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This trek is designed as an alternative
trek to the Inca trail
to Machu Picchu. The terrain is similar with the difference
that you hardly meet other trekkers on the trail. You will
experience the peasant life as you watch people work the land,
camp near their homes in the midst of a pristine environment
reminiscent of ancient times.
We use Llamas as pack animals because of their beauty
and their minimal impact on the trail.
Day 1 | 2
| 3 | 4
Day 1
Km 82 Trail Camp (2650m) - Paucarcancha
(3200m)
Early pick up from your hotel and transfer
to our camp at Km. 82 (2650m), the trail head of the Inca
Tail to Machu Picchu. You will meet your crew and pack animals
to begin hiking heading north on the Inca trail. Approximately
2 1⁄2 hours later you will reach a look-out point from
which the Inca ruins of Llactapata can be viewed. You continue
on an ascending trail for about 1 hour to a scenic spot near
the Cusichaca River where your picnic lunch will be served.
You will continue past the hamlet of Huayllabamba for a further
1 1⁄2 hours to the well preserved Inca remains of Paucarcancha
(3200m). Camp at your private campsite close to the ruins.
Total trek today 4 1⁄2 hours. B,L,D.
Day 2
Paucarcancha (3200m) - Incarajay
(4400m)
After a hearty breakfast you will begin
your gradual ascent. Small settlements scarcely populated
by native peasants, awesome high altitude landscapes, and
beautiful waterfalls mark our way. We will reach the Inca
site of Incarajay and camp nearby.
Views of the snow-capped Huayllanay(5300m), as well as other
glaciers and snow- capped mountain peaks are the highlight
of this campsite (4200m), which will be the highest of your
trek. Total trek today 6 hours. B,L,D
Day 3
Incarajay (4400m) - Sayllapata(3450)
Today you will go over the high pass of
Huayllanay (4,850 meters). In the morning the trail will get
gradually steeper and the air thinner. You should reach the
pass before noon, and enjoy your picnic lunch on the descending
trail. The huallata or Andean goose, as well and black ibis
are among the abundant bird life often spotted on the high
parts of this trail. After you reach the pass and you start
your descent, you will observe a well-preserved portion of
an Inca trail that probably joined the famous trail to Machu
Picchu. You will also view the lovely Ancash Cocha glacial
lake and the go through a community bearing the same name.
You will camp at Sayllapata (3450m). From this campsite you
can enjoy spectacular views of Veronica Glacier (5336m). Total
trek today 6-8 hours. B,L,D.
Day 4
Sayllapata (3450) - Km 82 Trail Camp
(2650m)
This day is spent descending to the Sacred
Valley by way of narrow canyon following a stream that will
gradually get bigger until it reaches the Urubamba River.
A good part of
granite walls on the sides of the canyon are populated by
a large variety of orchids and bromeliads, filling the environment
with magnificent colors when in bloom. The impressive Veronica
Glacier will appear again as the canyon opens up to reach
the Valley and you hike along the Urubamba back to the Trail
Camp Km 82 where you may stay for the night or drive back
to your hotel in Urubamba or Ollantaytambo. If you stay, you
may enjoy the rustic sauna and complement a deserved rest
and taste the traditional “Pachamanca” dinner
(Meat and potatoes cooked in the earth by hot stones). Total
trek today 8 hours. B,L,D.
Please note: The following day you can take
the train to Machu Pichu or Km. 104 to hike the 1 day Inca
Trail and enter Machu Picchu by way of the Sun Gate or “Intipunku”.
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