A Hiking Guide to the Huchuy Qosqo Trek — ALONG DUSTY ROADS

Important Things to Know Before the Huchuy Qosqo Hike

1. Whilst this is not a difficult hike, it’s not the easiest either. It is super long at 7+ hours, sections are at relatively high altitude, and the downhill parts can be tough on the knees. For this reason, we really wouldn’t recommend attempting it unless you’re well acclimatised (read more on how to avoid altitude sickness) of pretty decent fitness, and have hiking experience.

2. Take plenty of layers. Because of the huge changes in altitude, you’ll go from pretty chilly to very warm. We started the hike in shorts and jumpers (although trousers and a wooly hat wouldn’t have been amiss at the beginning|), and finished stripped down to vests. We wouldn’t attempt this hike if there has been a lot of rainfall in previous days.

3. Bring all supplies and enough cash with you, as for obvious reasons, there is nowhere to source anything once on the hike.

4. Prepare for a long day of walking. We set off from our hostel at 7.30 am and didn’t return until after dark. The actual hike will take around 7 – 8 hours depending how long you stop for lunch, photos and to explore the ruins.

5. There are a few spots where you can fill travel filter water bottles along the way (especially on the descent) – if you don’t have these, ensure you bring sufficient supplies of water.

6. Be sure to use sunscreen. The sun was hidden behind clouds for duration of our hike but we still got burnt.

7. The isolated nature also means we’d probably advise against solo hikers unless you’re super confident and have informed someone exactly when you expect to return. It’s a good idea for anyone heading on the hike to let someone at your hostel / accommodation know your plans too.

8. Charge up your phone and bring a battery pack if you have one, and have All Trails, Maps.Me and / or a Google Map downloaded.

For more general advice and tips, check out our other article: 12 Essential Things To Know Before Hiking in Peru

Getting to the Start of the Hike

If you visit and discover that any prices or logistics have changed, we’d love to hear from you in the comments. This is one of the only guides our there that coversthis specific route up to Huchuy Qosqo so we want to keep it as up to date as possible.

To begin with, you need to make your way to the colectivo stop at Calle Pavacitos (the last time we were in Cusco it was located here but a reader has recently gotten in touch to let us know it has moved to this street – again, if…