Inka Trail & Ingapirca 3 days

Sample itinerary

• Tour Days
• 1

  Day 1 - Cuenca - Achupallas - Tres Cruces

  Drive from Cuenca to Achupallas. Hike from Achupallas to Tres Cruces. Meals included: B/L/D

• 2

  Day 2 - Tres Cruces - Culebrillas lake - Paredones

  Hike from Tres Cruces to Culebrillas lake and then on to the Paradones ruins to set up camp for the night. Meals included: B/L/D

• 3

  Day 3 - Paredones - San José - Ingapirca

  Hike 4-5 hours from Paredones ruins to the ruins of Ingapirca. Guided tour of Ingapirca. Meals included: B/L/-

• 4

  Inca Trail

  The Inca Trail refers to the remaining portions of the original Inca Royal Road that once linked Cuzco, the Inca capital, with the rest of the Inca Empire, including Tomebamba (where Cuenca now stands) and Quito. Our three-day hike follows a 40km stretch of the route beginning in the village of Achupallas and finishing at the ruins of Ingapirca. The route covers pretty wild, open páramo. There are some amazing ridge walks and great views. Hikers will cover territory ranging from 3100m to 4400m above sea level. The majority is uninhabited except the last portion. The route can be divided into sections that can be covered in a day: · Day one: 6 to 8 hours from Achupallas up to the Tres Cruces valley to Laguna Las Tres Cruces. · Day two: 3 to 4 hours from Laguna las Tres Cruces to a collection of Inca ruins called the Paredones by the shores of Laguna Culebrillas. · Day three: 4 to 5 hours from Paredones ruins to the ruins of Ingapirca. Ingapirca Located at the top of a hill with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside, Ingapirca is the most important Inca complex located in Ecuador. It was built during the Inca expansion into Ecuador at the end of the 15th century on a site that had been occupied by the Cañari people for 500 years. The original Cañari structures were mostly destroyed and replaced by the Incas and their settlement was probably used as a fortress and place of worship on the Inca road between Cuzco and Quito. Today the Temple of the Sun is the only structure that remains mostly intact. The temple features stone walls constructed in the Inca way using massive blocks chiseled to fit together perfectly without the use of mortar.