The Q'eros live and work high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. These native people, which have been largely hidden & isolated for the past 500 years, possess an ancient spiritual knowledge which originates directly from the Incas. This knowledge, which is still largely unknown, encourages people to be more aware of the need to change the ways in which we interact with each other and our planet Earth. Q'eros healers have recently begun to travel to Machu Picchu, to Western Europe, including the Netherlands, to carry that message. The Q'eros still speak in their ancient language, the Quechua (pronounced "Ketsjuwa"). For most of their existence, they have had only very limited and rare contacts with the Peruvian government or the church. Consequently, they continue to live in their traditional way of life and are largely self-supporting. They live in 5 tiny villages, each consisting of about 30-35 individual houses at an altitude of 3,350 meters. Hatun Q'eros is the principal village. They grow several crops, including potatos, tend their llamas and alpacas, all in the old traditional way, as did the Incas long before.
Trek Overview:
* Duration: 5 days/4 nights.
* Starting Point: Cusco/Paucartambo/Kallacancha.
* Ending Point: Q'eros Community/Cusco.
* Physical Demand Rating: Moderate.
* Age Restriction: 12-year old children.
* Trip Code: MTS - 009.
* Tour Type: Trekking.
* Accommodations: 4 nights camping.
* Service Level: Standard - Deluxe.
* Guarantee: Departure is guaranteed.
* Style: Personalized.
* Carbon Emissions: 350 CO2-E.
* Group Size: 2 minimum, 10 maximum.
* Transport: Train, walk, Mini-van.
* Price from: US $
Day 01: Cusco - Ninamarca - Kallacancha - Qollpa
We'll pick you up from your hotel at 7:00am, we leave from Cusco about 7:30am to go to Paucartambo. We pass through beautiful countryside and several traditional villages including Huancarani & Ninamarca, where we'll have the opportunity to stop in the pre-Inca Chullpas (Burial Towers) to take some photos. Arriving at Paucartambo at 12:30 we will have our lunch, after that we'll continue our trip to Kallacancha (one hour & a half), and we start walking from Kallacancha to Qollpa, in the way, we can see Huamanccacca huge rock where there are many kind of birds, in the afternoon we'll arrive to Qollpa. We spend the first night camping here (L + D).
Day 02: Qollpa – Tantañe (Q'ero Totorani)
After breakfast, we spend all the morning in Qollpa, seeing the costumes of the the native people, this day we can see the Taq'ues, it means "food deposit" like potatoes & other products they produce, after that we can see how they sow the potatoes using traditional tools, then we'll appreciate the famous ritual called "Pago a la Pachamama y a los Apus" (in English it means 'payment to mother earth & mountain gods'), after lunch we'll see off and we are going to Tantañe (Q'ero Totorani), we spend the second night here camping, and then we get our dinner (B + L + D).
Day 03: Tantañe - Jatun Q'eros
After a good breakfast, we'll go to the native community of Jatun Q'eros our principal destination, in this road we can visit the village of Q'ero Totorani, this village is part of the mythical Q'eros, we have our lunch in Jatun Q'eros. We spend the afternoon visiting around Jatun Q'eros like some houses, the primary school, we'll observe how they live, we can speak with some people who lives in Jatun Q'eros, after this visit we have free time, camping and we have our dinner (B + L + D).
Day 04: Jatun Q'eros - C'hampacancha
We enjoy a nice breakfast before we start our trek for about 7 hours, we leave from Jatun Q'eros at 9:00am to C'hampacancha, we walk up to Chuwa-chuwa, we visit Chuwa-chuwa village where we'll have our lunch. From here, we have a quite descent walking on the thick gravel layer in the trail. The walk is quite flat and nice. A beautiful and mysterious scenery. Upon arrival at the small community of C'hampacancha we set up our camp and we have our dinner (B + L + D).
Day 05: C'hampacancha – Kallacancha – Cusco
After a solid breakfast, we will start the walk towards Kallacancha. On the hike we can appreciate the Qollpa village again. We will stop in Huamanccacca to have our lunch and after that we continue to Kallacancha, for approximately 1 hour, here is the end of our walk and we'll take our private transport back to Cusco. We will arrive in Cusco approximately at 6:30 PM (B + L).
OUR SERVICE INCLUDES:
- Collection from your hotel in the morning and transfer in private transport to Paucartambo (Kallacancha), the starting point of the trek.
