Plans for cable car access to Inca ruins at Choquequirao
12th June 2012
Machu Picchu's 'sister site' is only accessible by overnight trek but new plans to build a cable car will make the Inca ruins easier to reach
Plans are in motion to construct a cable car providing easy access to Choquequirao in Peru. The ruined Inca city is, at the moment, only accessible by a two day hike from the town of Cachora, just outside Cusco. The site of the stunning architectural structures and terracing is considered by many to be as important as Machu Picchu, but receives far fewer visitors because of the difficulty of access.
An eco-tourism consortium will conduct a pre-investment study in the hopes of attracting beneficiaries to the project, which envisions a four kilometer cable car running over the Apurímac River valley. This would allow 3,000 visitors a day access to the site high on the hillside surrounded by snow-capped peaks, alleviating some of the pressure on the ever-popular Machu Picchu.
Choquequirao is sometimes known as Machu Picchu's 'sacred sister' but its history is shrouded in mystery. Built in the second half of the 15th century by successors of Pachacutec, the Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cusco, the site held strong against the attempts of Spanish conquerors in the 1500s.
The journey to Choquequirao is a strenuous trek and, during the rainy season, can become washed out and treacherous. The cable-car system would bring a much-needed injection of money into the Apurimac region and allow visitors to reach the site in only 30 minutes.
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