Retrace the steps of the Incas for four
or five days high in the Andes Mountains, camping along
the way. The
Inca Trail Trek covers high mountain trails and thick
cloudforest. We provide expert guides and porters so you
can fully enjoy the vistas and mountain air, imagining
the people who forged this same path thousands of years
ago. For a longer approach to Machu Picchu, hikers may
wish to attempt the Salkantay
Trek that skirts a glaciated mountain and offers more
challenges than the Classic Inca Trail Trek.
On the Vilcabamba
Trek, hike through a region of mountains and jungles
between The Urubamba and Apurimac rivers, where the countryside
is incredibly beautiful and peaceful. The Inca trail passes
wonderful and picturesque farms scattered along the route.
In this country of cold nights and hot days, follow the
large and narrow valley of Consevidayoj (confluence with
several side canyons) and descend into the jungle visiting
Espíritu Pampa or Vilcabamba the Old and see for
yourself the various sites as described by Hirham Bingham.
Cuzco
is the best city from which to base Machu Picchu trekking
excursions and exploration of the Incan city for day trips
as well. At an elevation of over 10,800 feet, travelers
in Cuzco need a day or two for acclimatization. Therefore,
these days are ideal for walking tours of the city and
the surrounding areas. This city is a living museum ideal
meandering narrow 15th and 16th century Inca roads, alleyways,
stone walls, Inca ruins and colonial churches, including
the Cathedral, La Compañia and La Merced.
In the Sacred Valley, from the Posada
del Inca Yucay in Urubamba, experience the agriculture
of the Incas. Visit ancient Incan agricultural terraces
and a native Peruvian household in a walking tour and
learn about the local culture and farming methods of the
Incas. On an excursion to the salt
mines of Maras, the inhabitants of the towns of Maras
and Pichingoto will explain the process of salt extraction
during your hike through the mines while you enjoy the
picturesque beauty of an Andean valley. Walk to the circular
terraces of Moray, ancient Incan laboratories used
to domesticate the cultivation of plants that are now
used all over the world.
Off the beaten path, in Cordillera
Blanca, trek above the treeline for stunning scenery
of the Andes.
In Chachapoyas
you'll have the opportunity for trekking and hiking while
staying in comfortable lodges. Here you can experience
remote villages and little known archaeological finds
like cliff-face burial sites and mummies. It also affords
opportunities for a horseback ride to a warm spring that
is believed to heal all that ails.
Contact
us for information about trekking adventures in Peru
and throughout Latin
America.
