The Group

In the summer of last year, Stéphane our infamous leader of the Raleigh Trail Runners developed the plan for our next great adventure trip. After the Grand Canyon in 2023, Yosemite in 2024 and Quebec in 2025, I knew this would be another unforgettable trip - and it was!

We ended up being a group of nine arriving in Cusco, Peru on May 8th and 9th via Lima and Miami or Atlanta. Most of us shared the same hotel in Cusco and in addition to our seven-day trek also toured the Sacred Valley on May 10th and Rainbow Mountain on May 18th, and some of us even stayed behind for an additional multi-day jungle tour.

Our group and two guides at the end of our seven-day trek overlooking Machu Picchu

The Incas

Sometimes in the late 1100s a small tribe migrated from lake Titicaca to Cusco and formed a settlement. This was the beginning of the Incas. 350 years later in August 1533 the last Inca Emperor was executed by the Spanish bringing an empire spanning over 3,000 miles from Quito, Ecuador to Santiago, Chile to an end. At that time the empire consisted of over 12 million people of which 150,000 lived in the capital of Cusco. Fifty years later only 1.5 million remained decimated by additional warfare and European diseases.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of a written language many details of the Incas remain unknown.

Pachacuti Statue in Cusco. He was the 9th emperor, famous for expanding the empire.

The Success

Several factors contributed to the great success of the Inca Empire:

The high altitude mosquito-free climate of the Andes provides cool temperatures for meat and grain storage.
Investing in long-term projects by constructing terraces to grow crop at much higher yields.
Construction of trail "highways" between settlements for goods exchange and fast communication.
Introduction of corn from Mexico as the major crop tripling calories per acre.
Assimilating conquered tribes into the empire by introducing a common language while still allowing local customs. Demonstrating the improvement of quality of life for the common people.

The Downfall

In the end it only took 168 armed Spaniards, one cannon and 27 horses to defeat and capture the last Inca emperor Atahualpa and ultimately take down the Inca empire. How was this possible?

The second to last Inca emperor inherited the empire to both of his sons instead of only to the eldest. As usual, this led to a massive war between the two decimating the entire army.
Before first contact with the Spaniards smallpox had already made its way into the empire and spread rapidly via the trade routes.

Cusco and Surroundings

Cusco

After a relentless drive with an Uber we arrived at our very nice hotel in the old part of town. We were greeted with Coca tea that boost energy, helps against altitude sickness and would most certainly make us fail cocaine drug testing for weeks to come.

Cusco is at over 11,000 ft in elevation which is noticed especially climbing stairs or walking uphill. We now had two days time to explore the city and adapt to the sudden elevation change. Downtown is very touristy with plenty of small shops selling alpaca clothes and a variety of restaurants. As the former Inca capital the city still shows many of the famous Inca walls and the remains of Qorikancha, the temple that was once covered in pure gold. It was destroyed and is now the Church of Santo Domingo of Guzmán.

Cusco's city plaza with the cathedral and the church of the Society of Jesus. In the back left the church of Santo Domingo of Guzmán built on top of the old Inca temple Qorikancha.

Typical street in downtown. Filled with locals and tourists.

One of the many tourist shops.

On their way to get some tips for posing with tourists.

Inca walls

Inca wall

Destroyed Inca temple Qorikancha, now the Church of Santo Domingo of Guzmán

Altar in the church of Santo Domingo of Guzmán

Windows in Qorikancha

Outside wall of Qorikancha

Street in downtown

Alpaca sandwich with avocado

Our "go-to" beer. A nice lager from Lima. Of course it features Machu Picchu!

View of Cusco from our hotel

Breakfast

Sacsayhuamán

In the morning of our second day in Cusco we hiked up to Sacsayhuamán, the old fortress of the Incas. The fortress itself is completely destroyed and the rocks were used to build the churches in downtown. However, the fortification walls still remain and are simply incredible! We toured for a couple of hours also visiting the adjacent site of Q'enco which we didn't find as interesting.

The three fortification walls of Sacsayhumán and Cusco below.

Sacsayhumán

Fortification wall

The foundation of the central tower.

Automated lawn mower

Water storage facility

Sacred Valley

After two days of touring Cusco we had booked a day trip to the Sacred Valley on Mother's Day. We got picked up very early from the hotel (they packed us a to-go breakfast) by our guide and driver in a Sprinter van.

Before getting to the Sacred Valley we stopped at a local tourist trap set up to sell overpriced alpaca garments. However, this stop included a nice tour of the animals and we were also shown how dyes were made from natural materials and how locals weave to make the pretty patterns in the fabric.

