Moonstone Trek 5 day offers alternate hike to Machu Picchu. This trek passes by local communities which offer great opportunities to grasp a better understanding of the harshness of living in the Andes. All our travelers love the Moonstone Trek to Machu Picchu Trek, a superb alternative to the traditional Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Trek.
Trekking the Moonstone Trail in Peru is A Brilliant Alternative to the Inca Trail in 2022 - on this remote route you see few if any other trekkers moon stone trek is off the beaten path of peru, so you have this spectacular eastern extension of the Inca Trail all to yourself. No permits are necessary. You follow the footsteps of the Incas who built a high route from their capital city Cusco westward through the rugged cordillera and filled their empire with amazing temples and royal residences.You also explore amazing Inca stonework in an enormous 15th-century quarry site of Cachiqata. This is an isolated route with unexplored ruins, discovery at every turn and great mountain views – an excellent introduction to high wild andes.
“GET UP. GO. EXPLORE.”
ALL DEPARTURES 100% GUARANTEED - IF YOU'RE BOOKED, YOU'RE GOING
BRIEFING: The day before the trek, you will meet with your trekking guide at our EXPLORE ADVENTURES office and meet all the members of your group. Your guide will explain to you about the trek, route and all the necessary recommendations will be provided to you. This will take approximately 40 minutes, where you will receive your duffel bags that will be carried by horses along the trail.
OVERVIEW
Day 1: CUSCO,KILLARUMUYOQ ,CHILLIPAWA camp at 3,750m/12,300’
Day 2: CHANCACHUCO camp at 4,350 m/14,268’
Day 3: HUAYRAPUNKU/CACHIQATA QUARRY camp at 3,525m/11,562’
Day 4: OLLANTAYTAMBO/MACHU PICCHU hotel at aguas calientes tonw
Day 5: MACHU PICCHU afternoon back to Cusco 
DON'T JUST TRAVEL. EXPLORE! Explore Adventures Peru team!!
ITINERARY
Day 1: Cusco – Killarumuyoq – Chillipawa
We take a private minibus to the trailhead, stopping first to explore Killarumiyoq. This is an ANCIENT ENIGMATIC MEGALITHIC “SUN CALENDAR”. The Moonstone itself is a large carving on an enormous natural rock probably used for astronomical purposes. We then continue to Huarocondo village and finally through the Pomatales narrow valley we arrive to Mollinoyoc. The trailhead is in a quiet, dusty valley and we soon climb high enough from the floor to enjoy some great views. At around lunch time we stop to explore the imposing Wari pre-Incan fortress of Wata. The ruin located in the most stunning spot. The path then traverses along a green side valley and Andean native trees as we make our way above a few tiny villages before entering the village of Chillipawa, where we camp.
Day 2: Chillipawa – Ancascocha Valley– Chancachuco
A long, steady climb with plenty of rest stops to aid acclimatisation takes us above the villages and into the high pampas – rugged meadows of long grass. We normally stop for lunch shortly before the crest of the Accoccosa Pass (and the very rare Andean Flicker is sometimes seen (although often heard!). The last leg of the pass is on loose red scree, but the view from the top makes it all worthwhile: a broad, hidden valley surrounded by snowy peaks – the Huayanay Range on the left, the Urubamba Range straight ahead and beautiful, triangular Mt Veronica (5,800m) to the right. We have time to explore this plateau and experience walking in the high altiplano before returning to our camp for a well-deserved hot dinner. The camp’s isolation, well away from any settlements, results in spectacular night skies when clear.
Day 3: Chancachuco – Qachiqata
We start after breakfast by following the stream from down this hidden valley into a narrow canyon. Rare polylepis trees grow here and we pass through a small grove as we leave the canyon. Our path then turns north and traverses very high above a deep and steep valley separating us from the Huayanay Mountains. This is probably the most spectacular section of the trek and we roughly follow a (now defunct) Inca aqueduct spectacularly carved out of the cliffs to take water from the hidden valley of our campsite to the Sacred Valley several miles away. At the end of the traverse we have a short but steep climb up to our lunch spot, a flat, ridge-top meadow facing straight across the Sacred Valley to the snowy Urubamba Range. After lunch we walk down to Huayraqpunku. Meaning “Gate of the Wind”, this is a ridge-top Inca shrine oriented to Mt Veronica, of which it has a simply incredible view. Finally a short walk brings us to our final campsite in amongst the granite stones of theQachiiqata Quarry. It was here that huge blocks were cut from the rose-coloured granite before being dragged down the mountainside and across the river to the Sun Temple at Ollantaytambo
Day 4: Qachiqata – Ollantaytambo
Photographers are advised to wake up before dawn this morning, to watch the sun rise over the Sacred Valley from our campsite high above it. The sun’s first rays catching the glaciers of Veronica glaciers. This is our last day on the trek and we descend from the pampas down into the lush valley floor along the enormous stone ramps on which the Incas dragged the stones. We cross the river and explore the huge Sun Temple located at Ollantaytambo complex to see where the stones ended and what use they were put to. Our trek ends as we board the train to Aguas Calientes.
Day 5: Machu Picchu – Cusco
After spending the previous night in a comfortable hotel, we can take the earliest bus up from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu, arriving around 6:00 am. After having an interesting 3 hours guided tour of the ruins, you will have some extra time to explore the ruins on your own. After enjoying the citadel, take the bus down to Aguas Calientes where you will board a train in the afternoon that will take you back to Cusco, arriving to in the evening.
INCLUDED
With the Moonstone Trek Package you will receive:
Cultural Immersion Experience
- Visit to Patabamba village
- Home stay at the community
- Explore the community with your guide and share the day in the lives of QUECHUAS.
