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New for 2008!

It’s been about 10 years since we offered this special trek, and high time we brought it back! Most of the high Andean wilderness is exquisite, but Peru’s remote Cordillera Vilcanota earns top honors. From a vast high plateau of golden pampas rise stunning, isolated ice peaks such as sheer walled Mariposa (19,117') and massive Ausangate (20,945'), “spirit mountain” of the local Quechua people. Our adventure in this extraordinary landscape is a four-day circuit of Ausangate, the highest peak of the Vilcanota, whose beautiful icy walls are visible from Cuzco. As you circle the mountain you’ll follow trails above high glaciers and through broad valleys, and camp beside turquoise alpine lakes where glaciers shed blocks of ice with a thunderous roar. Along the way you’ll enjoy wildlife from Andean geese to roaming vicunas, and meet Quechua herdsmen garbed in bright hand-woven wool ponchos, as they tend herds of llamas and alpacas. At the end of the trek you’ll take a one-day hike to incomparable Machu Picchu, the “lost city” of the Incas, where a walk among its breathtaking ruins is an awe-inspiring sojourn into the mysteries of the past.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Challenging four-day trek around the massive peak of Ausangate, whose icy walls are visible from Cuzco
• Enjoy a scenic masterpiece of icy mountain spires, glacier-fed lakes, and valleys of grazing alpacas
• One-day hike to the dazzling ruins of Machu Picchu, a destination on everyone’s travel “wish list”

BOOK EARLY! Inca Trail permits for the one-day hike from Km 104 sell out four to six months in advance.

Day 1 - Arrive in Lima, Peru, and fly to Cuzco (11,200').

Day 2 - Tour the city and nearby Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Kenko, and Tambo Machay.

Day 3 - Drive to the village of Tinki (12,500') through a rolling landscape with views of the Cordillera Vilcanota on the horizon.

Day 4 Visit a local family, then begin trekking toward the north face of Ausangate. Camp at Upis (14,436'), surrounded by snowcapped mountains.

Days 5-7 On trek through the Vilcanota, enjoying a landscape of glacier-fed lakes, valleys of grazing alpacas, icy rock spires, and continuous views of Ausangate’s glaciers. En route you’ll cross several high passes, the highest of which is 16,568'.

Day 8 Meet with waiting vehicles and drive to Cuzco.

Day 9 Transfer to the Urubamba Valley and board the morning train to Km 104. From here, hike to Machu Picchu, passing the ruins of Chachabamba and Winaywayna. Late afternoon arrival at the ruins, with a chance to absorb their beauty. Overnight at the beautiful Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel at the foot of the ruins.

Day 10 You’re up early to experience the morning light over the ruins and have a walking tour of Machu Picchu. Optional afternoon hikes up Huayna Picchu, the peak above Machu Picchu, or to the “Inca Bridge,” an ancient drawbridge leading to the jungle.

Day 11 The morning is free to visit Machu Picchu again or to relax at the hotel. Afternoon train to Cuzco.

Day 12 Fly to Lima. Evening flight home.

Photo Credits
©Inger Hogstrom