Moonstone Trek to Machu Picchu, 5 days experience in Peru
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5 Days / 4 Nights
Daily Tour
8 people
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Overview
Trek Moonstone to Machu picchu in 5 days
The Moonstone Trail is a fantastic alternative trek to Machu Picchu, following part of the historic Inca Quarry Trail. It has become popular as an authentic option for travelers seeking a genuine Peruvian experience, especially since permits for the famous Inca Trail sell out quickly. This route offers a beautiful and unforgettable adventure through history and nature.
Named after the ancient Quechua carving “Quillarumiyoc” (Moonstone), the trail passes remote Andean villages, little-visited Inca ruins, and breathtaking mountain scenery. Along the way, you will discover temples, royal residences, and the Cachiccata quarry, once used by the Incas to supply stones for Ollantaytambo.
The Moonstone Trail is part of the extensive Inca road network, which stretched from Ecuador to Chile. Unlike the classic Inca Trail, this trek does not require permits and remains quiet, uncrowded, and deeply connected to the natural beauty of the Andes. For those looking for an off-the-beaten-path adventure, the Moonstone Trek to Machu Picchu is a perfect choice.
The best season for hike the Moonstone Trail
The best time to hike the Moonstone Trail is from April to October, during the dry season. Although April and October may still bring some rain and cloudy days, the trail is generally safer and more enjoyable at this time.
From November to March, the rainy season makes the route more difficult, with muddy paths and cloudy skies most of the day. Still, some adventurous travelers enjoy trekking under these extreme conditions—if this is your style, we are happy to arrange it for you.
During the rainy season, the landscapes transform completely. On clear days, you can enjoy lush green valleys, snowy peaks, and the fresh scent of renewed earth. However, Machu Picchu itself is often covered in a thick mist, making it difficult to see Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain.
Best dates to do the Moonstone Trek to Machu Picchu
Between May and August the weather is dry, temperatures are warm in the day and frigid at night (21 ° C and 3 ° C on average). The landscape is between green and yellow, the sky is blue and the sun shines bright almost every day.
Trek Brienfing
Prior to the trek adventure, you need to know all extensive information about this tour. You will meet with your guide who will give you the activities you will be engaging in and will clarify any existing concerns you may have.
Itinerary
DAY 1: Cusco – Quillarumiyoc – Chillipahua
After your breakfast, our guide will come pick you up at your hotel with our touristic bus for a ride that will last about an hour.
Then, we will arrive to the “pampa de Anta” where you will appreciate the work of the Incas and the carved stones in the center of Quillarumiyoc .
The Incas used to own this place for many reasons: its views, its position and its connection with the mother Earth.
We will then take a bus for 25 minutes to go to the village of Huarocondo, and start walking for about 2 hours to get to the Watta archaeological center (3700m), which is a pre-inca construction.
Lunch will be taken after an other 20 minutes walk. The last 2 hours walk will lead us to our campsite in the Chillipahua valley (3700m).
- Accomodation for today: Camp .
- Min Altitude: 3331 m. / 10719 ft.
- Max Altitude: 3700 m. / 12140 ft.
- Distance to walk for today: 12 Km. / 7.46 mi.
- Difficulty of this day: 3.
- Time Statics for this day: Start and End Time: 06:00 am to 06:00 pm, Total enjoying
- hours for today: 12:0 hours, Total Walking Time: 08:00 hours,
DAY 2: Chillipahua – Chancachuco
Warm coffee, nice food… You will be ready after a delicious breakfast to start your day which will be completely different than the previous one.
Along the way, we will go through several local communities and have a look at their daily lives. You will see that it is as if the Incas have not left the place, the people there are still living following the traditions.
We will then go further and further away from the civilization and be in the middle of colored mountains at an elevation reaching 4400 m.
We will go to the top of a reddish mountain and appreciate the view over the other mountains around covered by snow, and finally head to our campsite, Chancachuco (4325 m).
- Accomodation for today: Camp .
- Min Altitude: 3700 m. / 11907 ft.
