Peru 2013
Karolina and I often discuss potential sights, places, regions and countries that are 'on the list' of places we want to visit. Peru had been 'on the list' for a number of years so it was about time we stopped just talking about it. Planning of the trip was partly dictated by my recovery from an operation on my spine (we chose to fly around the country rather than take long bus journeys) but we included a few days hiking in the hills as it seemed unthinkable not to do the famous Inca trail.
First stop was the Muyuna lodge on the Amazon. A great place to relax and, although very much built for tourists, feel like you're a long way away from anything civilised. Guides lead walking, kayaking and motor boat trips out into the jungle in search of wildlife. We were super keen to see monkeys, especially since they 'promised' you'd see at least 5 different types during your stay. We were a little unlucky as monkey sightings were few and far between but came across a ton of stuff we weren't expecting. Having a bash at piranha fishing, getting up close to tarantulas and cayman and swimming with pink fresh water dolphins were all nice surprises. I say swimming with dolphins, we jumped off the boat within a few minutes of seeing dolphins; they might have been nearby but we didn't see them while we were in the water. Nevertheless, it's not every day you get the chance to take a dip in the Amazon!
Next stop, a couple of nights in Iquitos. The biggest city in the world that no roads leading to it. Some old school grandeur hanging around from the days of rubber barons trading here juxtaposed with very poor areas that are deemed unsafe for visitors to wander round. Very few cars so we took a spin in a moto taxi and a wander round a local market. The range of dodgy meats etc was eye opening
We flew from Iquitos for a night in Arequipa on our way to Cabanaconde. At over 3000m, it turned out to be good acclimatisation for the highlands and we enjoyed a couple of days hiking in the Colca Canyon, the world's second deepest canyon, as well as checking out the locals at their annual corn festival and witnessing an amazing display from the condors that use thermals in the canyon to gain altitude at sunrise each morning before flying off to hunt.
After an unscheduled extra night in Arequipa following a cancelled flight, we made it to Cusco where we spent a couple of days checking out Inca sites and the village of Pisac before starting out on the Inca trail.
The Inca trail, while travelling through amazing scenery and getting a 'thing to do before you die' box checked, is actually made rather less enjoyable by the experience of being herded along it. Unless you spring for a private guide, you have to join a group. We had a group of about a dozen lovely people from all over the world. The guides did a great job providing a continuous stream of info on the Incas while the catering team cooked up excessive 3 course meals at lunch and dinner that made the 'camping experience' feel a little less 'out there'. It's worth noting that much of the information on the Inca rituals etc is guesswork since the Incas had no written language and there was a gap of a few hundred years between their inhabitation of Peru and anyone showing much interest in Inca lifestyles etc. We enjoyed listened to a guide give a detailed description of a ritual that took place on a certain altar in a special temple at Machu Picchu. We then also enjoyed the altogether different ritual described by our own guide (who was fairly open about the ambiguity of where the various stories came from).
Anyone of reasonable fitness could easily walk the standard Inca trail in two and a half days. All the companies make this into a contrived 4 day hike meaning we arrived at final camp before lunch on day 3 only to make the 1 hour walk to Machu Picchu first thing in the morning on day 4. Our tour guide wanted us to be the first team to get to Machu Picchu so, although they don't allow people to leave the campsite before 5am, we queued at the 'departure gate' from 330 (only to find that the gates to tourists arriving by bus have opened up before you were able to arrive anyway). If this all sounds a little negative, I only write it to justify my advice to anyone thinking of doing the Inca Trail. The route is fantastic and the scenery just beautiful, but the reports of the less well trodden Salcantay trail sound very similar but less crowded.
If you don't walk the Inca Trail but are visiting Machu Picchu, a night at Aguas Callientes so you can grab the early bus up to Machu Picchu and have the place to yourself for a while would be an excellent way to arrive. It's a magical place that leaves you wondering what the Incas were up to, how the hell they built the place and why they went to such efforts. Take a look at some old pottery etc and make up stories about what might have happened there.
