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This unique adventure follows a series of forgotten Inka roadways, through some of the wildest country in
the world. We carefully avoid the 'Inka Trail', that every tour-group and backpacker travels. During event
filling days, we travel back in time, through medieval villages, past cascading waterfalls, over high
mountain-passes and explore remote ancient ruins. Our route traverses the Andes at altitudes between
7,000ft/2100m and 15,000ft/5000m, taking us well above the timberline before finally descending into the high cloud
forest. We observe varieties of delicate orchids, rare birds, plants and seldom-visited Inka ruins. There is ample
time to experience Cusco, key Inka sites and modern Andean culture.
As backpacking hoards crowd the guidebook trails, we plan our route along little known, seldom travelled
routes, that once were the main arteries of the highland Inka homeland. By using sturdy mountain horses
and mules, we are able to climb over high passes on steep trails, that take us beyond the capabilities of
most backpackers and trekking groups. Although some may hike the entire trip, the availability of saddle
mounts ensures arrival for those who may not be quite up to the altitude or distance, or who just enjoy riding.
The Itinerary
Day 1(Sunday:
Arrival in CUSCO, the ancient capital of the Incas. We greet you at the airport. Following brief orientation and a cup of traditional coca tea, we organize an afternoon introductory trek around town and a visit to the archeology museum and temple of the Sun - the latter the most important of Inca ceremonial sites. Most will need the time to rest and recover from yesterday's travel. Refreshed and eager, we meet for dinner at a favorite restaurant. Our guide tells the story of legendary Manco Inca and the lost cities of Vilcabamba. Some may opt for evening festivities in this bustling international city. We lodge in a comfortable hotel.
Day 2:
Drive by van to the nearby Sacred Valley, location of the major Inca temple/fortress of Ollantaytambo. Probably built by the great Inca ruler Pachacutec in the 1460s, it was the site of Hernando Pizzaro's defeat by Manco Inca in 1536. Constructed of finely cut polygonal stones and royalties blocks, the fortress and nearby town represent the best of Inca architecture and construction. Large worked blocks, some weighting as much as 100 tons were quarried from a site more than a thousand vertical feet above the valley floor using a technique of pecking with hammer stones, then skidded down and across the Urubamba river several kilometers to the temple site. Inclined ramps were built to raise the blocks several hundred feet up hill to the construction area. We have ample time to examine the complex and ponder its many mysteries. Time and interest permitting, we will also visit the site at Pisac. We overnight at a comfortable inn in the valley at an altitude of 2600 meters. Clean sheets, traditional Peruvian dinner and chilled, Cusquena beer in owner Nick Asheshovs Explorers Bar complete the day. (B:L:D)
Day 3:
A scenic bus ride delivers us to Ancahuasi near the megalithic Inca Terraces of Zurite, where we meet our horses and expedition support crew. Our guide gives a short riding lesson concerning our sturdy Andean ponies and trail instructions for the day as duffels and gear are expertly sorted and matched to mule loads by a colorful group of Quechua speaking wranglers. Leaving tents and baggage to follow on the mule train, we set off up a winding trail into the remote Cordillera Vilcabamba range accompanied by a wrangler who brings the saddle mounts behind as we climb. This is not just any old trail and as we gain altitude we shall see that we are on a carefully constructed Inca highway, which has been carefully planned to make the climb
as easy as possible. We allow the group to split into fast and slow hikers so that each may travel at their own pace. Those who choose to ride may form a third group. If weather permits, spectacular reviews of geometric Inca fields dominate the valley below. Starting at 3600 meters/12,000 ft.., we climb more than 700 meters with spectacular vistas and over the pass of Queullavina (4340meters/14,259 ft) to camp on the altiplano in the headwaters of the Silque Valley - 4000 meters/13,510 ft. Travel time is 6 to 8 hours with an estimated distance of 12 miles. (B:L:D)
Day 4:
