Here on My Beautiful Adventures you are used to reading descriptions of sumptuous hotel rooms, fabulous restaurants, and various examples of urban uber-chic. However, sometimes you have to put the adventure back into things and what better adventure can you imagine than a Peru holiday trekking the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu?
If you say the words “high altitude trekking” to most people, you probably will not get a terribly enthusiastic response, but there is something about the words “Inca Trail” which intrigues even the most steadfast non-trekker. They seem to radiate exoticism; conjuring up visions of a red sun rising and illuminating mysterious ruined cities through a ghostly early-morning mist. Given this expectation it is a good job that the trek delivers just that!
Most people’s base for the Inca Trail is the former Inca capital of Cuzco. Well worth a few days in its own right, this small town is a unique mix of Spanish and Inca architecture and is like nowhere else on earth. The conquistadores demolished huge swathes of it, but one interesting little historical tidbit is that most of the Spanish buildings have had to be rebuilt several times, all except for the ones where they built on top of Inca foundations. Why? The Inca stonework is almost entirely earthquake-proof, unlike the supposedly superior European building methods.
We will get back to the adventures in a moment, but regular readers will be pleased to know that these days Cuzco offers its fair share of uber-chic itself for those enjoying their Peru holidays, with some gorgeous boutique hotels and some absolutely superb cafes and restaurants specialising in novo-Andino cuisine. New generations of Peruvian chefs are revisiting traditional ingredients and cooking styles, however combining them with the best of modern Peruvian cuisine. If you have not tried Peruvian food yet, then 2012 is definitely the year for it, with new high-end restaurants opening from London to Los Angeles.
Getting back to the Inca Trail, from Cuzco you travel out into the valley of the River Urubamba. This river was sacred to the Incas, who saw it as an earthly reflection of the Milky Way they saw in the heavens. The area is chock-full of Inca temples, villages, and fortresses and many people choose to spend some of their Peru holidays here in the valley itself, before they start the Inca Trail.
On the morning of the trek, you are picked up and taken to the Inca Trail entrance where you meet your guides and team of porters. That is right: it would not be mybeautifuladventures if we did not do things in style. So long as you book your Peru holidays with the right company, you need not carry anything while you are trekking the Inca Trail as your team of porters carry all the tents, sleeping bags, mats, food, drink, and all other equipment for you! They also assemble and disassemble camp every day so all you have to do is concentrate on the amazing scenery and what scenery it is! Snow-capped mountains are visible in the distance, while the trail itself winds its way through jagged peaks, their slopes covered in lush, verdant forests and those famous picture-book terraces.
The Inca Trail literally reaches its peak at the 4,200m-high pass of Warmiwañusca. Do not worry now, although literally this means “Dead Woman’s Pass.” I am told it is because the rock formations look like a prone woman, but the view from the pass across to the sweeping snow peaks and valleys of the Hauayanay massif is stunning. From there on in it is largely, more or less, downhill until on your final morning you rise early for a last morning’s trek through a lush, humid cloud-forest of giant ferns. Suddenly, you crest one last rise and cross the stone threshold of the Intipunku Sun Gate, to be rewarded with the unforgettable vision of human artistry and natural beauty that is the magical lost city of Machu Picchu!
It is honestly hard to describe what a beautiful place this really is and even the least spiritual person tends to go a little misty-eyed when they are first confronted with it. You will hear a lot of talk about ‘energy’ and ‘power,’ as genuinely it is somewhere that just feels special.
Of course, after all your exertions on the Inca Trail, it is nice to end your Peru holidays feeling special yourself, so once you have thoroughly explored Machu Picchu we recommend descending to the gorgeous Pueblo hotel, where you can enjoy the luxury casitas, attentive service, and private thermal springs — hands down the most beautiful way to end this particular adventure.
Dan Clarke works for Real Peru Holidays, the UK’s specialist in tailormade holidays in Peru. If you need expert advice on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, a tip on Cuzco’s best restaurants, or where to find the best boutique hotels, then you just have to ask.
Tweet
