The Inca Trail

The Inca Trail is by far the most famous trek in South America and thought by many to be in the top 5 treks in the world. In just 26 miles (43km) it manages to combine beautiful mountain scenery, lush cloud-forest, subtropical jungle and, of course, a stunning mix of Inca paving stones, ruins and tunnels. The final destination of the trail just cannot be beaten: Machu Picchu, the mysterious "Lost City of the Incas”.

The Inca Civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century, and their last stronghold was conquered by the Spanish in 1572. The Incas built a highly advanced network of nearly 40,000 thousand kilometers of trails to connect the distant corners of their vast empire that stretched from Quito in Ecuador down to Santiago in Chile and east to Mendoza in Argentina.  Cusco was at the heart of this great empire. Almost all of the principal trails in the mountains surrounding Cusco were built or improved upon by the Incas.  

A particularly beautiful 43km section of mountain trail connecting the important Inca archaeological sites of Runcuracay, Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca, and Machu Picchu has become popular with hikers in the last 30 years and has become known as the "Inca Trail to Machu Picchu". Access to this section of Inca Trail is strictly controlled and only authorized trekking companies are allowed to operate on this trek. All guides on the Inca Trail must be licensed and only a limited number of trekking permits are issued and must be purchased several months in advance.  You  can find a list of these tour companies by searching the internet.  We went with www.sastravelperu.com and were happy with all aspects of our trip.

This hike is not to be taken lightly.  Hiking on Inca paving stones for four days in mountainous terrain is not easy - all this as you climb to heights of 4,215 m (13,828 ft).  Altitude pills are advised.


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