We arrived in Cusco two days in advance of the Inca Trail, and spent those exploring parts of the city, resting and getting supplies for the Inca Trail. While the city is definitely beautiful it is very touristic which starts to get on your wick after a while. There are constantly people offering paintings, tourist information and massages on the street...
Regardless of the mayhem the real reason for or visit was to walk the Inca Trail which we booked way back in January to ensure we got one of the 500 spaces available on the track daily.
I could go on for hours about the trail and post all of the 350 photos we took over the four days but without making the trip yourselves it is hard to appreciate the beauty of this trip - we both agree this has to be the best thing we have done on the trip so far.
Basically, the trail covers 43km over three days, finally arriving at Machu Picchu early in the morning on the 4th day. The plan being this:
Day One: Covering only 12km and gaining 500m in altitude passing one set of ruins at Patallacta this considered the easy day. The scenery is a preview of the things to come, and the walking is RELATIVELY easy...
Day Two is the hardest day of the trek covering 12km and climbing some 1200m to the highest point "Dead Woman's Pass" at 4200masl before descending 800m to the campsite for the night - definitely a challenge, especially the last push to the top of the pass, but highly rewarding.
Day Three is the longest day at 15km and passes several ruins sites where the guides give great explanations of the purpose and history of the sites. This day is dubbed "the unforgettable day" because of the Inca sites and scenery.
Finally on Day Four you start at 4am for the final walk to Machu Picchu, which is probably the most demanding day of all as everyone is tired but really pushing hard to get to the ruins first for that special photo.
In our group we had 14 trekkers (mostly american), 20 porters (including the 2 cooks) and 2 guides, which made for an interesting group, and much entertainment along the way.
The company we used (Peru Treks) is well respected and prides itself on the ethical treatment of its porters (and given what we observed this is definitely the case) and extremely knowledgeable guides. We were lucky to get three days of great weather before a spot of rain overnight on the last night and some cloud as we passed over the "Sun Gate" on the final morning where we would have got our first glimpse of Machu Pichu.
Once we arrived in Machu Picchu the cloud lifted and after our group tour of the ruins we were fortunate to be two of the 400 persons allowed to climb to the top of Wayna Picchu which is the extremely steep mountain that overlooks Machu Picchu (the one that appears in all the postcard photos and definitely recommended for the view, but not for those who find heights intimidating).
Finally, we spent the afternoon in Aguas Calientes Town (Literal Translation: Water Hot Town) enjoying Pizza and Beer before the train and bus rides back to Cusco.
Overall it was an amazing experience, and one we will not forget anytime soon...
Take Care,
Dave and Kim
Regardless of the mayhem the real reason for or visit was to walk the Inca Trail which we booked way back in January to ensure we got one of the 500 spaces available on the track daily.
I could go on for hours about the trail and post all of the 350 photos we took over the four days but without making the trip yourselves it is hard to appreciate the beauty of this trip - we both agree this has to be the best thing we have done on the trip so far.
Basically, the trail covers 43km over three days, finally arriving at Machu Picchu early in the morning on the 4th day. The plan being this:
Day One: Covering only 12km and gaining 500m in altitude passing one set of ruins at Patallacta this considered the easy day. The scenery is a preview of the things to come, and the walking is RELATIVELY easy...
Day Two is the hardest day of the trek covering 12km and climbing some 1200m to the highest point "Dead Woman's Pass" at 4200masl before descending 800m to the campsite for the night - definitely a challenge, especially the last push to the top of the pass, but highly rewarding.
Day Three is the longest day at 15km and passes several ruins sites where the guides give great explanations of the purpose and history of the sites. This day is dubbed "the unforgettable day" because of the Inca sites and scenery.
Finally on Day Four you start at 4am for the final walk to Machu Picchu, which is probably the most demanding day of all as everyone is tired but really pushing hard to get to the ruins first for that special photo.
In our group we had 14 trekkers (mostly american), 20 porters (including the 2 cooks) and 2 guides, which made for an interesting group, and much entertainment along the way.
The company we used (Peru Treks) is well respected and prides itself on the ethical treatment of its porters (and given what we observed this is definitely the case) and extremely knowledgeable guides. We were lucky to get three days of great weather before a spot of rain overnight on the last night and some cloud as we passed over the "Sun Gate" on the final morning where we would have got our first glimpse of Machu Pichu.
Once we arrived in Machu Picchu the cloud lifted and after our group tour of the ruins we were fortunate to be two of the 400 persons allowed to climb to the top of Wayna Picchu which is the extremely steep mountain that overlooks Machu Picchu (the one that appears in all the postcard photos and definitely recommended for the view, but not for those who find heights intimidating).
Finally, we spent the afternoon in Aguas Calientes Town (Literal Translation: Water Hot Town) enjoying Pizza and Beer before the train and bus rides back to Cusco.
Overall it was an amazing experience, and one we will not forget anytime soon...
Take Care,
Dave and Kim
1 comment:
Wow what an exciting time you are having. I love the idea of a virtual trip for all those of us left in NZ. I have read all about the Inca Trail but hadn't thought about actually doing it. You adventurous wee bunnies! when do you have to find employment because the money has run out ... or maybe never??? We are sorting out the last bookings etc for our trip in September, nothing as daredevil as you too. We will be in London for one whole night so I hope we can catch up!
take care and have fun
Jacqui
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