The Andean foothills, among the clouds — the landscape the last Inca expedition toward Paititi would have seen.
First contact with one of the site's walls, still wrapped in moss and vegetation.
Expedition tour — Lacco Valley
The alternative ending to Machu Picchu — the last great journey of the Incas is believed to have passed through the Sacred Valley, Kallarayan and Huchuy Cusco, before ending at Paititi (probably located in the Pantiacolla plateau, north of the Toporaké mountain range). A 12-18 day expedition to a pyramidal site discovered in 2017, 5 days' walk from the Lacco valley.
This route probably passed through the Lacco-Mapacho valley and probably led to a city called Paititi or Pantiacollo (probably located in the Pantiacolla plateau, north of the Toporaké mountain range), several days' walk north of Lacco-Mapacho — an alternative ending, far less known, to the classic route toward Machu Picchu.
The pyramidal site was discovered in 2017 by Javier Pazo Chipa, Benancio Encalada Paravicino, Justo Huamán Poma, and Belisario Álvarez Ocampo. The Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco (DDCC) officially confirmed that the site was unknown in its records.
The Andean foothills, among the clouds — the landscape the last Inca expedition toward Paititi would have seen.
First contact with one of the site's walls, still wrapped in moss and vegetation.
The expedition first heads to the limits of the Megantoni National Sanctuary, without entering it, paying the corresponding TUPA fee to the local Sernanp, with the agreement of the area's campesinos.
Depending on the authorizations obtained from the Peruvian administration, this second, much more physical stage consists of taking part in cleaning the pyramidal site within Megantoni — whose real extent remains unknown, but which covers at least one hectare of terracing, platforms, corral walls, and andenes — or exploring other nearby sites, including the famous lost city called Pantiacollo or Paititi (probably located in the Pantiacolla plateau, north of the Toporaké mountain range), according to tradition.
One of the site's stone walls, still covered in moss and dense vegetation.
Clean-up and clearing work on one of the walls, tool in hand.
The trek begins after a motorized approach (car, bus, or truck) of one to two days from Cusco, depending on road conditions, passing through the Quebrada de Yanatile. The walking trek, whether toward the site to be cleaned or toward the lost city exploration zone (probably located in the Pantiacolla plateau, north of the Toporaké mountain range), crosses the Toporaké area.
This tour accumulates between 7,000 and potentially 10,000–12,000 meters of cumulative elevation gain, depending on the exact configuration of the expedition, spread over 12 to 18 days of successive camps — under tent or tarp —, with one or more camps possible up to a maximum altitude of 4,000 meters.
Base camp at the end of the day — fire, first stars, and rest before the next stage.
The route crosses the Andean foothills, a low forest covering the slopes up to 3,000 m, extremely dense — far more so than lowland Amazon rainforest. Some stretches are therefore very slow and must be cut open with a machete, work that is always subject to prior Sernanp authorization; certain days cannot exceed 2 km of distance covered, even for the most well-trained profiles.
Moving single-file through the dense foothill forest — the pace is set by the hardest stretch, not the fastest one.
The initial ascent from Lacco (3 days) can be done with the help of mules, but the human load remains significant: between 10 and 35 kg, depending on each participant's capacity.
Shared portage at altitude, above the clouds, on the way to camp.
The expedition format adapts to the participants, but this is undeniably an extreme trek — even unique of its kind.
🚧 Photo gallery in progress — coming soon.
Given the extreme and variable nature of this expedition, the budget does not follow a fixed rate.
| The budget for this expedition is designed together by the candidate and the guides who will accompany them, based on the exact configuration of the trek, its duration (12 to 18 days), the required equipment, and the necessary authorizations. |
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