Lamas

Alpacas

Weavers. The lady on the left is fixing to eat more Coca leaves. The bowler hat serves the same purpose as a wedding ring.

Making dyes from natural materials

These fellows would soon end up on a plate. They are called cuy based on the sound they make as they are dropped into boiling grease - just kidding, I am sure they die more peacefully.

After another thirty minute drive we arrived at Pisaq our first stop in the Sacred Valley. The Incas called the valley sacred for the vast amount of crop it provided for the capital and surrounding area. Pisaq is the Quechua (Inca language they still speak today) word for partridge (in a pear tree) that used to be abundant there. It is a major Inca site including buildings, terraces and the largest Inca cemetery known.

Pisaq

Inca cemetery. The mummies have all been dug out by the Spaniards in search for valuables.

Pisaq

Pisaq. Water still running after 600 years!

Before getting to our lunch stop we drove another hour through various little towns of which one was celebrating the guinea pig! Many street vendors were selling cuy on the spic and we even saw folks dressed up as guinea pigs. We were getting hungry!

Cuy on the spic

Lunch time

Cuy featured in the front center. Mainly skin and tiny bones. I cannot recommend.

The next stop after lunch were the old salt mines of Maras. These were already known to the Incas, but became much more important later. It was very interesting to see the multiple terraces and how they get their share of the brine spring. It takes approximately four weeks between filling each basin and harvesting the crystalized salt. We were curious how this could still be profitable today with salt being essential free - and yes the operation only exists due to the tourist entrance fees. Still, very interesting to see!

Salt Mines of Maras

Next we visited the Inca site of Moray. Here the Incas built concentric terraces into what may be meteorite craters. It is believed these fields were agricultural test fields as the temperature gradually climbs as one gets to lower terraces allowing the Incas to optimize growing conditions.

Moray

The last stop was the old Inca city of Ollantaytambo. At the fork of the Rio Patacancha and the Urubamba it was a city of commerce and trade. At the time of the Spanish invasion the Incas were in progress of constructing a sun temple which is the key highlight of these ruins and at least in my opinion also proof that the perfect wall construction was not done by a prior civilization or aliens.

Terrasses at Ollantaytambo. Stray dog are basically everywhere.

Ollantaytambo

Our guide providing valuable insights

The Sun Temple

After visiting Ollantaytambo it started getting dark and we headed back to Cusco. It took us over three hours for the 40 mile drive! The road conditions are horrible. Landslides, potholes, sections without pavement and an endless traffic jam into Cusco made this drive unforgettable.

The Trek

Among the various treks we decided on a longer option than the famous Inca Trail. Our trek would take us after two days to the major Inca site Choquequirao followed by a three day hike out to Yanama. From there we would take a two hour van drive to Lucmabamba where we would stay overnight. We would then have one more major hike over the last mountain ridge and along the railroad to Aguas Calientes, the town right below Machu Picchu where we would finally sleep in a bed again. The seventh day was to see Machu Picchu and take the railroad and van back to Cusco. Even though we only hike 50 miles during the seven days our total ascent accumulated to over 22,000 feet! To put this into comparison the last seven days of my JMT Throughhike were 97 miles and around 25,000 feet of ascent, including summiting Mt. Whitey. So this would prove to be no joke either.

A typical day on our trek would be to wake up at around 5:30 - we were brought coca tea to our tents to wake up. Breakfast was at around 6, and we would leave camp at 6:30. While we were hiking in the morning our support crew would break down camp, load the mules and take off themselves. Somewhere in the late morning the mules would pass us to set up camp at the next site. We would get there in the early afternoon for lunch. Then have a couple of hours to rest before dinner which was usually at around 6. After dinner everyone was so beat to call it a day and I was often asleep at 8. While hiking we usually formed two groups. A fast one headed by a guide and a slower one accompanied by the second guide. The guides, horsemen and cooks were in contact via radio. While hiking we took a small breather break every 30 minutes or so and sometimes we waited longer for the other group to catch up.

Every individual had a duffel bag (not to exceed 20 lbs) that was carried by the mules leaving only essentials and water for our day packs.

I have never used a trekking company before and was unsure how this worked. I do have to say in hindsight that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages compared to solo backpacking, especially where I don't speak the local language and where traveling infrastructure is lacking.

The seven-day trek we decided on.

