4 day Inca Trail, Macchu Picchu, Done!!

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Cusco is a really beautiful city, it is also overrun with tourists. The restaurants and hostels are all really nice and the nightlife is rampaging to say the least.

There are a number of treks around Macchu Picchu, the most famous of which is the Inca Trail, the only one to actually end in Macchu Picchu. The authorities are very strict and dont allow tourists to use pack animals on the Inca Trail. As a result our group of three had an entourage of four porters, one cook and one guide!!

The trail is reasonably hard work, especially the 3 hour uphill struggle culminating in Dead Womans Pass. However you cant feel too bad when you see 70 year old ladies and fairly obese individuals managing it (just). The last day ends in an early wake up (4am) to hike through the sun gate and see Macchu Picchu with the sun rising. It was absolutely amazing and we couldnt recommend it more.

After Cusco we were in need of more punishment and found it in the shape of the Colca Canyon near Arequipa. We hiked down the second deepest canyon in the world to stay with a local family for a night. On the second day we enjoyed a swim in the oasis at the bottom of the canyon followed by a gruelling three hour ascent, made worse by the smiling tourists passing us on mules.

Our last stop in Peru was Lake Titicaca, the worlds highest navigable lake. We visted Los Uros (reed islands built by the Uros people to keep them away from the aggressive Incas). This was highly memorable for Davids clever puchase of a large heavy reed boat which he is currently lugging around wondering how he will get it home!!

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Comments

[anonymous]

Like the message in a bottle, send clever purchase to Land Down Under by seamail.........see if it hits the east coast of FNQ.

[Karen]

Christmas in Mexico
Hola Viajeros! T and I will be in Mexico from mid-december, any chance of us all getting together for some peyote?

[Jenny Groves]

Hey guys - i keep looking at your pictures and read your stories - is is so bizarre as u r walking the exact same steps i did 5 years ago! so cool, so i know exactly what u r experiencing and i am so jealous. i have all the same photos too - macchu pichu, uros islands, isla del sol, salt flats etc!!! might come and join u! have fun and enjoy urselves!