High Puna, Andean Birdlife and an Evening with a Local Family
Day one of the Huchuy Qosqo Trek 2 Days starts with a 7:30 am pickup from your hotel in Cusco and a short drive up to Tambomachay (3,800 m / 12,467 ft), an Inca water shrine inside the Sacsayhuamán Archaeological Park. This is where you lace up and start walking. The trail climbs steadily through open puna toward the Sicllacasa pass at 4,100 m / 13,451 ft, the day’s high point, where two valleys unfold on either side of you and the old Inca capital sits below to your right, ringed by mountains.
From the pass you contour along the valley wall, roughly 45 minutes of walking to reach its upper end, then step across the small stream that splits the valley in two. Lunch is served at Qoricocha Lake — Golden Lake — where the landscape turns spare and elemental: bare high-altitude terrain between peaks, carpeted in ichu, the coarse bunchgrass that survives at this altitude. Keep your eyes up while you eat. Andean geese, lapwings and partridges all frequent the water here, among other highland species.
Another two hours on foot brings you into Patabamba, the village where you spend the night. Expect a warm reception: the community turns out to greet arriving trekkers, and hospitality here is genuine rather than performed. Once you’ve dropped your bags and had a hot cup of coca tea, you’ll visit one of the local households and hear how families make their living at nearly 3,900 metres. If you’ve brought small gifts from home, this is the moment to share them. The rest of the evening is yours to rest while your guide fills in the wider picture of Andean life, customs and beliefs.
Day 01 Trek Summary
- Walking distance: 12 km / 7.46 mi
- Walking time: 6–7 hours
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Starting elevation: 3,800 m / 12,467 ft
- Minimum elevation: 3,800 m / 12,467 ft
- Highest elevation: 4,100 m / 13,451 ft
- Accommodation elevation: 3,850 m / 12,631 ft
- Meals: Lunch and dinner
- Accommodation: Lodge