Transportation and tickets
- Private transportation from Cusco to trailahead
- Round trip bus tickets Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu
- Train ticket from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes
- Train ticket from Aguas Calientes to Cusco
- Transfer from Cusco train station back to your Cusco hotel
- Entrance ticket to Machu Picchu
- hotel in Aguas Calientes
Equipment
- Sleeping liner and mat
- Dining & bathroom equipment
- Tents for two people (single tents available for extra cost)
- Saddled horse (1 saddled horse for every six passengers)
- First-aid kit
- Tables and seats
- First aid kit/Emergency oxygen bottle
Team
- Professional, knowledgeable bilingual guide
- A cook to prepare your meals
- Mule handlers and mules
Food
- High quality meals to provide the necessary energy for this challenging trek (including vegetarian options upon request)
- In addition to three meals daily, you will be given revitalizing snacks
- Hot drinks such as tea and coffee, as well as enough water for your canteens, water bottles, or hydration packs (collected from local streams and boiled while on the trek)
Not Included
- Sleeping bag
- Breakfast on the first day
- Lunch on the last day
- Tips
PRICE
Price per person: US$750 (Minimum 2 persons; departures all year)
* We include duffle bags 8kls and a horse that will carry your personal belongings in all of our treks at no additional cost.
*Emergency horse available throughout the trek, in the event someone is not feeling well.
Discounts
- Student Discount (with valid ISIC card) – $25
- Under 15 Discount – $25
- Under 7 Discount – $35
Rentals
- Hiking poles - US$15.00 (pair)
- Sleeping bag -4 season - US$30.00
- Private Tent - US$30.00
- Air mattress -$15
Extras
Would you also like to hike Huayna Picchu? Sure you we can make it! Its price is US$85.00 per person and there are 2 turns (at 7 am and 10am), Only 400 people can hike Huaynapicchu per day. You will climb it on your own after the tour in Machu Picchu, starting around 10:00 a.m. We recommend that you book your tickets in advance to let us know of your interest in Huayna Picchu. Machu Picchu Mountain is an alternative climbing mountain, which also offers fantastic views of Machupicchu. We recommend it if Huayna Picchu Mountain is full.
CANCELLATION:
- 1. Because of the strict regulations of the Machupicchu Park, once you have made your reservation, you cannot cancel the space that you have reserved. You also may not alter the name or date of the reservation. If you are unable to come on the date you have reserved, we cannot reimburse you.
- 2. The $200 deposit is non-refundable. We cannot reimburse the entrance fee to the Inca Trail because the permits are non-refundable and EXPLORE ADVENTURES PERU purchases the tickets from Machupicchu Park when you reserve your spot.
- 3. If you cancel between 30 and 10 days before your trek, you must pay 50% of the total cost.
- 4. If you cancel between 10 and 3 days before your trek, you must pay 80% of the total cost.
- 5. If you cancel one or two days before your trek, you must pay 100% of the total cost.
- 6. In the exceptional case that you decide to head back once you have started the trail, you must pay extra expenses such as food and transportation. You may join the group in Machupicchu for the walking tour and use all of the services onward.
whyEXPLORE
Cultural Immersion Experience
Travel is about meeting the local people and experiencing different ways of life.
That is why EXPLORE ADVENTURES PERU immerses you in the local communities. Visit the most interesting and off the beaten track locations to experience the real Peru! Have a unique cultural adventure at local communities, COMMUNITY STAY and CULTURAL IMMERSION before each trek and take part of our tours.
We are a 100% locally owned and operated company!
EXPLORE ADVENTURES PERU offers an assortment of adventurous treks and exciting tour packages in Peru, specially designed to appeal to most visitors' budgets that doesn't have a negative impact on the environment or adversely affect local communities. EXPLORE ADVENTURES PERU employees are local, Peruvian people. We work to invest in our own country and develop social work to offer our people a better lifestyle and provide opportunities to keep growing. This is the main difference between local companies and foreign companies and associated companies.
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ALL DEPARTURES 100% GUARANTEED - IF YOU'RE BOOKED, YOU'RE GOING
UPGRADES
Upgrades - HOTELS
Belmond Sanctuary Lodge($460 USD),
Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel 5-star hotel($335 USD) , hotel Privileged located at the Urubamba River and only 20 minutes from the famous Machu Picchu archeological site, this 5- star hotel offers comfort, elegance and relaxation, in Andean Design.
Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo 3,5-star hotel ($445USD) , Hotel is a colonial-style property that features massage sessions and an Andean sauna. The spacious rooms feature tile floors and sitting areas.
Tierra Viva Machu Picchu 3-star hotel($110 USD) , hotel Offering impressive views of the surrounding hills, Tierra Viva Cusco Machu Picchu .
Andina Luxury hotel ($100 USD),This hotel is located in Aguas Caliente (Machu Picchu town), a few meters from the railway station en route to the hot springs with a breathtaking view of the surrounding vegetation.
Casa Andina Machu Picchu hotel ($150 USD),Casa Andina Classic Machu Picchu is a cozy and comfortable hotel strategically located in Aguas Calientes, the access point to the Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu.
Restaurants
Indio Feliz Dinner at the Restaurant, Bistro, Bar, Crêperie in MachuPicchu. on Day 1-($35 USD)
Tinkuy Buffet Lunch at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge on Day 2 – US $45
DON'T JUST TRAVEL. EXPLORE! Explore Adventures Peru team!!
Our Treks: Ancascocha Trek – Moonstone Trek – Huchuy Qosqo Trek – Salkantay Trek – Lares Llama Trek – Ausangate Trek – Choquequirao Trek
Optional Tours / Activities : City tour, Sacred Valley , Extreme Sports Cusco, Off the Beaten Track tours.
