HISTORY

Choquequirao Quechua chuqi, gold,

and k'iraw, cradle, that is: "cradle of
PRIVATE UNIVERSITY gold", are the ruins of an Inca city
NORTH located between the foothills of the
Salcantay nevado Department of
Cuzco, is located southeast of Lima,
YEAR OF NATIONAL between the snowy peaks of BIODIVERSITY
DIALOGUE AND Abancay and Machu Picchu, near
the tumultuous waters of the
RECONCILIATION Choquequirao is one of the richest
Apurímac River. According to the
in biodiversity, biologists, ecologists
legend, this lost city would have
and experts mention it. Among the
been the place where the last Incas,
most relevant species are: The
CHOQUEQUIRAO escaped from the Inca capital,
condor, the fox, the skunk, the
‘’CRADLE OF GOLD’’ would have found refuge and
puma, the spectacled bear, the
resisted the Spanish invasion for
taruca, the vizcachas, the flowers
forty years.
itches, the tall tucan, the quetzals
and the tigrillos. This space can also
STUDENT: Huaman be appreciated the cock of the
Muñoz, Flor Mary rocks, national bird of Peru.

TEACHER: BRICEÑO
RODRIGUEZ, ELMER
ELISEO The "Cradle of Gold" was so
extensive that it had been able to The flora of the place is composed
contain fifteen thousand by giant ferns and a great variety of
inhabitants. They had to find orchids, where the wakanki variety
ENGLISH – II SHEKEL temples, palaces, "baths", a great stands out. At the bottom of the
sanctuary for idols and even great valley and under the thermal
prisons. effect of the watercourse that runs
through it, the forests of the
An expedition of archaeologists and mountain brow provide its warmth
French geologists was organized in and ideal conditions for an
2002 to Choquequirao to examine enormous variety of coca crops,
the possibility of transforming the achiote, and corn, and cocoa,
Inca sanctuary into a great tourist coffee and fruit trees.
place. The project includes the
design of a road and the study of
the ecosystem for the organization
of future excursions, with guides,
accommodations and other
equipment. The idea would be to
make Choquequirao an extensive
protected sector, where all the
riches of its biodiversity could be
preserved
From the environmental point of
view, the main value of these
ecosystems presented lies in the
role played by the lush forests that
grow in the high parts of the
mountains for the maintenance of
the water balance of the region,
capturing the rainwater and driving
it without causing erosion towards
the Apurímac River.
HIKE
To get to Choquequirao you have to
take a Private Tour or on your own.
It is located approximately 4 hours
by car from Cusco arriving in
Cachora is practically two different
mountains. It is a hard road of large
climbs and large descents the
descent that belongs to the
department of Apurímac and the
rise that belongs to the department
of Cusco. The initial section goes up
to the Capuliyoc viewpoint, then
the whole route is a great descent,
sometimes zigzagging and then
connecting with a great ascent of
1500 meters of altitude.
Capuliyoc Viewpoint (2900 masl and Day 4 Chiquisca -Cachora (14Km)
7 km from Cachora) Choquequirao, which is how the
Archaeological Complex is known, is
Chiquisqa (14km from Cachora)
located between the foothills and
Rosalina Beach (1500msnm and the peak of the hill of the same
18km from Cachora) name at 3104.09 meters above sea
level. It is an Inca urban
And on the other side (Cusco)
construction, also called bundled,
Santa Rosa
and is characterized by being fixed
• Marampata according to a distribution pattern:
square; a number of large,
Choquequirao on the way there are
elongated and rectangular buildings
several camps run by the people of
called kallankas.
the villages that has begun to serve
visitors. If you do not bring tent you
rent it and it is possible to find
campsites every three hours of
walking. There they have
bathrooms and common spaces for
cooking.

 A reasonable average to arrive

is 4 nights / 5 days.
 Day 1 Cachora -Playa Rosalina
(18Km)
 Day 2 Rosalina-Choquequirao
Beach (13Km)
The road is hard and luckily
 Day 3 Return: Choquequirao -
everyone can travel at their own
Chiquisqa (18km)
pace. There are several camps so it
is unnecessary to say where to stop
or how much to walk per day. It
estimates approximately that every
3 hours there is some camp.
The most popular stopping points
on the Apurímac side