From Anchorage to Ushuaia by Bike

We had found a couple of travel agencies that offered 4 day trips to Choquequirao, priced between US $350 and $850, per person, including equipment. But we figured that it was entirely possible to make the trip on our own, and now that we’ve arrived, it’s clear that it would be much cheaper – 250 soles, or $85 each. And the accommodation is pretty much the same either way: everyone stays together along the route: camping sites with dust, uneven ground, cold showers, and early mornings.

We were loaded down like pack animals as we walked through Abancay to the taxi stands leaving for Cachora (8 soles each). In Cachora, we left our stuff in a little hotel (20 soles/night) and went in search of a “arriero” (mule-driver) and some mules. We found Raul and arranged to leave the next morning at 8 am with Andres, our mule-driver, a mule and horse (all for 60 soles/day). We paid Raul an extra 20 soles for his brother to meet us and guide us around the site, but unfortunately he was a no-show. We bought the rest of what we would need in Cachora, food for 3 people for 4 days (120 soles in total). Andres was great, and it was a real pleasure to walk with him. He was shy, but we did learn a little about him and his life in the mountains.

We packed our bags onto the animals, and then set out, leaving the Cachora Valley (2950m). We walked along one side, looking up at the glaciers suspended from the mountain peaks, 5000m up. We followed the fields and pastures, called “pampa” by the Peruvians, meaning a flat trail, although the route was actually quite hilly. After about 3 hours we came to a wonderful vantage point, looking out over the entire Vilcabamba range, the Apurimac Canyon, and Choquequirau in the distance. We spent the rest of the day climbing down 1500m to reach the Rio Apurimac (1530m). It was hard going – our legs are not used to using those muscles! We camped after 21 km, at the bottom of this dry valley, accompanied by our dearest friends, the sand flies.

The next morning, we climbed 1500m up the other side of the valley. The vegetation was more lush and diverse. As we rounded a corner, we saw a few terraces, nestled into the side of a small valley. The whole site came into view just a little further along. We walked another hour through the luxuriant greenery and arrived at the Choquequirau campsite around noon (3000m high and 32 km from Cachora). We had a quick lunch with Andres and then headed out to explore the ruins, incredibly perched 3100m high at the intersection between three valleys.

These ruins were only recently discovered in the 1980s, and the Peruvian government wanted to make it a big tourist site to relieve a little bit of the congestion at Machu Picchu. At the same time, a European country decided to help with the archeological excavations. To date, about 30% of the site has been uncovered and the rest is still buried underground. It was France that agreed to help Peru, and they made a creative deal: France agreed to cancel the debt that Peru owed them, and in exchange, Peru agreed to fund the digs led by French researchers and archeologists. In brief, this site was built by the son of the guy who built Machu Picchu, and it is much bigger. The last of the Incas took refuge here for 40 years, hiding from the conquistadors. Nobody knows why exactly the site was eventually abandoned.

We started in the main square and visited what were likely wealthy homes with baths. We walked to the edge of the forest where you could see that there were more ruins just under the surface of the earth. We climbed up on the buildings and walked along aqueduct system, and as we came back down, there was a great view of the Apurimac Canyon. We looked out over the “Llama area,” which !!include!!d many terraces jutting out of the mountain side, on whose walls were carved with Llamas. After climbing up to the highest point of the hill, we wound our way back down, through all the various areas of the site, including some that were still being excavated, and we chatted a bit with some of the workers. We really had a marvelous time scrambling over these ruins. And throughout the whole afternoon visit, we only saw three other people, and they were from France!

We were a bit alarmed by what we heard about the future plans for this site. There are talks of roads, cable cars and even a heliport. But the site’s charm lies in its remoteness and inaccessibility…. But maybe we are too old-school. We’ll let you know after we have visited Machu Picchu and had a chance to experience the tourism en masse.

PS:

We are know an aunt and uncle! Céline and Nicolas (Sébastien’s brother) have just welcomed their first child, Paulin, into the world… future gold medalist in cycling and downhill skiing. But for now, the only thing he’s exercising are his vocal chords… much the dismay of his parents!

Paulin

Sébastien

This trip was outside the scope of the Association Planète Durable et Solidaire, but we’re using the site to bring all the news of all our adventures.