Inca
Trail Discovery
5
Days/4 Nights(3
nights camping; 1 night hotel). |
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The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu
IncaTrail- IncaTrail Peru
INTRODUCTION.-
Our five-day program allows the traveler time to explore and
enjoy the amazing archaeological sites, landscapes and nature
along the way. While most other programs force trekkers to
speed through the stunning high-altitude Inca trail, We take
the time to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience. We camp
the first three nights, enjoy great meals and sturdy tents.
The hikes average six to seven hours each day including tome to
explore sites we pass through and to take in the unparalleled scenery.
On the fourth afternoon we arrive at Machu Picchu after the crowds
have left, and have time to explore the tranquil ruins. After a
well-deserved night a comfortable hotel, we return to Machu Picchu
to see the ruins in the perfect morning light. In the afternoon
we return to Cusco by train. This program is specially designed
to offer a more relaxed trek and a deeper understanding of Inca
culture.
All this was abandoned around the time of the Spanish conquest,
lying buried beneath the forest until Hiram Bingham set out in 1915
to follow up his discovery of Machu Picchu with a search for the
Inca highway leading back to Cusco. Lucky explorer that he was,
he found what we now call the Inca Trail and all the sites along
it except Wiñay Wayna, that was not discovered until 1941,
by Paul Fejos. Today we can hike this trail, seeing much of it intact
and easy to imagine as it was in Inca times.
Inca Trail Discovery
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Inca
Trail; Machu Picchu; Peru; hiking,
Itinerary
DAY 1: Chillca – Llaqtapata A spectacular
drive through the Sacred Valley of the Incas takes us to Chillca,
our trailhead. Crossing a footbridge, we take an undulating trek
through a dry cactus zone beneath soaring views to the snows of
Mt. Verónica, with the turbulent Urubamba river on our right.
We reach our campsite at the imposing sculpted terraces of Inca
Llaqtapata, and explore further downstream to the outlying areas
of this massive ancient farming complex.
DAY 2: Llaqtapata – Llulluchapampa
The trail climbs gently into the mountains through the last inhabited
village of Huayllabamba, and then more steeply past a rushing stream
through enchanted native polylepis woodland. Crossing the rim of
a small plateau, we abruptly find ourselves in the puna, the treeless
grasslands of the high Andes. We camp below mighty crags, looking
eastward to the snowpeaks and valleys of the Huayanay massif.
DAY 3: Llulluchapampa – Phuyupatamarca
We climb to the first and highest pass, Warmiwañusca (4,200m/13,776ft),
with spectacular views of the trail ahead to the second pass. Descending
to the forested Pacamayo valley we pick up an Inca stairway and
ascend again past the small Inca site of Runkuracay. We reach the
second pass, where the landscape opens onto spectacular new views
to the snowpeaks of the Pumasillo range, then descend to the ruins
of Sayacmarca (Inaccessible Town), an intricate labyrinth of houses,
plazas and water channels, perched precariously on a rocky spur
overlooking the Aobamba valley. The Inca trail, now a massive buttressed
structure of granite paving stones, continues along the steep upper
fringes of the cloud forest through a colorful riot of orchids,
bromeliads, mosses and ferns. At the third pass we camp by pinnacles
topped with Inca viewing platforms, overlooking the archaeological
complex of Phuyupatamarca (Cloud-level Town).
DAY 4: Phuyupatamarca - Machu Picchu
We explore the wondrous maze of Inca stone towers, fountains and
stairways spilling down the mountainside at Phuyupatamarca then
begin a long descent through ever-changing layers of cloud forest.
An Inca stairway partly cut from living granite leads us finally
to the site of Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young), the largest and
most exquisite of the Inca Trail sites. In the afternoon we follow
the last stretch of trail across a steep mountainside through a
lush, humid cloud-forest of giant ferns and broad-leaf vegetation.
Suddenly we cross the stone threshold of Intipunku (Sun Gate) and
encounter an unforgettable sweep of natural beauty and human artistry
–a backdrop of twisting gorge and forested peaks framing the
magical city of Machu Picchu.
DAY 5: Machu Picchu – Cusco We return to
Machu Picchu by bus and spend the day in both guided and individual
exploration, visiting the best-known features of this astounding
and mysterious Inca settlement. Some will want to take the optional
hike to the summit of Wayna Picchu for an amazing overview of the
site, while others may want to investigate Machu Picchu’s
multitude of hidden nooks and corners. After a full-on experience
of this glorious monument to the Inca achievement, we return to
Aguas Calientes and board the return train to Cusco.
Note: park authorities may occasionally designate different campsites
than those indicate
More Information
The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu
IncaTrail- IncaTrail Peru
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