Sacred valley and Machu Picchu

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Week 12 - Sacred valley and Machu Picchu

On the Monday, I joined a group of 15 people to go camping in the sacred valley for 5 days. We met our tour guide, Smithy, very nice and friendly Peruvian guy. Just outside of Cusco, we visited the Sacsayhuaman and Pisac Ruins. We had a lunch in Pisac and visited a local market before driving on to the starting point of the Inca Trail. We had been joined by a crew of local porters, for the food, tents and other equipment to be carried by lamas and mules.
This trek took us back in time to the very heart of the Inca civilization. The Incas worked in stone to create some of the finest architecture in the world. Incredibly these were built without mortar and blocks fitted together like a jigsaw. The architects of the time were closely in tune with their environment and so designed their structures to survive earthquakes and as a result many are well preserved for us to explore today. The quality of the stone joints has to be seen to be believed especially when you consider that this was all completed before the invention of iron and the wheel and that the Incas had no form of written language.
Among the many roads leading to Machu Picchu, we headed to the Quechua Community trek.
Local communities have closely managed the opening up of this region for tourism from the very beginning. In collaboration with national and international protection agencies and a handful of trekking companies, a plan was put together with these local communities to promote tourism in the area following the guidelines of sustainable tourism. This helps to bring money into these remote areas, whilst protecting the communities from exploitation and allowing them control over how their environment is used.

The communities on the trail are remote Andean farming communities with traditions dating back to the Incas. They are primarily Quechua speaking, with some Spanish, and little contact with the general population. Their daily lives consist of potato cultivation, weaving, and the herding of llamas, alpacas, and sheep. Considered by the Peruvian government to be living in extreme poverty, they often face malnutrition, severely cold weather, poor hygienic conditions, and little medical or health assistance. These communities typically have small schools that often need support with construction, furniture, materials and teachers. Villagers live in thatched-roof stone huts and cook with firewood. Because of the disproportionate supply and demand of native trees and brush, there is a great need for an effective reforestation project in the area.

The fairly recent introduction of tourism to the region has brought some needed assistance and economic development to the communities, but there is still much more to do. Intrepid Travel working within the guidelines of sustainable tourism has met with the communities and discussed the pros and cons of tourism in the area. Together they have established still un-official guidelines for trekking and tourism through the Cordillera such as:
- Established campsites to avoid contamination of community areas
- Use of community animals and personnel on treks
- Training of community members through workshops on camp maintenance, hygiene, client service to enhance their economic viability
- Maintenance of camp trails, camp sites, and environmental conservation. Many agencies respect these guidelines, but because making things official often brings on unwanted government intervention, they are now a pact between the communities, agencies, and tourists.

Day 1: Cuzco - Pisac - Quisharani
We left Cuzco first thing in the morning and drove to Sacsayhuaman, which are best remembered for the gigantic blocks that make up the zig zag frontal of this fort like construction. There are many theories as to why Sacsayhuaman was originally built and what it was used for but the most likely is as a temple complex for offerings to appease the gods. It is an amazing place and the early morning light makes the view of Cuzco rooftops even more beautiful and helps to define the stonework detail of these great blocks.

From there, we headed on for about an hour over the dividing ridge and into the Sacred Valley. We stopped high on the mountainside to begin our exploration of Pisac ruins. We walked down hill along small pathways, through ancient arches, storage buildings and houses. Along ridges and up and down worn steps into the heart of these ruins, where straddled on a ridge we reached the temple complex. We then drove up into the highlands of the Cordillera Urubamba. The drive itself was amazing with stunning views as we winded up to the trailhead.

This first day is for discovering more about the architecture of the Incas and their thinking behind building in this way. Many of the design features that we have been introduced to today we will see repeated in the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu on our last day.

At the trail head we meet some of our team, particularly important are the arrieros and of course our pack animals, we get all the equipment sorted out and head off on foot. It is about an hours walking today along a gentle track, perfect after a busy day looking at the ruins. A chance for the muscles to warm up and for our minds to adjust to walking in this beautiful landscape. We head away from the trailhead through the valley to the community of Quishuarani, our first campsite.

