Choquequirau, a remote ridge-top Inca site, is a bit tricky to reach, but  your efforts are well rewarded at the end of this Inca trail. Currently, the only way to reach the ruins is by foot, but this will all be changing soon because UNESCO is funding tourist authorities to make the site more accessible to the masses. So now is the time to go because within a few years the trek will be strewn with gringo garbage and straggling walkers breaking the delicate silence. It is possible to book a tour with a travel agency in Cuzco if you're willing to pay US$160-180 for the 4-day trek, but the magical part about the trek is the solitude and quietness you find in this remote part of Peru, so it is definitely recommended to go on your own. However, because it is in such a remote location, it is suggested to at least go with other friends in case of injury. You need to bring all your own gear, including tent, sleeping bag, cooking stove, food, and water purifier or tablets, which can all be purchased or rented in Cuzco. The trail to Choquequirau can be reached from the town of Cachora. To get to Cachora, you can take a bus from Cusco heading towards Abancay, but make sure to ask the driver to let you out at the turn-off for Cachora. The bus ride is about four hours, and from the turn-off you can take a thirty minute taxi ride to Cachora. If you're willing to shell out a few extra soles, a quicker alternative is to take a collectivo, a shared-taxi, from Cuzco to the turn-off, which only takes a couple of hours, and then take a separate taxi the remainder of the way to Cachora. It is about an hour walk to the beginning of the trail from Cachora; just ask any of the friendly locals who will more than gladly show you the way. Approximately 100 meters past the arched sign for the beginning of the trail, there is a 100-year-old adobe farmhouse on the right, where you can find Dime, a local campesino and guide, who will take you on the trail with mules to carry your packs. The trail is very well laid out and it is not necessary to have a guide, but highly recommended because the trail is steeper and more challenging than most Westerners, even experienced trekkers, have come across. Depending on whom you ask, the trek is 60-70 kilometers, and even though it is possible to do it in three days, because of the intense heat and steepness of the climb, it is better to take four days to complete. The layout of the trail is essentially climbing down one side of a mountain, crossing a river, and climbing up the other side, higher than you originally started, to the Inca site, and then reversing your journey to return. The trail starts out flat for about two hours, and then you start the three-hour descent to the Rio Apurimac. It is possible to camp alongside the river, but there is a camping site about thirty minutes prior to the river, and is better for its solitude and lack of mosquitoes. And besides, it is not every night that you can fall asleep on an Inca terrace, under a blanket of shooting stars and the Southern Cross. It is best to get an early start, such as 4A.M., because of the intense heat that hits the valley as soon as the sun rises, especially from September - December. Once across the bridge over the Rio Apurimac, the precipitous ascent begins. Despite there being switchbacks built into the trail, it feels as if you are climbing straight up the side of the mountain, with Choquequirau always looming in the distant clouds. After about three-hours, you reach the "town" of Santa Rosa. The "town" consists of a small shack where it is possible to purchase Inca Kola, and a small religious monument, which makes for a great place to seek shade from the burning sun and rest your weary legs. You can also find a lot of bamboo sticks in the area to aid your climb. Another three-hours of ascending, takes you to a flat part of trail, where you can find open fields of grass along the cliffs edge. This is a great spot to camp if you're doing the trek in three days; if you're doing the trek in four days, you can rest here awhile until you continue on to the campsite at the ruins. To reach the Inca site, you continue down the rolling trail for about an hour and a half. There is a viewing area about an hour before the site, where you can take in the full vision of the condor-shaped Choquiquerau and surrounding agricultural terraces built into the hillside. It is an enthralling place to sit and enjoy the greatest aspect of the area's beauty - its secrecy and solitude. Alone on the path, you have this magical place all to yourself, minus a few Peruvian workers you pass along the way. Without seeing any other gringos, you finally have the opportunity to experience the nature of Peru as it is meant to be experienced- in quiet contemplation. From here, you can carry on down the path to explore inside the ruins, which are bigger than Machu Picchu. It is also possible to camp just above the ruins if you are taking four days to do the trek. Allow yourself plenty of daylight to wander around the ruins because there are so many parts to discover that you could spend weeks in there and still not cover all of it. The return trek is the exact same way you came. For the four-day trekkers, it is best to spend the third night on the other side of the river. You can enjoy a refreshing dip in the river and even sleep near the restaurant that is currently being constructed, similar to the restaurant on the third night of the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, preparing for the masses in the coming years, and think about what will happen to this place and its people in five years time. It is about a four to five hour climb back up the mountain, and again it is advised to get an early start so you can beat the heat of the day; make sure to take along plenty of water from the water tap at the camping site. Once you reach the top of the switchbacks at the end of the ascent there is a much welcomed shelter, where you can seek cover from the wind and collapse into a heap of exhaustion and gratitude for having had the privilege of such a mystical and unforgettable experience. Julie Koppel is originally from Westlake Village, California. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. in Psychology, and this year completed the AmeriCorps NCCC in Charleston, South Carolina. Recently back from a volunteer internship building cleaner burning stoves in Peru, she is leaving soon for another volunteer internship in South Africa. Her future plans include pursuing a Master's Degree in Anthropology and continuing her travels. Ms. Koppel has recently self-published a travel narrative entitled, Say What I Will: A Traveler's Declaration, featuring tales ranging from being lost in the Australian Outback to navigating the streets of Cambodia. Check out the website: www.bryceexplorationsinc.com or contact Julie at bryceexplorations@hotmail.com Julie's Home page on Faxts