The Patabamba-Qenqo to Huchuy Qosqo Trek

If you’re looking for a quieter trail with all the same breathtaking views of the Peruvian landscape as with other, more well-known trails, then you can’t go wrong with the Huchuy Qosqo day hike.

Patabamba-Qenqo to Huchuy Qosqo Trek Itinerary

Highlights of the day: Hiking through the stunning Andean scenery, located over the mountains of Sacred Valley. Then the footpath descends to the Leon Punku canyon, a pretty spectacular entrance to a humid valley and following the original Inca trail, you finally get to see the Huchuy Qosqo.

• Hiking distance: 12 Km. / 7.4 mile
• Estimated hiking time: 7 to 8 Hours
• Maximum altitude point: 4,000m (13,123ft).
• Difficulty: Moderate

Tour Plan: Cusco – Patabamba – Qenqo – Huchuy Qosqo – Lamay (Sacred Valley) – Cusco

To begin an epic one-day hike to Huchuy Qosqo through Patabamba-Qenqo hiking route, we pick you up from your hotel or Airbnb in Cusco at 6:00am. We’ll then drive you in a private transport for 1.5 hours to the trailhead located in the tiny village of Qenqo 3,600m (11,811 ft).

Along the way, we’ll pass by Sacsayhuaman, Puca Pucara and head over the mountains, enjoying breathtaking sight of the Andes that Cusco and Sacred Valley offers to the small town of Ccorao and then branch off on a dirt road to the village of Patabamba and Qenqo, to reach the starting point of the trek.

This day trek begins in the middle of a landscape between Qenqo and Siwar, small Andean villages of agricultural farmers, shepherds and weavers who preserve age-old traditions. In the morning, we will start out, a gentle climb of 1 hours to the highest point of the day, which is the Siwar Pass 4,000m (13,123ft).

During the trek, we’ll pass through a wonderful Andean landscape where you’ll spot llamas and alpacas and enjoying the stunning landscape of the Sacred Valley of the Incas and see far in the distance the villages such as Pisac, Lamay and Calca as you head towards a scenic mountain pass of the Huchuy Qosqo Trek.

Once we reach to the highest point of the Huchuy Qosqo trek, you will be rewarded with some of the country’s most stunning scenery, sweeping mountain vistas, Urubamba Mountain range and its snow capped peaks of Mount Veronica, Pitusiray, Sawasiray, Chicon and San Juan.

After a well-deserved short break at scenic mountain pass and capturing amazing images. Then, we’ll begin to descent, passing a small village of Pucamarca with thatched-roof homes and reach to the old Inca Trail.

Then, we will continue the hiking through beautiful green valleys, enjoying awesome views of agricultural terraces and enter the canyon and go through the impressive Puma Punku (“The Puma Gate”).

From here, we’ll hike along an original section of the Inca trail, which has been restored as part of the Qhapaq Ñan project. The Inca Trail is one of the most well-renowned routes worldwide, so this is an exciting addition to your hike.

This trail will lead us between tarwi (Lupinus), small cactuses, Queñua trees, following the stream to the isolated and mysterious Inca site of Huchuy Qosqo (“the little Cusco”) that sits perched above the Sacred Valley of the Incas at 3,600m (11,811 ft), and it bounded by streams on both sides.

As we are walking down, the views alone are worth the trek, as we’ll have panoramic vistas up and down the valley, and to the mountains beyond. Few more minutes walking, we reach the main destination of the trip, HUCHUY QOSQO!!

When we arrive, you’ll have plenty of time to explore Huchuy Qosqo and its various sectors, where you’ll see large two-story buildings with intricate stonework that possibly housed Viracocha himself, as well as sectors for administration and the storage of corn and other crops.

The Inca agricultural terraces at Huchuy Qosqo are also quite a sight, having been remarkably well-preserved over the centuries. We can also visit the Inca irrigation channel, which runs for an impressive 800 meters and would have kept Huchuy Qosqo and its terraces well supplied with water. It’s a really interesting place to visit, and you’ll learn a lot about the Incas.

Your guide will show you all the most interesting parts of Huchuy Qosqo, explaining the history as you explore the site. After your guided tour, we’ll enjoy our delicious box lunch, and after a short rest, we have to begin our 2-hour descent a switchback trail to the village of Lamay (2,941 m / 9,649 ft) that’s next to the Urubamba River in the Sacred Valley.

Our beautiful Huchuy Qosqo trek ends in Lamay, where we’ll board our transport and head back to Cusco. You’ll have plenty of time this evening to get some rest and head out for dinner.