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When the traveler on his first
visit to Cusco raises his eyes and looks up at the clean and
fluffy sky his doubts disappear: To days great adventure is to
follow in the footsteps of the ancient dwellers of the Inca
Empire. Why invest up to four days trekking on steep paths to
reach the old citadel of Machu Picchu, if there is a railroad
that can take you there in comfort in only six hours? Only the
experience itself can supply the answer.
The physical exertion climbing up
the trail, to slowly slide down mud covered knee-wrenching
slopes, to go into the nights surrounded by the stars and to
speak to the whistling cold wind in the highland, becomes, at
the end of the road, the fair price paid for one of the most
extraordinary experiences to be found anywhere in the world
today. |
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The best way to start your Inca
Trail experience to the mysterious citadel of Machu Picchu is to
acclimatise in the beautiful city of Cusco. A walk to
Sacsayhuaman and also along the multiple "Pacchas" or fountains
and churches of the city is a good idea.
The day before starting out on
the tour, the traveler receives all the necessary information
and recommendations needed for the trail: Schedules, campsites,
regulations in force within the Machu Picchu Ecological Park (It
is a Natural Reserve protected by the Peruvian State), equipment,
basic things such as clothes to bring, food, security, first aid
kits, porter services, transport and tourist information.
Along the trail and as a preview
of your marvellous final encounter with the awesome citadel, the
visitor will get to know a series of archaeological sites that
bear testimony to the greatness of the Inca Empire. Built by a
civilisation that did not know the use of the wheel or hard
metals, these incredible buildings are found in the most
inhospitable altitudes and, apparently, as far away as possible
from the quarries where the huge granite stones of which they
were built, some the size of a truck, are to be found. |
