Hey all,
Not sure if I
will be blogging daily like I have in past trips because of the spotty internet
and sheer amount of exercise we will be doing. So I figured I would pre-draft
the G Adventures Trip with Christina. I will meet
Christina in Lima on August 9 and start our tour on August 12, ending on August
25.
If anyone wants to challenge me in a step race, this is the two weeks I am guaranteed to win.
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| Our tour in a nutshell |
Lima - Day 1 (also known as August 12)
Free day!
Cusco -
Days 2-3
We will fly
from Lima to Cusco at 4:30 am ... wonderful. We have an entire day free here to
do whatever we want (let's see what type of trouble we can get into!). I'm
sure it will involve white water rafting and/or some day hike.
Ollantaytambo
- Days 3-5
Day 3 is the
start of a two day biking excursion through the Sacred Valley, in the Maras,
Moray and Pisac areas using Ollantaytambo as a vase. From our starting point at
3,700 m or 12,139 feet above sea level, we descend on our bikes into the Sacred
Valley, eventually arriving at Taray (2,800 m or 9,186 feet above sea level).
At some point we will tour the hilltop citadel of Pisac, an Incan ruin with
plunging gorges, a ceremonial center, and a winding agricultural terracing
that's still in use today.
Day 4 is the
second day of biking in the Sacred Valley. We will explore the town of Maras,
the archaeological site of Moray before heading down to the Salt Mines of Las
Salineras, ending in Urubamba. Today's journey takes us past Huaypo Lake and
town of Maras.
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| This is one of the views we are expecting on our biking trip |
Day 5 is a
free day here I'm sure we will go visit ruins and site see generally.
Lares Trek
- Days 6-8
Day 6 - We
will start early and drive (3 hrs) to Lares town where the hike will start with
a leisurely pace through the valley of Cuncani. We will hike 4 km to Chancachaca
then stop for lunch - the altitude here is around 3480m (11,417 feet). We will
then continue trekking along rocky mountain paths 4.7 km to the isolated
village of Cuncani. Camp here for the night at 3872 m (12,703 feet) at the G
Adventures-supported community run campsite.
Day 7 – Yet another early start where we
will hike from the foothills of Sicllaccasa Mountain 12.2 km to its high pass
at 4750 m (15,583 feet), providing scenic views of lagoons and the snow-capped
Chicon Mountain. Obviously a celebration is required after reaching the highest
point by making an offering of coca leaves to the Andean gods. After this we
will hike downhill another 2.2 km to QuencaPata, for lunch and to take in the
amazing view. After lunch we will continue hiking downhill another 2.6 km to
our second campsite near a stream. The sleep tonight will be at about 4,114 m
(13,497 feet) elevation.
Day 8 – We will follow the trail to see
typical Andean flora and fauna, llamas and alpacas on this day. We will descend
through the valley of Pumahuanca and meet friendly local Quechua people and
explore some Inca storehouses along the way. The final trek is about 3-4 hours to
reach the town of Pumahuanca where we will enjoy lunch then hop a van to
Ollantaytambo then continue by train to Aguas Calientes.
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| Our Lares Trek Route |
Machu
Picchu – Day 9
Of course it's yet another early morning
where we will catch a bus to Machu Picchu before sunrise. We get to gain local
insight into the Inti Mach’ay cave, Inti Watana, the Temple of the Sun, the
Temple of the Water, the Temple of the Condor, and the Room of the Three
Windows.
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| Small preview of my day's views |
With any leftover energy from the Machu
Picchu, we will hike to visit the Inca Bridge site nearby (thought by some to
be a secret back entrance to Machu Picchu). We will trek up to the bridge
that's cleaving to a 579 m (1,900 feet) cliff, and soak in amazing views of
cloud forest along the way.
Cusco
– Day 10
Free day!
Puno
– Day 11
We will spend the day on a bus for
approximately 8 hours or so.
Lago
Titicaca – Days 12-13
Because mountain biking and hiking wasn't
enough adventure, we will be going on a 2 day kayaking excursion on Lake
Titicaca, visiting Uros, Taquille, and Amantani islands including a homestay in
a small village.
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| So stoke for straw cabins to sleep in ... not |
Lima
– Day 14 (also known as August 25)
It is a bus, plane and train type of day to
get back to where we started in Lima.
AFN
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