Huchuy Qosqo (Full Day Hike)

If you are looking for an exciting one-day training hike before starting a more challenging trek, such as the Inca Trail to Machupicchu or a similar adventure. The Inca Trail to Huchuy Qosqo is highly recommended in Cusco. This hike takes you through beautiful Andean landscapes, offering spectacular views of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the Urubamba River, the snow-capped peaks of the Urubamba Mountain Range, small rural communities, fascinating archaeological sites, and original Inca trails. Huchuy Qosqo is located to the north of Cusco, and its name—translated from Quechua—means “Little Cusco.” This not well known yet remarkable archaeological site served as an important Inca administrative and military center. Within the archaeological complex, you will admire Inca constructions featuring delicate and precisely executed stonework.

We pick you up from the hotel in Cusco at 7:00 am and travel northwest of the city for approximately an hour to the trailhead at Qoriccocha Lake, located at over 4,150 meters (13,500 ft) above sea level. After about an hour of hiking, we reach the Tres Cruces Pass, where you will enjoy spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. From there, we continue along an original Inca Trail for approximately 50 minutes until we arrive at the fascinating archaeological sites of Pukamarca and the Puma Gate. Then, we descend for about one more hour to reach Huchuy Qosqo where we can stop for you to have lunch. After, we visit the three-story storehouses, temples, fountains, and impressive agricultural terraces of Huchuy Qosqo Inca site for about 40 minutes. Finally, we start our descend into the Sacred Valley of the Incas, enjoying beautiful views of the Urubamba River. At the end of the hike, we return to Cusco.