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Étaperia

Choquequirao and Vilcabamba in 10 days: trekking itinerary

Ten days of adventure off the beaten track: the Humantay lagoon, the great trek down the Apurímac canyon to Choquequirao, then Vitcos and Espíritu Pampa, the last refuges of the Incas.

Sequenced by Kylian Updated on 29 August 2026

The terraces and plazas of Choquequirao on the mountainside
  • 10 days
  • 14 places
  • 10 nights
  • sustained pace
Start
Sacred Valley (Skylodge)
End
Cusco
Main transport
Agency vehicles to the trailheads, five days on foot
Recommended season
May to September; heat at the bottom of the canyon, sub-zero nights at Soraypampa

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 10 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel
  • The card of every hotel, with the address and a direct booking link
  • Quota tickets, fixed-date tickets and surcharges flagged in advance
  • The country quick guide: weather, transport, formalities, budget
  • A PDF file of 12 pages

What the price does not include

  • Flights
  • Hotel nights
  • Tickets and admission fees
  • Travel insurance
  • On-the-ground assistance during your trip

The travel book preview

The free day in full, with its hotel card. This is the sample.

Day 1

Zipline and the road to Soraypampa

Morning

Skylodge Adventure Suites, zipline descent

Wake to the sunrise over the valley, breakfast in the capsule, then descend by a chain of giant ziplines to the foot of the cliff. The most spectacular way to start a day on the road.

Afternoon

Road to Soraypampa (4 hr 30)

Up the valley then along a high-altitude track to Soraypampa (3,900 m), the hamlet at the start of the Salkantay trek, at the foot of the glaciers.

Evening

The starry sky of Soraypampa

A cold night and an exceptional starry sky at 3,900 m, beneath the icy faces of the Salkantay and the Humantay.

Hotel · Night 1

Salkantay Sky Lodge (Hostel Soraypampa)

A camp of transparent domes facing the Salkantay, at the foot of the Humantay: proper beds, heating and private bathrooms at 3,800 m, with a restaurant serving Andean cuisine. Thick blankets essential, nights well below zero in the dry season.

Address
· Soraypampa, Mollepata district, Anta province
Website
· hostelsoraypampa.com (new tab)
Check-in
11:00 AM · Check-out 10:30 AM
Book this hotel (new tab)

Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €3.90 per day of travel

The buy button becomes active once the box is ticked.

  • Secure payment through Stripe, bank card, Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • Available immediately in your customer account: online reading with clickable booking links, downloadable PDF for offline use
  • Method: what is checked, and when

A hotel in the itinerary closed or impossible to find, a place to visit permanently closed?

Within 12 months of purchase, email contact@etaperia.com

Itinerary corrected within 7 days, or refunded in full. Terms in article 12 of the T&Cs, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 10 days

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A question before buying? Email Kylian, reply within 48 working hours.

The day-by-day rundown

9 stops, 470 km as the crow flies

  1. Day 1 Zipline and the road to Soraypampa Skylodge Adventure Suites, zipline descent Free
  2. Day 2 The Humantay lagoon and the road to Capuliyoc The climb to Laguna Humantay Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  3. Day 3 The descent into the Apurímac canyon Down to Playa Rosalinas, up to Marampata Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  4. Day 4 Choquequirao, the cradle of gold Up to Choquequirao, site visit and back to Marampata Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  5. Day 5 The climb back to Capuliyoc The walk back to Capuliyoc Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 Back to Cusco and Casa Concha Back to Cuzco (4 h 30) Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 Towards Vilcabamba: Vitcos and the White Rock Cusco, Abra Málaga, Huancacalle: Vitcos and Ñusta Hispana Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  8. Day 8 Espíritu Pampa, the last capital Drive to Chontabamba then walk to Espíritu Pampa Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  9. Day 9 Back to Cusco Back to Cusco Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  10. Day 10 The circuit of Cusco's huacas Balcón del Diablo, Zona X and Templo de la Luna Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF

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Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • The Choquequirao trek is one of the toughest in Peru: 1,500 m of descent then 1,300 m of climb in the heat, on the way out and on the way back. Prior training advised.
  • The Apurímac canyon is an oven from 10 am: dawn starts, at least 3 litres of water per person, refills at Chiquisca and Playa Rosalinas.
  • Nights well below zero at Soraypampa (3,800 m) in the dry season: thick blankets and warm layers. The Humantay lagoon is earned early, before the groups from Cusco.

Transport and permits

  • Agency vehicles to the trailheads: Soraypampa before dawn (lodge shuttle from Cusco), Capuliyoc via Curahuasi and Cachora, about 4 hours.
  • Pack mules hired at the Capuliyoc viewpoint or in Cachora, the day before departure: walking light changes everything on 1,500 m of descent.
  • Vitcos and Espíritu Pampa must be organised through an agency (wildwatchperu.com): 4x4 over the Abra Málaga, guide and rustic accommodation included.

Formalities and safety

  • Choquequirao entry in cash (about 60 soles), checked at the Marampata post. No signal in the canyon: book the lodge before descending.
  • The trek can be fully guided: Apuñam Lodge and Trek's Desafío Choquequirao 4D/3N package, about 250 US$ with guide, pack mules, nights in Marampata and meals.
  • Mosquitoes from Espíritu Pampa onwards, in the selva: repellent and long sleeves. Blister kit, plasters and anti-inflammatories for the five walking days.

Budget and meals

  • Cash for the whole canyon: site entry, Marampata lodge, mules, meals. No ATM between Cachora and the return.
  • Community entry fee for the Humantay lagoon, at the Soraypampa trailhead, in cash.
  • Nights alone or all-inclusive packages at Apuñam (3D/2N to 5D/4N), low-season discounts.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly do I receive?

Your Étaperia itinerary, available immediately in your customer account after payment: readable online with clickable booking links, and downloadable as a PDF for the trip. Every day is sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening, with the hotel for each night, its address and its booking link, and timed-entry tickets flagged in advance.

How is this better than what an AI gives me?

A generative AI composes a plausible list in seconds, without saying what was checked or when. At Étaperia, every itinerary is sequenced by hand, place by place, with the booking constraints spotted before it is too late to get them. The Method page says what is checked, against which source and on what date.

Can I adapt it to my dates and my pace?

Yes. The days are self-contained blocks: you can shift the departure, stretch a stage or skip a day without breaking what follows. Only timed-entry tickets require adjusting the dates accordingly, and they are all flagged.

What if a hotel or a place in the itinerary has closed?

Email contact@etaperia.com within 12 months of your purchase. If a hotel in the itinerary is closed or can no longer be found, or a place to visit has closed permanently, the itinerary is corrected in your customer account within 7 days, or you are refunded in full. A hotel fully booked on your dates, a seasonal closure or a change in opening hours or prices is not covered. This guarantee comes on top of the legal warranty of conformity; details in article 12 of the terms and conditions of sale.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Kylian, sole trader, SIRET 927 587 709 00035
  • Consumer mediator: ANM Consommation
  • Payment handled by Stripe: Étaperia never sees your card number
  • Publisher, not a travel agency: you book flights, hotels and tickets yourself

In the same country

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