Cachicata Inca Quarry Trail

1 Day Hike

This one day trek to Cachicata Inca Quarry is beautiful where visit some of the lesser-known places outside of busy Ollantaytambo – the last remaining “living Inca village”. This fabulous day hike offers a stunning view of the Urubamba mountain range and its Mt Veronica (5.860m/ 19,226ft), towering over the Sacred Valley. The Inca quarry hike is a great warm-up trek and perfect for training for the Inca Trail! The Cachicata hike to the Inca Quarries begins in Ollantaytambo crossing the Urubamba River on the Inca-bridge, and where we observe how ancient Incan foundations still serve to this day for a modern structure to be laid across.

The highlight of this day trek is the Gate of the Sun (3,900 m/ 12,795 ft) located on a hilltop, a unique place with a snowcapped mountain at the background and perfect to shoot amazing photos of the mountain through the gate. Ollantaytambo boasts some of the most amazing stonework in the whole Sacred Valley, and this trek takes you right to the source – the ancient Inca stone quarry! A place where the Incan stonecutters worked cutting, molding and shaping the rocks for the construction of the sun temple in Ollantaytambo, and some ancient burials with skeletons inside are still seen today. Many parts of Sacred Valley are only now becoming open to the public and Inca Quarry trail is one of them. Even the locals were unaware of this great trail until a couple of years ago, as such, the area is still very much unexplored by tourists. The Cachicata hike to the Inca Quarries is a steep, 2.5-3h uphill hike. It’s a pretty challenging day hike, but the views of this impressive Andean peak and the Inca history that is brought to life make the effort well worth it!

* This hike requires a bit of experience in mountain trekking since the trail surface is dirt, rocky, with very steep sections.

Tour Details
Hiking distance: 16 km / 9.96 miles
Hiking time: 6 – 7 hours (depending on your fitness levels)
Physical Grading: Moderate to demanding
Activities Type: Cultural Adventure, Hiking, Archaeology Adventures
Group Size: Tours are personalized in private service, you decide the number of travelers in your group.
Service Type: Private Personalized Tours
From/ pick up location: Hotels in Cusco or Sacred Valley (Ollantaytambo and Urubamba), or another place. just let us know
To/ drop-off location: Any hotel in Cusco or Sacred Valley (Ollantaytambo and Urubamba), Including Ollantaytambo train station or another place, just let us know.

This trek to cachicata Inca Quarry is definitely a picturesque 1-day hike in the proximity of the Sacred Valley and off the beaten path trail.