Choquequirao to Machu Picchu Express — Self-Launched

Land in Cusco (3,400 m) and take the day very slowly: coca tea, short flat walks, early night. Use the afternoon to lock in trek logistics that a group tour would normally handle for you. Book your Machu Picchu entry ticket online in advance (Circuit 2 is the classic full-site loop, ~£40–45; Huayna Picchu and Montaña add-ons sell out weeks ahead), buy your Consettur bus ticket for the Aguas Calientes–Machu Picchu climb, and reserve your PeruRail or Inca Rail train from Ollantaytambo for Day 5. Then visit the Cachora trailhead syndicate office or a Cusco trek agency to arrange a muleteer + mules + cook for the Choquequirao loop (~£80–110 per person for 4 days if you're 2–3 people, less if you're more). Buy or rent a sleeping bag and mat if needed (rental ~£6–8/day), and stock snacks, water purification tablets and cash — there are ATMs only in Cusco.

🚌Airport taxi to centre ~£4–5; all walking in the old town

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Cusco historic centre (e.g. dorm or private room around Plaza San Blas), ~£12–20/night

• →Acclimatisation walk around San Blas and Qorikancha
• →Book Machu Picchu entry ticket online
• →Arrange muleteer, cook and permits for the Choquequirao trek
• →Buy Consettur bus ticket and Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes train ticket
• →Rent sleeping bag and sleeping mat if needed

Take an early shared taxi or colectivo from Cusco to Cachora (about 3.5–4 hours via Abancay, ~£10–14 per person shared, or ~£45–55 for a private car split between two). At Cachora (2,900 m) meet your muleteer and cook, sort the duffel load, then start walking: a gentle descent along the canyon rim to Capuliyoc (2,800 m) with your first huge views of the Apurímac canyon, then a long, hot switchback drop to Playa Rosalina and the river crossing (~1,500 m). From there it's a sweaty climb to Santa Rosa village and the campsite. Roughly 7–8 hours walking. Your cook sets up camp and dinner; nights on this trail are warm, not cold — pack light layers, not the fleeces most people bring.

🚌Colectivo/shared minivan Cusco–Cachora ~£10–14; trekking on foot; mules carry gear

🛏Camping at Santa Rosa (tent, mat and sleeping bag carried by mules)

• →Capuliyoc viewpoint over the Apurímac canyon
• →Descend to Playa Rosalina river crossing
• →Camp at Santa Rosa with locally hired cook and muleteer

A short but relentless climb day: about 5–6 hours ascending from Santa Rosa through Maranpata's coffee and avocado plots to the village of Marampata (2,900 m). Drop your pack at camp, then walk the final 40–60 minutes up to the Choquequirao ruins for late-afternoon light. If you have the energy, the terraces and the famous llama-wall sector are far quieter now than in the morning. Return to Marampata for dinner and a cold night — this is the one genuinely chilly camp, so the sleeping bag matters. If you'd rather split it, many independent hikers camp at Marampata and visit the ruins early on Day 4 instead.

🚌On foot, 5–6 hours with mules carrying the load

🛏Camping at Marampata (or basic family hospedaje if you prefer a bed, ~£6–8)

• →Climb through Maranpata's coffee and fruit terraces
• →Sunset visit to the upper terraces of Choquequirao
• →Camp at Marampata

Get into the site early (it opens around 7 am and costs ~£12–15 entry for foreigners) and spend 3–4 hours exploring properly: the main plaza, the usnu, the ritual baths, the llama terrace carvings and the lower zig-zag terraces — most visitors see a fraction of it. If you want a licensed guide, hire one at the trailhead in Cachora for around £25–35 per day, or pick up one of the local guides waiting at the site entrance. Then walk back down to Marampata for lunch and continue descending to Chiquisca (1,900 m) to camp by the river, roughly 6 hours of walking. Chiquisca is warm and green — a nice contrast to the previous night.

🚌On foot, ~6 hours descending via Marampata

🛏Camping at Chiquisca (basic riverside campsite, toilets on site)

• →Full morning at Choquequirao ruins (main plaza, llama terraces, ritual baths)
• →Optional local site guide
• →Descend to Chiquisca riverside camp

Final trek morning: the climb out of the canyon from Chiquisca back up to Capuliyoc and on to Cachora takes about 4–5 hours and is the sting in the tail. Pay and thank your muleteer and cook in Cachora, then take the shared minivan back to Cusco (~£10–14), arriving early afternoon. Store your trekking gear at your Cusco hostel or take it with you. Then take a colectivo or bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo (~1.5 hours, ~£3–4, or ~£2 in a shared combi), and board the evening PeruRail or Inca Rail service to Aguas Calientes (about 1.5 hours, ~£45–60 for the expedition/standard class booked in advance). Eat, shower and sleep early — tomorrow starts before dawn.

🚌Trek to Cachora; shared minivan to Cusco ~£10–14; colectivo Cusco–Ollantaytambo ~£3–4; train Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes ~£45–60

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Aguas Calientes, ~£18–28/night

• →Final climb out of the Apurímac canyon
• →Settle up with muleteer and cook in Cachora
• →Train ride along the Urubamba river to Aguas Calientes

Be in the Consettur bus queue by 5:15–5:30 am for the 25-minute ride up (~£9–11 one way, return ~£17). Enter with your pre-booked Circuit 2 ticket and, if you want a guide, join a small group at the gate for ~£15–20 per person (guides gather at the entrance from 6 am) or pre-book one via GetYourGuide. You get 2–3 hours on site walking the classic upper and lower circuit with views over Huayna Picchu. Then bus back down, collect your bags and take the afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo (~£45–60) and a colectivo or bus to Cusco (~£3–4), arriving evening.

🚌Consettur bus up and down ~£17 return; train Aguas Calientes–Ollantaytambo ~£45–60; colectivo Ollantaytambo–Cusco ~£3–4

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Cusco (not included in the operator's tour either — book your own), ~£12–20

• →Dawn bus up to Machu Picchu
• →Self-booked Machu Picchu entry with Circuit 2 route
• →Optional small-group guide at the gate
• →Return train and colectivo to Cusco