Choquequirao Closes Access Due to Rains: Preventive Closure for Safety

The Ministry of Culture has issued an official statement confirming a total tourism restriction for one of Cusco's most emblematic destinations. This drastic safety measure will take effect on February 1, 2026, after which transit through any of the usual access routes leading to the citadel of Choquequirao will be prohibited. The decision aims primarily to safeguard the physical integrity of domestic and international travelers, as well as the local residents who travel daily to Choquequirao, in the face of the imminent intensification of the rainy season in the Peruvian highlands.

Technical reasons for the closure of Choquequirao

The decision to temporarily close the Choquequirao Archaeological Park is not an isolated event but the result of an exhaustive risk assessment. After an important multi-sector meeting convened by the Decentralized Directorate of Culture (DDC) of Cusco, various technical reports were analyzed that warn about high soil instability. These documents confirm that the trekking route to Choquequirao currently has highly vulnerable sections, prone to landslides and collapses that could leave visitors stranded.

Diego Pajares, current executive director of the DDC Cusco, elaborated on the reasons, explaining that adverse climatic factors have accelerated the deterioration of the mule trails that connect with Choquequirao. Consequently, maintaining tourist flow to Choquequirao under these conditions would represent an unacceptable risk to human life.

Inspection schedule and preventive actions

To mitigate the impact on the tourism sector and avoid setbacks for those who had already planned to travel to Choquequirao, the authorities have established a prior period of 15 days of mass dissemination. This stage will serve to communicate to all travel agencies and tour operators about the impossibility of entering Choquequirao during February.

A direct intervention on the ground has also been scheduled before the definitive closure. Between January 23 and 27, an official committee will be deployed to Choquequirao to conduct a collegiate field inspection. Experts in risk management, representatives of the Regional Government, and local authorities will participate in this mission, evaluating damage to the trail to Choquequirao on site.

The actions contemplated include:

• Structural diagnosis: Inspection of bridges and trails leading to Choquequirao.
• Works planning: Definition of critical points requiring urgent maintenance.
• Risk mitigation: Strategies to reduce the danger of huaycos (mudslides) in the Choquequirao buffer zone.

Duration of the measure and reopening projections

The closure of access to Choquequirao will have an initial duration of 30 calendar days. During this month of suspension, no tourist activity will be permitted, with time dedicated exclusively to preventive maintenance work and constant monitoring of weather conditions at Choquequirao.

The central objective is to draft a multi-sector "Road Map" that assigns clear responsibilities and specific deadlines to restore safety. Only once it is guaranteed that the route is safe will reopening be evaluated.

Inter-institutional coordination

This emergency plan to protect Choquequirao has had the active participation of various entities. Present at the working table were the Regional Department of Foreign Trade and Tourism (GERCETUR), the Regional Disaster Risk Management Office, and the district municipalities of Mollepata and San Pedro de Cachora. A key player in this process has been the Board of Muleteers of Cachora, whose empirical knowledge of the terrain has been fundamental in diagnosing the actual state of the trails to Choquequirao. Thanks to this joint collaboration, it is expected that, after the rains, tourism at Choquequirao will return with higher safety and quality standards for all adventurers.

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