy hat, sauntered past three prong cactuses 12 feet tall. At the Casa de Santa Rosa, I was reminded of a rainforest as my poor ankles and neck were eaten alive by a swarm of sand-flies, even through the deet. Hiking up to the ruins I was dazzled by the colorful arrays of butterflies and orchids (74 different types have been identified in the canyon according to Julian). The ruins themselves have such an elevation variation that the rainforest-like climate that takes over the agriculture terraces below, gives way to brushy-high altitude plants that reign in the ruins of the ancient city above.
- The condors: these vultures are the largest flying land birds in the western hemisphere and play a significant role in Andean culture and mythology. For more information check out the wiki article on the significance on the Andean Condor
- The Mountain: oh the mountain, the elusive mountain that teased us with only glimpses of its snowy shoulders during the first five days of our journey. On our last day in the canyon, the clouds lifted we were rewarded with picture perfect views just as the sun was setting. Towering over the canyon 6,271 meters/20,574 feet, Mt. Salcantay (Sallqantay in Quechua, translated to Savage Mountain) is a domineering feature in the already mind-blowing terrain.
There are rumors, floating around in internet space of a planned cable car to the ruins to increase tourism. Scouring Peruvian government websites, I was unable to find any solid plans for such an eyesore, and have a hard time comprehending how it would be physically possible to construct such a device. I did run across a report from American University suggesting that the Peruvian government is committed to fostering sustainable tourism in Choquequirao and preventing the train-wreck tourism that has occurred with the increasing popularity of Machu Picchu.
The trek to Choquequirao was a-once-in-a-lifetime experience that I would turn into a twice-in-a-lifetime experience in a heartbeat. I encourage all of my friends that are physically capable to give themselves the gift of experiencing this natural wonder. But please, first do your homework and plan your trip, guided or not, so that it supports sustainable and responsible tourism.
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