- Personal tents: 2 people in each 3-people tent, to allow for higher comfort and a safe keeping of backpacks.
- One mattress per person.
- Cook, cooking equipment and kitchen tent.
- Bilingual and local guide (English & Spanish).
- Horsemen & horses (to carry tents, food & cooking equipment) or llamas.
- Horses to carry personal gear up to 12 kg. per passenger.
- 1 emergency horse every 2 persons.
- Accommodation for our guides, cook & horsemen.
- Meals (Vegetarian food available on request; 4 B, 5 L, 4 D + daily morning snacks + daily tea service, except last day).
- Others: hot water every morning & evening for washing purposes/boiled water to fill in your water bottle.
- First-aid kit, including emergency Oxygen bottle.
- Private transport from Kallacancha to Cusco, including transfer to your hotel in Cusco.
OPTIONAL:
- Ritual Ceremony "Pago a la Pachamama" (Payment to the Mother Earth).
NOT INCLUDED:
- Sleeping bag.
- Tips: please beware that our agency staff is normally paid, so please feel free to tip or not according to your wish.
Daily Departures: Departures are available along the year, although due to weather conditions, the recommended period for this trek is April to November.
YOU SHOULD BRING:
- A backpack with a change of clothes for the whole period of the trek.
- Rain gear (jacket & pants if available) or rain poncho.
- Strong footwear, waterproof trekking boots recommended.
- Warm clothes, including jacket, fleeces. Thermal clothing is also recommended, especially for sleeping.
- Sleeping bag (it can be hired in our agency for US $ 4,00/day).
- Mattress: will be provided by the agency but is to be carried by you, lightweight.
- Flashlight and some extra batteries.
- Camera, films & extra batteries (batteries wears more quickly under cold conditions).
- Hat or cap to protect you from the sun, rain, wind and cold.
- Sunblock, toilet paper.
- After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face & body.
- Insect repellent – minimum recommended 25% DEET – no malaria risk has been reported.
- Handkerchiefs.
- Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, Muesli, etc. Please beware that we do provide a daily morning snack and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. This recommendation applies for all clients being used to a specific snack, as it may happen that it is not included in our selection.
- Non-disposable canteen (Nalgene type) and water for the first morning. Optionally: water sterilizing tablets or pump in case you pick up water from streams or rivers along the route... Otherwise, we provide filtered boiled water, which is safe to drink and has not been reported with any health problem so far.
- Small towel.
Hot Shower along the trek: Unfortunately not yet, but a little hot water will be offered to you every morning for a quick wash, and very important to use this service before meals.
Temperatures during the day: If you are walking in the sun, it is very hot and feels like 18 degrees Celsius, but when you walk through the forest or in the shadow of a mountain, it can feel like 10 degrees almost immediately. At night on the second night, it could get to -5 degrees Celsius if you are really unlucky but more likely just freezing ! Main hint for dealing with the temperatures is to try & keep your body temp as regular as possible by using layers of clothes; so, when you feel cool put on an extra layer before you get cold and if you start to feel warm take off a layer before you perspire which will leave you with a chill later if you don't take care.
How difficult is the Q'eros nation trek ?: The Inca Trail is considered a moderate hike. It's not a technical hike but there are steep ascents and descents, and the altitude may affect some individuals. We recommend purchasing a wooden walking stick while in Peru, as it will help with your balance and reduce the load on your knees. We ask that you not use a metal-tipped walking stick, as it can harm the fragile environment along the trail.
Enviroment: The walk is surrounded with beautiful natural landscapes, rivers, valleys and small lakes surrounded by the mountain gods (apus), with its imposing glaciars. We can see the traditional culture of the Q'eros community, the Q'eros kept the last secrets of the Incas.
Lodging & Prices: Our team of travel consultants has carefully selected the Hotels based on their excellent value and high standards. (Lower Prices + Top Service = Best Value). We can book any hotel for you at competitive rates, but published prices are based on the Qeros Tours Peru Top Hotel Picks.
Occupancy Hotel Category
Double/Triple, Tourist 2-star, Superior 3-star, Deluxe 4/5-star
Price from: 000 SS$ 000 SS$ 000 SS$
Prices may vary according to season, availability & client preferences. Certain transport costs may not be included. Please contact one of our expert Travel Consultants for more information.