- Max Altitude: 4400 m. / 14436 ft.
- Distance to walk for today: 7 Km. / 4.35 mi.
- Difficulty of this day: 3.
- Time Statics for this day: Start and End Time: 06:00 am to 06:00 pm, Total enjoying hours
- for today: 12:0 hours, Total Walking Time: 08:00 hours,
DAY 3: Chancachuco – Sun Gate – Cachiccata
Today we will go down little by little to a valley where you can appreciate the work of the Inca and their engineering.
They knew how to bring the water from other far away places and how to use the earth to grow their own food like potatoes, quinua, quiwicha and corn.
We will then keep going down to the Chilca Valley to get a wonderful view over the Veronica mountain, where no agencies and no tourist go because we created the route ourselves.
After a 3 hours walk, we will be in front of the Inti Punku (Inca Sungate) which is at the top of the “Buena Negra” mountain. Later on we will go down to the Inca pits where we will stay overnight at our campsite.
- Accomodation for today: Camp .
- Min Altitude: 3525 m. / 11343 ft.
- Max Altitude: 3940 m. / 12927 ft.
- Distance to walk for today: 8 Km. / 4.97 mi.
- Difficulty of this day: 3.
- Time Statics for this day: Start and End Time: 06:00 am to 06:00 pm, Total enjoying
- hours for today: 12:0 hours, Total Walking Time: 09:00 hours,
DAY 4: Cachiccata – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes
After having breakfast we will go explore the Inca pits where we will discover and appreciate their stone carving, which is the only place to enjoy this type of work.
This ancient Inca quarry gives the name to main road: Inca Quarry Trail.
The best architects of the time chose this place to convert it in a stone mine, where they were carved and then lifted down to Ollantaytambo.
We can nowadays follow the same way and look at the stones left aside all along the path, which we will do in order to reach the village.
There, you will have a 20 minutes guided tour in Ollantaytambo to have a look at many Inca constructions before boarding the train and head to Aguas Calientes. We will have dinner together and stay overnight in a hotel.
- Accomodation for today: Hotel .
- Min Altitude: 2040 m. / 6565 ft.
- Max Altitude: 2792 m. / 9161 ft.
- Distance to walk for today: 7 Km. / 4.35 mi.
- Difficulty of this day: 3.
- Time Statics for this day: Start and End Time: 06:00 am to 06:00 pm, Total enjoying
- hours for today: 12:0 hours, Total Walking Time: 06:00 hours,
DAY 5: Aguas Calientes (Machu Pichu town) – Machu Picchu Ruins – Cusco
Breakfast will be taken early in order to take the bus and arrive at Machu Pichu before the rush. The tour with our guide inside the ruins will not last more than 2 hours, but you will have free time afterwards to explore the city on your own.
Later on, we will go back down to Aguas Calientes to take the train and go to Ollantaytambo. There, our bus will bring us back to Cusco and then directly to your hotel.
- Time Statics for this day: Start and End Time: 06:00 am to 06:00 pm, Total enjoying hours for today: 12:0 hours,
Included/Excluded
- 4 Breakfasts/ 5 Lunches/ 5 Dinners.
- Bathroom tent.
- Comfortable tent for 4 persons.
- Cooks.
- Dinning room tent.
- Drinking water.
- Emergency horse.
- Entrance ticket for Machu Pichu.
- Horses carrying 8 kg of luggages per each person.
- Hotel in Aguas Calientes town.
- Kitchen tent.
- Mattresses.
- Muleteers.
- Oxygen tank.
- Round bus ticket from Aguas Calientes town to Machu Pichu- machupicchu to aguas calientes town.
- Round train ticket from Ollantaytambo to Machu Pichu- machupicchu to ollantaytambo-cusco.
- Tables and chairs.
- Tourist guide fluent in English, Spanish and quechua.
- Transport to bring you to the start of the trek.
- Lunch for the 5th day.
- Sleeping bag.
- Tips for the Crew, cook and muleteers.
- Walking Sticks.
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