Crossing a high grassy ridge, we'll stay high to-day, lunching at Coralpata with a beautiful view of the Veronica massif and following parts of an Inca trail into a broad glaciated valley below the massive ice walls of Nevado Huayanay where we make an early camp at 4300 meters/14,140 ft. The staff sets up a large dining tent with tables and stools. One or two persons are assigned a four person sleeping tent. Meals are prepared from fresh meats, grains and vegetables and our cooks are well experienced in catering for vegetarian diets. The day begins with coffee or tea served at your tent. Before the evening meal, we enjoy happy hour with popcorn, assorted hot beverages and for those who imbibe, Gary and Barry's famous expedition Absolute vodka martini (shaken, not stirred). This is a short day. A leisurely, late departure following breakfast places us in camp by mid afternoon. Travel time is four hours. (B:L:D)
Day 5:
After a hearty breakfast, those who wish can visit a small herder's village down the valley, which presents opportunity for photos and a view of mountain life. A steady climb from camp brings us to Puerto Huayanay pass at 4550 meters/14,950 ft. Climbing a switch backing trail, we follow an old stone paved Inca road to the ruins of Incarakay, a tambo or way station on the royal highway. Our guide explains that this is classic tambo design with several houses, wasi and storehouses, qollqa enclosed by an outside wall or kancha. Gary believes that this route was the original `Inca Trail' that connected Machu Picchu with Cusco. A traditional lunch of coca tea, boiled potatoes, roasted corn and avocado salad served inside the ancient walls fuels us for the afternoon journey. This is one of our high points on the trek and we may want to follow the ancient Inca custom, still practiced to-day, of offering coca leaves to the Apu's or mountain gods who have allowed us a safe passage so far. After lunch, a steady, sometimes steep path takes us to Milpucasa pass at 4650 meters/15,250 ft. One hour of downhill from here and we reach our camp at 4060meters/13,340 ft. (B:L:D)
Day 6:
Today we start trekking at about 9:30 am after a leisurely breakfast. The day breaks bright and sunny (we hope). We'll climb steadily to our high point of the day at Milupampa pass at 4560meters/14,970 ft. From here, if the weather is clear, we'll get stupendous views of the glaciers, ice fields and snow peak of Salkantay, the highest peak in the Vicabamba, over 6000 meters high. We'll certainly take time at this pass before heading steadily down to our camp at Pamapacahuana at 3820 meters/12,530 ft. As we descend in altitude, herder's huts and small farms, charkas, become numerous. We pass grazing cows, barking dogs and children coming and going along the trail. At Pampacahuana itself we'll set up camp beside an ingeniously designed Inca canal. We will have been traveling for between 7 and 8 hours. (B:L:D)
Day 7:
It's all down to-day and as we leave Pampacahuana we soon reach tree line and the abundance of wild flowers and small songbirds is as evident as the warming climate. Lunch is set along side of the interesting Inca site of Paucarkanca. Reflecting the Inca genius for enhancing natural topography and blending design with in site stone, Paucarkanca is a classic example of early `Frank Lloyd Wright' architecture. The site dominates a ridge dividing two major valleys at the junction of two Inca roads. Large U shaped terraces andenes surround two kancas inclosing a number of well made field and worked stone houses. The construction appears to reflect the shape of the ridge and
mountain rising above. The site probably served as a control point and tambo but also may have served as residence for someone important. We have ample time to explore, speculate and share observations. We continue down a well traveled trail to the start of the infamous backpacker `Inca Trail' near kilometer 88 and the Urubamba river. Camp is set in a eucalyptus grove near another extensive Inca site, Llactapata, at 2545 meters/8370 ft. Today, we have traveled about 6 hours, mostly downhill. (B:L:D)
Day 8:
Bidding horses, mules, cooks and wranglers goodbye, we cross the roaring Urubamba River on the new government suspension bridge in time to catch the morning narrow gauge train heading down valley. An interesting hour of click, clack and sway with all of the accompanying sounds and smells of rural Peru takes us to Km 104 on the train track from Cusco to Machu Piccchu.
NOTE: Those who wish can take the option of taking the train all the way to Aguas Calientes and
our hotel with one of our staff, and leave for Machu-Picchu the next day.
