First in line at the last checkpoint at 4.15am, the mist was still thick and drizzle in the air. The checkpoint opened at 5.30am, and by now there were a queue of people ready for the last hurdle. The last walk to Machu Picchu lasts for around 2 hours. After the first walk we reached the Sun Gate. And to dis-appointment, the Mist hasn´t budged, its way too thick to be able to see the site. We hang around for 45 minutes, but nothing, its too thick. So we make the last walk down. I got there first in our group, [View Full Entry]

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Today is supposed to be the longest walk of the trail, and again I agree to that. Much more downhill though than the other days, some people do say that its harder as there are lots of downhill steps, and its pretty hard on your knees. We started at 8am. The first part was uphill, and we stop for our first sight of an Incan Ruin. We then climb the rest of the way to the top of the mountain, 30 mins or so, and then begin the huge descent. It really is all steps too all the way down. The [View Full Entry]

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Today is alledgedly the hardest day of the Inca Trail. It bloody well is too!!! The rain today was heavy, which was probably good as it made it a bit cooler. The goal was to climb to Dead Womans´ Pass, which is at 4,900 meters above sea level, and a climb for us today of around 1,300 meters. All uphill!!! The begining for me felt really tough. My legs seemed to turn to concrete, walking up the many steps of the trail. the rain was relentless, so got pretty wet too. When the halfway point came I was suprised, and then [View Full Entry]

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We left Ollantaytambo at 8am, and made the 45 minute drive to the first checkpoint of the Inca Trail. At the checkpoint you have your passport stamped and they check your visa to allow you to undertake the trail. Heading the the trail for us was Julio, and four other guides. We are also accompanied by Porters ( who are mostly local farmers who do the trail 5 times a month!!! ), who carry our luggage ( 5kgs ), and all the other equipment we need for camping ( food, tents, cooking eqiupment etc etc ). These porters carry around 20kgs [View Full Entry]

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We departed from the hotel at 8am, was met by our new guide for the next few days, Julio. We had to bring a day bag from now on, to be used for the Inca Trail, and were given a bag to carry no more than 5kg for our other essenstials. We first visited an Incan site on the edge of the City, a former Incan military site named Saksaywaman. We then drove on to the Sacred Valley. Again the views are incredible, the film The Sound of Music could almost be filmed here. We drove to the small town of [View Full Entry]

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The drive to Cusco was long, nearly 11 hours in total. The weather in Peru is pretty extrodinary, on the journey we saw snow in the mountains, hot sunshine, torrential rain, and even lightning. We finally reached the hotel in the City around 7.30pm. The hotel was very nice, and immediately I could tell that Cusco was a special place. That night we met up with our guide Beatriz, who took us for a walk around the City. It was raining pretty hard, but around its cobbled streets, beautiful buildings, and surrounded by hills, lit up with surrounding villages in the [View Full Entry]

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We left Arequipa and drove around 5 hours to the Colca Canyon, allegedly the worlds deepest Canyon. Coming out of Arequipa we could see ´El Misti´, the huge Volcano that sits on the edge of the City. Leaving Arequipa to go to the Colca Canyon, would mean that the for the first time we would experience high altitude. Again the scenary driving through the mountains and vast landscape was incredible. We started to rise in altitude, and then finally reached the highest point, 4,900 meters above sea level!!! We got off the bus to experience it, and you could immediately feel [View Full Entry]

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Hello All! Been a week today since arrived here and done loads already. From Lima last week, we travelled to Paracas on Wednesday morning, a costal resort. Took a couple of hours on the bus. Spectacular sights everywhere, passing through shanty towns, to even these straw huts in the desert, with no water and electricity that people live in. In Paracas we jumped on boats and went out to sea, to visit the Ballesta Islands. These Islands are described as the 'Poor man's Galapagos'. The Islands are infested with lots of sea birds, Penguins, Pelicans and Sea Lions ( which I [View Full Entry]

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Hello All First day in the capital of Peru today, after a hell of a long journey to get out here. Was flying for 14 hours in total, Heathrow to Amsterdam to Bonaire ( small Caribbean Island ), and then on to Lima. Was freezing in Amsterdam, so when I got off the plane at Bonaire was taken back a bit by the immediate heat, it was baking! The airport there was small, and Pink in colour, called Flamingo Airport. The whole Island was surrounded by a small Indigo barrier reef, great to see from the air. the flight to Lima [View Full Entry]

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