- Duration4 days / 3 nights or 5 days / 4 nights, all nights in tents; the 5-day versions spend a whole day at the site
- DemandNo high pass (max. 3,050 m), but 1,500 m of continuous ascent – twice. Heat in the canyon, no shade
- PricesUSD 698 (TreXperience 4 days), USD 735 (Salkantay Trekking 5 days), USD 890 (TreXperience 5 days)
- Most complete listSalkantay Trekking: entry, tents, toilet, water, oxygen, Saywite and hot springs expressly listed
- ReservationBoth TreXperience products list neither entry nor tents, toilet, water or emergency kit; the 4-day version has a duplicated day text
- CancellationTreXperience free up to 24 hours before; Salkantay Trekking non-refundable, manual confirmation
Who Choquequirao suits – and why it is no substitute for Machu Picchu
Choquequirao is the trek for people who have already seen Machu Picchu or want to skip the crowds: an Inca city, only a third excavated, with terraces, llama figures in the slope and a main plaza you often share with fewer than ten people. There is no permit, no quota, no trains. There is one path – down to the river, up to the site, and back the same way.
That is also the demand. The highest point, 3,050 m, is lower than Cusco; altitude is not the issue. The issue is 1,500 m of continuous ascent on day two, in the heat of the canyon, and the same 1,100 m again on the last morning. If your knees resent 1,400 m of descent in a day, bring poles and choose the 5-day version. And: the trek ends in Cusco, not Machu Picchu. If you want both, add a day trip – or book the through-route to Machu Picchu, which we have not checked yet.
Three products, two operators
Salkantay Trekking – the same operator as in our Salkantay comparison – has the most complete inclusions and the middle price. TreXperience offers four and five days with free cancellation, but with inclusions lists missing entry, tents, toilet and water. That does not mean they are missing – it means they are not documented. At USD 698 to 890, you ask.
Salkantay Trekking – Classic 5 days
Entry, tents with inflatable mattress, dining tent, portable toilet, water, oxygen, radios and satellite phone, small group up to 10, whole day at the site, Saywite monolith and Conoc hot springs on the way back. Non-refundable, manual confirmation, ages 15 to 70.
Main limitation: Non-refundable, manual confirmation, bookable ages 15–70. Sleeping bag and poles extra.
Check on Viator →TreXperience – Choquequirao 4 days
Four days with an afternoon and a morning at the site, personal porter for 7 kg, cook, all transfers, free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Short inclusions list, day text identical for days 1 and 2 – get the schedule confirmed first.
Main limitation: Very short inclusions list: entry, tents, toilet, water and emergency kit not mentioned. Days 1 and 2 carry the same text in the itinerary – confirm the schedule before booking.
Check on Viator →TreXperience – Choquequirao 5 days
Five days with a whole day at Choquequirao, airport and hotel transfers, porter for 7 kg, free cancellation. USD 155 more than the Salkantay Trekking product, with the same short list as the 4-day version.
Main limitation: Like the 4-day version: entry, tents, toilet and emergency kit not in the inclusions. USD 890, USD 155 above the Salkantay Trekking product with the complete list.
Check on Viator →Affiliate links to Viator: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Converted at Viator's rate on 23 September 2026; Viator converts at the day's rate at checkout.
