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Cachicata Trek or Cachicata Trail is a less known trek. It is an off the beaten track experience.
During the reign of Pachacutec, Incan empire saw a rapid development of infrastructure. Machu Picchu and Choquequirao are a prime example of this. Ollantaytambo was the administrative centre to Incas.
The village houses some of the alluring stoneworks in the whole Sacred Valley. Our one day Cachicata Trek takes you right to the source of it, the massive stone quarry of Incas.
You will be retracing the path of Incas which they took to transport the stones from the quarry to Ollantaytambo, we will reach the Quarry. It is an impressive site. Here you will notice some remains of finely carved pink granite stones scattered around. These pieces of stones are testament to the major stone work in Ollantaytambo which was never realised.
You will also be able to hike up to the Sun Gate (Inti Punku). From here you will get an enchanting view of the snow capped peak of Mount Veronica.
Cachicata Trail is a lifetime experience that many trekkers are still unaware of.
Cusco Hotel Transfer
0800 AM
At 0800 AM, we will be picking you up from your hotel in Cusco. Then in our private transport, we will drive you to Ollantaytambo. It will be a 3 hours drive along the scenic route of Sacred Valley of Incas.
Upon reaching Ollantaytambo, we will get some refreshments to sustain during the trek. We will then follow the main road to a small bridge that crosses the Urubamba river. The trek begins here.
From here we will hike up the hill for almost two and a half hours. We will be climbing from 2800 metres to 3900 metres above sea level. Cachicata houses two quarries. Along the way we will be visiting the small colony which was once the residence of architects and people who worked in the quarry.
Depending on how well we progress, we will stop for lunch at a lower or upper quarry. Optionally, you can hike a further 450 metres on switchbacks to Intipunku (Sungate).
The view from here is simply out-worldly. From here, we will descend along the same way we went up back to the car park in Ollantaytambo. From here, we will be driving you back to Cusco.
This adventure begins with the pick up from your hotel at 8:00 am, and then we go to Ollantaytambo, this small and picturesque town we stop to buy hydrating drinks, snacks and use the toilet services.
After a brief introduction, recommendations, and precautions from our guide, we will start our walk towards the quarries. The climb is gradual and will last approximately 4 hours.
We will observe a great variety of flora and beautiful views of the Sacred Valley in different directions during the journey.
The place is unique that nature offered ancient civilizations a granite rock formation, which they took advantage of to obtain blocks of rocks, which they used for the construction of Ollantaytambo, we were also lucky enough to visit the Inti Punku “sun gate”, considered an enigmatic and very mysterious. According to the guide, This door is oriented towards the snowy Veronica, many use the site as a spiritual retreat.
The Cachicata quarry was the place from where the Incas transported stones to Ollantaytambo. In fact, the Cachicata quarry still has some stones that the Incas abandoned while leaving the town of Ollantaytambo during the Spanish invasion. You will see some beautifully cut stones, that is, tired stones that are still in the quarry.
During the trek you will follow in the footsteps of the Incas, which will give you a deeper understanding of the life and culture of the Incas.