After settling into our tents we meet the rest of our team, the cooks and camp setters, who have already been hard at work.

Approximate walking time: 1 hour

Day 2: Quishuarani - Cuncani
After breakfast and interaction with the community, we begin our hike upward through the high puna to the first pass at Uchuycasa (4400m). From the pass, we enjoy a spectacular panoramic view of the dramatic Urubamba mountain chain that includes several sacred snow-capped peaks. Then down the pass, feeling muscles you didn't know you had and into the pampa and a cluster of turquoise lagoons. Grazing alpaca, llama and Andean geese provide a good excuse for a picturesque photo stop. After lunch we head further down past thundering waterfalls, through fields of potatoes to the picturesque village of Cuncani (3700m), where we'll have dinner, participate in village activities, set up camp for the night and maybe even have time and energy for a game of football!

Approximate walking time: 5-6 hours

Day 3: Cuncani - Paccha
Another early morning start but the advantage of this is the peace and tranquility that you get at this time and the chance to see the local people getting on with their everyday lives. We walk through green pastures and as we ascend and leave the valley behind us, fantastic views open up of the valley way below us.

As we trek higher into the mountains on original Inca trails we reach an area of high mountain lagoons. This is a section of the trail to take slowly, as the way becomes more rugged, make sure you take time to enjoy the stunning views of some of the highest snow-capped peaks in the Urubamba range and to aclimatise as you climb. The climb gets steeper as we head through the clouds to the Pumahuacasa Pass (4800m). Time to congratulate yourself on reaching the top of the pass!

After our amazing climb, we head down the rocky trail into amazing high forest of Quenua trees and green stepped valleys. Our campsite is in a stunning location near the waterfall at Paccha (4100m).

Approximate walking time: 8 hours

Day 4: Paccha - Urubamba - Ollantaytambo
From Paccha, we walk through more beautiful woodlands and as we descend so we begin to see the vegetation and climate gradually change, becoming greener and warmer as we head further down to the valley below.

Following the glacial river, we descend slowly into the gorge above Urubamba, taking in the altering flora and agricultural zones as we walk. At the end of our journey we have lunch and a welcome rest before we drive from Urubamba to Ollantaytambo.

Approximate walking time: 4 hours

The afternoon is free from trekking giving us time to explore the amazing ruins of Ollantaytambo. With its incredible temple areas, drying or storage buildings, calendar and finely crafted water channels and fountains, Ollantaytambo really does deserve this extra time for exploration. The evening allows us time to celebrate our trek as we stay overnight in a comfortable hostel in the lovely town of Ollantaytambo.

After great nights sleep in our beds we have another early start but this time to catch the train to Aguas Calientes, the early train allows us to get to Machu Picchu before the trains from Cuzco arrive. The train passes through the Sacred Valley with stunning views of the high mountains, river valley, Inca ruins and local villages. Watch out for the famous Torrent ducks in the river as we pass.

At Aguas Calientes we jump straight on the bus and up to the citadel itself. Nothing can quite prepare you for the first glimpses of the citadel, as you see the first terraces peeking out behind the trees. This is what we have been waiting for, the culmination of our journey to Cuzco.

Machu Picchu is known as the 'Lost City of the Incas' and our guide will show us the most important constructions as well as explain the history and the mythology of this magnificent place. The site lay undiscovered for hundreds of years after the last of the Incas left, until Hiram Bingham found it in 1911. The sacred city is intact apart from the straw roofs which have rotted away, it is a maze of plazas and palaces, long staircases carved out of the solid rock and terraces that go right to the edge of the sheer cliffs.

All the knowledge that we have gathered over the past few days comes together as we see how the Inca architects used their knowledge of the rock and environment to sculpt this amazing place high up on the mountainside protected by the river valley. It really is an amazing place and our guide will show us round the citadel telling us more about the meaning of this very special place.

There is some free time to explore the ruins further at your own pace or maybe if you haven't experienced enough steps and trekking, why not climb Huayna Picchu Mountain or visit the Inca Bridge. Or you can just chill out and watch the hummingbirds or viscachas.

After all of this we head back down to Aguas Calientes and take the late afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo and return to Cuzco to our multishare hotel for a well-deserved rest.

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