+51 918 885 164 info@happygringotours.com
+51 918 885 164 info@happygringotours.com

Cachicata Trail – Inca Quarry Trek

(3 Reviews)
From$780 USD
From$780 USD
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Tour Details
Cachicata Trail - Inca Quarry Trek

Experience the best of the remains of the Ancient Inca stone quarry on this full day Cachicata Trail popularly known as Inca Quarry Trek

Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire in South America, saw rapid development during the rule of Pachacutec. He built many notable sites including Machu Picchu and Choquequirao. Ollantaytambo was the administrative capital of Incas. The Incas built many sites here.  

Cachicata Stone Quarry is located near the village of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. During the Inca civilization, they planned a massive construction work which was never completed due to Spanish invasion. All stones were cut and carved in the Cachicata stone quarry. 

On this Cachicata Trail, accompanied by a local tour guide, you will be visiting the remains of the house of the architects who worked in Cachicata. You will also visit the Inca ruins of stone quarry where you will get to see remains of the finely carved pink marble stones scattered around. 

Cachicata Trail is not as popular as the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu or Inca Trail. It however, has a lot to offer. On the Inca Quarry Trail, you will be retracing the footsteps of Incas on the way through which they transported stones from the stone quarry to Ollantaytambo.

Ollantaytambo is now a popular place among travellers to board a train to Aguas Calientes town. It is also the gateway to the emblematic Inca Trail 4 Days to Machu Picchu.

Why Happy Gringo Tours?

Happy Gringo Tours is a fully locally owned tour operating company in Cusco. We have state of the art campsites and camping and cooking equipment. We operate all the treks under the guidance of a local tour guide. 

Our tour guides, as locals, have an extensive knowledge about the Inca Sites,  culture and history. Most of them are mountaineers and have plenty of knowledge and experience on high altitude treks and dealing with altitude sickness. 

Check out our reviews on TripAdvisor.

Please note it is best to hike Cachicata Trail during the dry season – between March and November. 

If you want to combine your Cachicata Trail with a visit to Machu Picchu, then do take a look at our Cachicata Trek to Machu Picchu itinerary. 

Departure & Return Location

Cusco Hotel Transfer

Departure Time

0700 AM

Price Includes

  • Round trip transport
  • Entrance Fees
  • Tour Guide
  • Lunch

Price Excludes

  • Breakfast
  • Any Private Expenses

Recommended To Carry

  • Snacks and Water
  • Sunscreen
  • Peruvian Soles in cash
Itinerary

Day 1Full Day Cachicata Trail

We will be picking you up from your hotel in Cusco. Then in our private transport, we will be driving through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to Ollantaytambo. This is the starting point of his full day hike. 

We will be crossing a small bridge that connects the two towns on both sides of Urubamba River. Then we will be hiking from Ollantaytambo (2792 metres above sea level) to Cachicata (3900 metres). 

The hike normally takes about two and a half hours. Although mostly up the hill, you will get pristine views of the Sacred Valley of the Incas dotted with snow capped Andean peaks. 

We will then give you a guided tour of the complex. Once you have had your fill and if desired we can hike further 450 metres high to the Sun Gate (Intipunku). The Incas used this place to worship their Sun God (Inti). 

You will also get a panoramic view of the snow capped peak of Veronica from here. 

Once you have had your fill of this, we will hike back down to Ollantaytambo. Here we will be meeting our transport for a drive back to the city of Cusco

Photos
FAQs

How hard is the Inca Quarry Trail?

The Inca Quarry Trail, also known as the Cachicata Trail, is a short trek of just 1 day that starts at the ruins of Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley. The path is not too hard, however, before taking the trek you must be acclimatized to avoid suffering from altitude sickness.

What Our Customers Say About Us

Each review from our users is important to continue growing and offering the best service to each of our clients. Our priority will always be that you enjoy your trip to the fullest while our professional team works to fulfill it.

  • star rating  The 1-day trip to Machu Picchu was very well organized!
    Our vacation was great to the land of the Incas in Perú with Gringo Tours.

