The Cusco region is filled with amazing trek routes, ranging from day hikes to week-long adventures. For 2024, we have selected six of the most beautiful, interesting and challenging in the area. Three alternative routes to Machu Picchu are included, along with three shorter routes that focus on remote areas & little-known highlights.
These are our 2024 Cusco trek highlights!
Machu Picchu alternative routes are excellent alternatives to the Classic Inca Trail. They are ideal for those interested in avoiding Inca Trail crowds, visiting Cusco during a period where permits are unavailable, or are interested in exploring lesser-known parts of this scenic and fascinating region.
The Lares Valley is famous for the traditional villages that dot the area, roaming llamas and alpacas, and gorgeous scenery. With the goal of maximizing a trekker’s time to immerse in local culture, our 4D/3N Lares Homestay trek includes overnight stays with village families in place of tent camping.
By staying with local families each night, trekkers have the chance to spend time with their hosts, learn about their lives and livelihoods and even help prepare a traditional meal. Our Lares Homestay Trek includes fun, optional activities in and around host villages. The final day of this trek is spent at Machu Picchu.
Highlights of the Vilcabamba 5D/4N route include the fascinating Vitcos-Rosapata Inca ruins, gorgeous, varied scenery, and a day at Machu Picchu. Vilcabamba is known as the “last refuge of the Incas”, because it was where many Inca officials fled to once the Spanish arrived in Cusco. Beginning in the high jungle, our Vilcabamba route winds through lush valleys and past snowcapped peaks before ending near Machu Picchu. The final day of this five-day route is spent at Machu Picchu, before trekkers return to Cusco.
Vilcabamba is an excellent alternative to more popular trek routes to Machu Picchu. Enjoy amazing Andean scenery and Inca ruins in solitude, before experiencing the spectacle that is Machu Picchu.
The Choquequirao Vilcabamba trek follows Inca routes that connect key Inca archeological sites in the Cusco area. While trekking through stunning Andean scenery, travelers explore Choquequirao, Vitcos-Rosapata and Machu Picchu.
Choquequirao is often referred to the “sister city” of Machu Picchu, and with good reason. Meaning “cradle of gold”, Choquequirao features important Inca constructions, including dramatic terracing that overlooks plunging river valleys. With few daily visitors, Choquequirao offers the peace and serenity that has become difficult to experience with Machu Picchu alone. Indeed, it was recently named one of National Geographic’s Best in the World, “Seven Destinations for a True Adventure in 2023 and Beyond”
Along with Choquequiro, trekkers will encounter the Vitcos-Rosapata ruins, Ñusta Hispana, original Inca trails (part of the Qhapaq Ñan, or Inca road system), and Machu Picchu! This is a challenging route through unforgettable Andean scenery; physical preparation is important, and well worth the effort.
Adventure trek routes are located in areas of Cusco that don’t naturally connect with a Machu Picchu visit. A Machu Picchu extension can be easily added either before or after your trek!
Wakara Pukara is a breathtaking Inca fortress perched high above the Apurimac Canyon, several hours outside of Cusco. Along with gorgeous views, the fortress features remarkable stone workmanship and the opportunity to explore Inca ruins without Machu Picchu- sized crowds Arriving at the ruins involves trekking through hilly terrain, past streams, lakes, and expanding views of the canyon below. It’s not uncommon to spot a group of roaming vicunas, migratory birds, and other wildlife.
Wakara Pukara is an excellent trek for anyone with a deep interest in archeology and Inca history. It’s also a beautiful route for getting out of the city, stargazing, appreciating Cusco’s incredible natural beauty, and getting off the regular tourism circuit.
Our 3D/2N trek to the Quelccaya ice fields offers the unique opportunity to experience the largest tropical glacier in South America. While Quelccaya is one of the largest glaciated areas in the tropics, it is also retreating rapidly. In other words, this is your chance to see a quickly disappearing natural wonder! On this 3D/2N program, you’ll spend a full day exploring the borders of the field and enjoying incredible high altitude scenery. Along with Quelccaya, the area features dramatic, snowcapped peaks, gorgeous lakes and herds of roaming alpacas.
Express Quelccaya is ideal for trekkers interested in experiencing Cusco climates in their extreme. Quelccaya is an extremely remote, high altitude trek which offers unforgettable Andean scenery for those who make the journey.
The Rainbow Mountain & Ausangate 4D/3N trek takes travelers through some of the most stunning scenery in the Cusco area. Beginning with the world-famous Rainbow Mountain, this gorgeous route meets up with the well known Ausangate Circuit route. Trekkers follow the base of the Ausangate Masiff, through colored hills and valleys, past scenic lakes and high peaks for 2.5 days before returning to Cusco.
This route allows trekkers to explore Vinicunca ( Cusco’s Rainbow Mountain) without the crowds, then continue through the impressive Vilcanota mountain range. The enormous Ausangate Massif is it’s most famous feature.
Cusco is an ideal destination for adventure travelers and outdoor enthusiasts. In particular, trekkers with an interest in Inca history, local culture and extreme landscapes have many options when deciding on a Cusco- based adventure. We hope this post will help inspire dreams of exploration, and get your Cusco travel plans on the right path!
Ayni Peru is available for questions, comments and additional details. Please contact us for quotes, departure dates, and trek inclusions: [email protected]