Jumping off the train at km 104 and leaving river and forest behind, we climb steeply 1,500 ft. up a winding zig-zag trail. Although steep, the pace is slow and the distance short. Views of towering WAKAYWILCA and the ice crested Urubamba range leave us more breathless than the steady climb. Discovered by the Fejos/ Viking fund expedition in the 1940s, WINAY-WAYNA, one of Peru's most impressive archeological sites is today's destination at 2700 meters/8620 ft. Situated on the ridge of a hanging, hillside valley , two groups of finely made building are connected by a series of 19 baths or fountains, more than any other Inca site. Inca scholar Johan Reinhardt describes the site as a ritual stopping place along the route to MACHU PICCHU associated with the worship of sacred water. We have ample time over lunch to explore and photograph, awed by the silent beauty of our imposing surroundings and the enigmatic mystery that its abandonment represents. Two hours travel along a finely constructed Inca trail takes us to INTIPUNKU at 2950 meters/9000 ft - famous GATE OF THE SUN overlooking the mysterious `Lost city'. MACHU PICCHU is one of the most magical and mysterious places on Earth! Situated on the spine of a jungle cloaked granite peak towering some 2,000 ft. above an entrenched meander of the roaring river below, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced by the powerful equatorial sun, the INCA GOD INTI. Constructed from precisely sculptured granite blocks carefully joined with the projecting exposed stone of the surrounding mountain, the site may well be the finest architectural achievement of the new world. We bus down to the bustling, backpacker town of Aguas Calientes. Again, avoiding the tour groups and the overpriced, noisy hotels, we locate at a small comfortable inn (yes there is plenty of hot water). Dinner at our favorite French bistrot!. Some of us may opt for after dinner Pisco Sours and dancing at the place on the hill. (B:L:D)
Day 9:
MACHU PICCHU! The famous lost city of the Inca is one of the most magical and mysterious places on Earth. Situated on the spine of a jungle cloaked granite peak towering some 600 meters above an entrenched meander of the roaring river below, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced by the powerful equatorial sun. Constructed from precisely sculptured granite blocks carefully joined
with the projecting exposed stone of the surrounding mountain, the site may well be the finest architectural achievement of the new world. The morning's yours to explore and photograph. We meet on the highest point, Inti Huatana, our guide concludes the story of the raise and fall of the ancient civilizations of the Andes with the tragic end of the Inca and the unresolved mystery that this "lost city" remains. We return to Ollantaytambo on the afternoon first class tourist train, arriving at around 5:00pm. We'll be in our hotel the Sacred Valley of the Incas for a spectacular sunset at a modest 2600 meters elevation. (B:L:D)
Day 10:
This is the day to shop and wander around Cusco. We meet for a final dinner after which we migrate to Barry's Cross Keys,
Cusco's only authentic English Pub, for drinks and lively conversation with the resident congregation of
expatriates and adventurers from the far corners of the universe. (B)
Day 11:
Transfer to Cusco airport for flihgt to Lima or continuation of your journey (B)
General Information
Rated: Moderate/strenuous.
Services: This adventure is safari style using pack stock to carry all our gear and expedition amenities. A staff of bilingual naturalist guides and local packers accompany a small group of guests. Comfortable camps offer delicious meals in a cozy dining tent and a pan of hot water with a mug of coffee or tea served at your tent to greet each day.
The horses: The horses are smaller than typical American saddle horses, so a weight limit of 200lbs. is imposed on participants. Comfortable, Peruvian made saddles are used, which are copied from US Army design If you plan to ride, previous riding experience is not a prerequisite but, due to the rugged terrain, prior familiarity around horses is recommended. We require that all participants be in good health and physical condition. If you plan to walk, the hiking is strenuous over steep trails at high altitude. Some hiking is necessary. We travel up to eight hours on the longest day.
Fixed Departure dates
2004: April 4-14(Easter), May 9-19 (Quollur R’iti Full Moon), May 23- June 3, July 11-21, August 15-25, September 12-22, October 17-27, November 7-17
| Tour Tariff | ||
| Per person | SGL Supp. | |
| USD | $ 2195 | $ 220 |
| EUR | € 1821 | € 182 |
| GBP | £ 1229 | £123 |
Included in price:
Bilingual mountain guides, experienced cooks, camp and field staff, all terrestrial transport on a private basis,
all food except lunches and dinners in the city of Cusco, all hotels, top quality camping equipment except sleeping bag,
National Park and Ruins entrance fees, transfer to and from hotels
Not included:
Sleeping bag. (can be hired in Cusco by pre-arrangement), bottled drinks except water, tips,
items of a personal nature e.g. laundry, airport tax, excess baggage charges (luggage carriers in option)
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