Blogs from Inca Trail, Cusco, Peru, South America - page 4

Så kom vi til Machu Picchu, gennem Solens port, en meget tidlig morgen - et af verdens 7 vidundere og det forstår man godt - et enormt område med en helt imponerende byggestil opført af Inkaerne i 1400 tallet. Det oblikatoriske foto, af et ægtepar som gennem 4 dage sammen havde grinet, kæmpet og tilsidst fået den fantastiske belønning, nemlig synet af den glemte by! Vi valgte at tage en 4 dages hiking op til Machu Picchu, som blev en helt ubeskrivelig og på alle måder udfordrende oplevelse. Vores hiking team var: Pablo og Ellen fra Peru/USA, Ernesto og Dorota fra Mexico/Polen, Vicky og Natali fra Canada og så Mette og Niels fra DK. Det første der mødte os var det "grædende bjerg" med den snedækkede tinde, regnskov, vandfald, dybe dale, Inka steder og opstigning, opstigning ... read more

There are approximately a million companies offering the 4D/3N Inca Trail trek in Cusco. After much research from Australia (you need to book months in advance) I decided on Wayki Trek. Day 0 – Wayki Experience The company we booked through offered a free option the afternoon/night before you begin your trek which they call the Wayki Experience. We were the only people from our group that decided to take up this option so following lunch (empanadas) we caught local bus with a guide out to the porters village for a homestay. Along the way we picked up some rice, sugar and bread for the family we’d be staying with as a thank you. The final leg was fairly amusing as we were crammed along with 25 other people into a minibus which was really not ... read more

CONGRATULATION’S TODAY IS YOUR DAY. YOU’RE OFF TO GREAT PLACES! YOU’RE OFF AND AWAY. (Dr Seuss) Up bright and early for our great adventure. We leave from Cusco and travel 2 hours by van back down Sacred Valley, following the Urubamba River, past Ollantaytambo to km number 82 where our trek begins. Here we have to pass the check point, which is very strict, passports must be shown and documentation stamped. Our group consists of 11 staff, our guide Edwin, who is a lovely guy with a giggle only found in primary girl’s school. The cook Freddy who cooks us 3 course meals that would not be out of place in a French Restaurant, achieved in a tent attired in his white chef outfit. The 9 porters better known as Chasques, who were the great runners ... read more

WOW, Awesome, amazing!!! That sums up the day. We were introduced to the porters. Most of them were farmers from the same town in the sacred valley and had been doing the trek for several years to earn money. When they found out James had two sisters they started calling him brother in law. We started walking at 7.30. The going wasn´t as tough as yesterday. There were some really big steps. There were several sites along the way including Phuyupatamarka, Intipata and inka tunnels. We rose to the 3rd peak which wasn´t that difficult and then there was a steep decline. Loved today. It was my pick of the trek. Finished walking at 1pm. Had lunch and a short break before going down to Winay Wayna. This was a town and is quite well preserved. ... read more

Left from the hotel at 7.45 and drove to Km 82. The driver was a bit wild. We joined the porters there. They ahve very strick guidelines as to what weight they can carry so everything is weighed. They still arry a lot more than I would be able to. Today was only 750 mts climb over the 15kms. It wasn´t to bad. Passed a lot of the locals who use the track to get to there own communities.. They use mainly donkeys to carry their gear. The porter run ahead and set up a tent where we had lunch. They then packed up and ran to the campsite.... read more