    We strongly recommend traveling... read more

    avatar thumb 986nayelliv
    February 5, 2023

    star rating  We had a dream of hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and were unable to get permit so ended up doing thjis. This is genuinely the best alternative as... read more

    avatar thumb nelsonj820
    February 3, 2023

    star rating  We booked Machu Picchu tour 1 day from Cusco with Happy Gringo. The tour was very well organized, our pick up was on time, the train had good panoramic views,... read more

    avatar thumb Benitha10
    January 23, 2023

    star rating  The views and history were amazing and the guide (Rubens) was incredibly passionate and knowledgeable. It was great to learn about the culture and history from his eyes.... read more

    avatar thumb 396matthewe
    January 11, 2023
  • star rating  Great Experience with Happy Gringos!

    My family had difficulty to find a travel agent to book the Machu Picchu tour, however the workers of Gringo Tours were very helpful... read more

    avatar thumb Atomk2044
    January 11, 2023

    star rating  I bought the service at the very last minute, when other big tours could not provide the service due to insufficient participants (most people canceled for the political unrest that... read more

    avatar thumb Gofar T
    December 31, 2022

    star rating  We booked the tour at the last minute. But we are still able to make it to Machu Picchu. Our guide Eder is interesting and knowledgeable. Highly recommend this tour!... read more

    avatar thumb Nora a
    December 22, 2022

    star rating  An unforgettable, majestic experience to one of the Seven Wonders of the World - Despite the distances involved, from beginning to end, the trip was very well-organized and everything happened according to plan. The tour guide at the destination was very insightful and answered... read more

    avatar thumb Derick L
    December 22, 2022
  • star rating  An unforgettable, majestic experience to one of the Seven Wonders of the World - Despite the distances involved, from beginning to end, the trip was very well-organized and everything happened according to plan. The tour guide at the destination was very insightful and answered... read more

    123derickl
    December 22, 2022

    star rating  Highly recommended - We booked the tour at the last minute. But we are still able to make it to Machu Picchu. Our guide Eder is interesting and knowledgeable. Highly recommend this tour!... read more

    noraaM4722CJ
    December 22, 2022

    star rating  Even though we had news that the train may not be in operation to Picchu, we would have expected the local operator to contact us and give us updates. We... read more

    avatar thumb Mike D
    December 19, 2022

    star rating  An Impressive 2-day trail to Machu Picchu :)(: - We booked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu 2 days with Gringo Tours!

    The communication was great, the pick up was on time, the box lunch was very delicious,... read more

    Olgha098
    December 19, 2022
  • star rating  We highly recommend traveling to Machupichu with Gringo tours in Peru!
    We booked the 2 days tour to Machu Picchu. The service was very well organised from Cusco, the Communication... read more

    avatar thumb humberth01
    December 15, 2022

    star rating  The trip was amazing. The views were out of this world. I want to give a specially shoutout and thanks to Mauro. He did an amazing job. Explained the history... read more

    avatar thumb Lxrsd
    December 10, 2022

    star rating  Was really worried about this tour because the night before I found out I’d be the only one going BUR the tour company made me feel super safe and my... read more

    avatar thumb Billie N
    December 2, 2022

    star rating  Lifetime Experience with Gringo Tours - We book the Machu Picchu tour with gringo tours. We strongly recommend how they work and did their best to find our Machu Picchu ticket when all the travel agencies... read more

    Wilbert0122
    November 26, 2022
3 Reviews
Sort By:RatingDate

Stella Arturo

Couple Traveller

Mind blowing experience with Marko as my guide. This was second to none. A very nice and professional tour company with exceptional service.

October 13, 2021

Rouss

Solo Traveller

Marko gave a great tour of Cahicata Quarry, very flexible due to me not feeling the best due to sickness. Very knowledgeable of the site, rhe histort and the culture

September 24, 2021

Daniela Gargiulo

Family Traveller

We had Juan as our tour guide and he was incredible!!!!! Super sweet, knowledgeable and just a joy to be around. He gave us such an in depth tour and answered the millions of questions we had.

He made sure we were taken care of from beginning to end. He even walked our friend to the clinic after for his COVID test to fly home. I would highly recommend him for any tours as he is so smart and just very sweet to be around! Thank you Juan!

September 15, 2021