Welcome to Inca Trail

Inca Trail4 Days / 3 NightsDAY 1: START OF THE INKA TRAIL.

Introduction of the inca trail
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Inca Trail4 Days / 3 NightsDAY 1: START OF THE INCA TRAIL.

We will pick you up, early at the hotel in the morning and transfer you until kilometer 82 in a private bus.

We will stop at a place where we have our breakfast before beginning our trek.

Then we will begin our journey the first part of wich it is quite simple, around two hours, and we will see from the  inca trailthe archaeological center of PATALLACTA from where we will appreciate the impressive landscape of flora, fauna and indigenous town with inca traditions.

These archaeological centers show the importance of this valley in the first place after lunch we will continue ascending lightly to a semi-tropical valley for two hours until we arrive at our camp, Huayllabamba at (3000.m.a.s.l), Where we’ll spend the night.

DAY 2: HUAYLLABAMBA – PACAYMAYO

we

start early after breakfast and trek to the highest point on the trail, passing through different climatic and ecological zones as we ascend the WAMIWAñUSCA pass at 4200 m.a.s.l.

After breakfast we’ll undertake our ascent and during the first two hours we will walk amongst abundant vegetation with trees of wild origin. Because of this reason its known by many as the worlds highest cloud forest amongst the landscapes the flora and fauna starting at 3800 m.a.l.s. Until the high point, is typical of the andean mountains covered with icchu or straw, and mountains with perpetual snow after arduous walk of approximately 5 hours we´ll arrive at highest point, from there we will observe the beauty of the deep valleys and a distance covered well on the way to our third day, with luck we will see the flight of the condors and we will pass among the thick clouds as they fence the sky.

After a worthy rest we´ll descend toward our second camp at PACAYMAYU (3500 masl).

DAY 3: PACAYMAYO – HUIñAYHUAINA http://www.inka-trail.net/

From the PACAYMAYO, the trail climbs steeply up the opposite side of the valley wall, towards the second pass. About halfway up ist a small round roofless stone building. This Inca remains is known as RUNKURACAY. The building is thought to have been a astronomic site, a kind of way post for couriers following the *Inca trail*to MACHU PICCHU. It contained sleeping areas for the couriers and stabling facilities for their animals.

After RUNKURACAY, the Inca trail continues to climb towards the second pass, the Abra de RUNKURACAY, which is at around 3900m. On the far side of the pass, the Inca trail descends towards a valley containing a shallow lake. At around this point, the inca trailchanges from a dirt path to a narrow stone roadway. This is the beginning of the true Inca Trail; the stones of the roadway were laid by the Quechua people of the period of the Inca state.

The trail leads to a second, larger Inca site, named SAYACMARCA ("Town in a Steep Place"). SAYACMARCA effectively controls the trail - which passes beneath it - at this point. It is built on a promontory of rock overlooking the trail, and is accessible only via a single narrow stone staircase. On the left of the staircase, which is about a meter or less in width, is an overhanging rock wall, which makes it difficult for a tall man to climb, while on the right is a sheer drop onto the rocks below. SAYACMARCA (which Bingham inexplicably decided to name Cedrobamba - "Plain of Cedars" - despite the fact that there are no cedars to be seen, and it's perched on a spur overlooking a valley) is roofless and overgrown, but the walls still stand and the shape of the fortress can easily be seen. Nearby is a stone aqueduct which once carried water to the site. After SAYACMARCA, the trail descends to the valley floor, and the roadway takes the form of a long causeway leading across what may once have been the bed of a shallow lake. On the far side, the Inca trailbegins to climb again. The roadway represents a considerable feat of engineering, including even an 8m tunnel section where the Inca trailengineers widened a natural fissure in the rock into a tunnel large enough to allow the passage of human and animals. The trail leads up to the third pass and, just beyond it, a third Inca site, PHUYUPATAMARCA ("Cloud-level Town"). This site appears to have had some ritual function; the rectangular structures along one side are baths, which were apparently fed from a spring higher up. The highest bath was reserved for the nobles, while the lower classes performed their ritual ablutions in the water which had already been used by the aristocracy. Below PHUYUPATAMARCA, the trail spirals and descends steeply towards HUIñAYHUAYNA, ("Forever Young"), another Inca site. There is another campsite and a visitor centre nearby.

DAY 4: TO MACHUPICCHU

The

final section of the inca trail, from HUIñAYHUAYNA to INTIPUNKU is an easy hike, following a broad level path which winds comfortably through scrub and light woodland.

Colorful butterflies flutter across theinca trail.

Aft er no more than an hour and a half or two, the trail comes to a narrow flight of stone steps leading upwards into a small stone structure with a grass floor a few meters square.

This is INTIPUNKU, the Gateway of the Sun, and through the rectangular doorway, you can see the ruins of MACHU PICCHU.

From INTIPUNKU, a pathway leads directly to MACHU PICCHU itself.

Included: O
   original Passport. Transfer from your hotel, trail head, hotel. Personal tents: 2 people in each 4-people-capacity tent. Dinning tent with tables and chairs Kitchen tent Toilet tent English speaking professional guide (2 guides for groups over 8 people) Cook and cooking equipment Porters (to carry tents, food and cooking equipment). Accommodation for our guides, cook and porters. Meals (04B, 04L, 04D + wake – up tea) First-aid kit including emergency oxygen bottle. Train ticket from Aguas Calientes to Cusco (economic tourism class).

Not included: Sleeping bag. Tips.

YOU SHOULD BRING:

A backpack with a change of clothes for the whole period of the trek Rain gear (jacket and pants if available) or rain poncho. Strong footwear, waterproof trekking boots recommended Warm clothes, including jacket, fleeces. Thermal clothing is also recommended, especially for sleeping. Sleeping bag (it can be hired at our agency) Flashlight and batteries Camera, films and batteries (batteries consume more quickly under cold conditions) Hat or cap to protect you from the sun, rain and cold Sun block cream, mosquitoes repellent. Toilet paper Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc. Non-disposable canteen (Nalgene type) and water for the first morning. Small towel. Swimming suit (if you intend to go to the hot springs in Aguas Calientes) Cash in soles and/or US$ Original passport Optional: walking sticks or poles (rubber covers required in order not to damage the Trail)

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