Cachicata Trek to Machu Picchu – Inca Quarry Trail

We will be leaving from Cusco quite early in the morning to Socma which serves as the starting point of the trek. Socma is located in the Sacred Valley of Incas. The hike on this day will be mostly up the hill. 

We will be reaching a picturesque waterfall. Here, you will get to see the impressive Incan ruins of Inca Raqay. You will also be rewarded with views of snow capped peaks and valleys. 

We will be giving you a guided tour of the Inca Raqay archeological site. After touring Inka Raqay, we will continue our hike further up the hill for about an hour. 

Once we reach Rayan Village, we will stop here for lunch. We will be spending the night here.

After breakfast, we will be looking forward to a long day. We will hike up to the highest point of Cachicata Trek at 4440 m – 14,564 ft. From here, we will hike further for three more hours and stop for lunch. 

After lunch, we will be hiking further for four hours to reach the second campsite of Inca Quarry Trek. On the way, you will be rewarded with sights of Andean snow capped peaks and the iconic Sacred Valley of Incas. 

You will also get to see Andean camelids namely, Llamas and Alpacas grazing on a beautiful setting.

You will be waking up to a nutritious organic breakfast. After breakfast, we will be exploring different sectors of the ancient Inca quarries of Cachicata. The quarries of Cachicata are located right in front of Ollantaytambo ruins. 

On this tour, you will see many interesting sites. Cachicata is an intensive quarry that the Incas used to build Ollantaytambo ruins. You will also see many Incan constructions and burial houses (Chullpas). 

Our guide will also give you a tour of the cave where Incan mummies are placed till date. We will be visiting the house of the architects who worked in the Inca Quarries and performed ceremonies. 

After touring the Cachicata, we will continue our way down the mountain’s original ramps that were used for transporting the carved stones to Ollantaytambo. We will then be reaching the iconic Incan village, Ollantaytambo. 

At Ollantaytambo, you will be taking a train to Aguas Calientes town.

Early in the morning, we will be taking a bus to Machu Picchu citadel. It will be a 30 minutes drive up the hill. Our tour guide will assist you in clearing the security control and entering the citadel. 

Once inside the citadel, you will be rewarded with a spectacular sight of the citadel while the clouds clearing by and the golden rays of the sun shimmering on the walls of Machu Picchu. 

We will be giving you a two hours guided tour of Machu Picchu. After the tour, you will have some free time to explore the citadel on your own. If you have booked to hike Huayna Picchu or hike to Machu Picchu mountains, our guide will be directing you to the trail head. 

Alternatively, you can hike to Sun gate or Intipunku. This is a high plateau ruins. It is the entrance to the citadel for those on the Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. 

After exploring Machu Picchu, you will be taking a bus back to Aguas Calientes. Here we will be serving lunch at a local restaurant. At around 04:00 PM, we will be taking a train to Ollantaytambo. 

Our representative will be meeting you on arrival and will be transferring you back to your hotel in Cusco. We will be returning to Cusco by 09:30 PM.