The Start

Hiram Bingham who discovered Machu Picchu in 1911 hiked to Choquequirao in 1909. He can much better put in words what we experienced during our first two days of hiking: "As we mounted, the view of the valley became more and more magnificent. Nowhere had I ever witnessed such beauty and grandeur as was here displayed. The white torrent of the Apurimac raged through the canyon thousands of feet below us. Where its sides were not sheer precipices or scarred by recent avalanches, the steep slopes were covered with green foliage and luxuriant flowers. From the hilltops near us other slopes rose 6,000 feet above to glaciers and snow-capped summits. The whole range of the White Mountains or the Great Smokies of Tennessee and North Carolina could have been placed on the floor of this great valley and not come much more than halfway to the top. In the distance, as far as we could see, a maze of hills, valleys, tropical jungle, and snow peaks held the imagination as though by a spell. Such were our rewards as we lay panting by the side of the little path when we had reached its highest point.

After getting our wind, we followed the trail westward, skirting more precipices and crossing other torrents, until, about two o'clock, we rounded a promontory and on a slope of a bold mountain headland 6,000 feet above the river we caught our first glimpse of the ruins of Choquequirao."

Our group including the two guides at the beginning of our trek.

View from our starting point. We had to decent, cross the Apurimac River and ascent on the other side to get to Choquequirao. A two day hike.

Two horsemen attending the twelve mules carrying our supplies.

Crossing the Apurimac River

Our tents in the morning. The previous night we hiked the last hour with headlights to get to camp.

Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia arborea)

Made by Coca Cola! Tastes very sweet and a bit like lime.

Our first sight of Choquequirao. The terraces on the bottom and main building complex on the top of the mountain ridge. Only 30% has been excavated today.

Choquequirao

This Inca city was discovered much earlier than Machu Picchu and it is way bigger if fully excavated. However, instead of seeing an average of 5,000 visitors a day this site may see 20. There is a simple reason. You have to walk two days on foot to get here. Unfortunately, this will soon change with an approved cable car project that will traverse the canyon and move up to 400 people per hour.

We likes this place especially for its rugged appearance. You really felt at times like Indiana Jones climbing on the ruins. After lunch at our new campsite (on an Inca terrace). We spend the afternoon touring the lower wild terraces. The next morning we explored the main site and then headed off to the next campsite, also on Inca terraces.

Some of us have started to chew Coca leaves like the locals. I am not sure it gave me a big energy boost or helped with fatigue even when adding the alkaline ash activator. For sure it does not make you high.

Camping on the Inca terraces of Choquequirao

The food tent

Lunch time

Our troup. The mules were grazing on lower terraces.

Exploring the overgrown lower terraces. Stairs to got between terraces.

Lower terraces

Stairs and adjacent water channel

Another water channel

Lower terraces

Evening view from the campsite

Good morning. The moon is waning not waxing. We are south of the equator.

Morning exploration of the main site

Building complex

Choquequirao

Coca leaves. They contain around 1% cocaine.


Wild Yellow Orchid (Hesperoxiphion peruvianum)

Air plants attached to tree

A friendly visitor

A quartz lama

Many llamas in the terraces.

The Rio Blanco below.

Another night in Inca ruins. We teamed up with a second group.

I wonder what the Incas would have thought of this modern toilet

Sunset in the Andes

The Milky Way and Southern Cross

Towards Machu Picchu

The next three days we spend hiking out the wilderness towards Yanama. This included hiking over a pass at 13,500 feet elevation. We reached Yanama in the early afternoon for lunch and beer. This was also the time to wish our horsemen and mules farewell as they had to now turn around and return to the beginning of the trail for the next group of tourists. Us on the other hand jumped into our van and drove three hours to Lucmabamba past many mud and rock slides that covered the road. In Lucmabamba we spend our last night in the tent. The sixth day we hiked over the final mountain ridge towards Machu Picchu. It was getting much more touristy now as we were approaching Machu Picchu. There were some great views of the site from afar and the three mile hike along the railroad was also very memorable. At last we arrived in Aguas Calientes where we had a great dinner in a restaurant and spend the night in a hotel. Finally, a hot shower after six days!

Potato roll filled with tuna for lunch

Typical salad

One of the horsemen's dogs. They warn off the pumas.

Nightfall in the Andes

Filled peppers, potatoes and noodles.

Inca stairs leading up the pass

Far below Yanama

Yanama getting closer. The white roof covers a school field.

Last couple of miles with Walt.

Beer, WiFi and another one of our dogs, Selina.

Exhausted hiker and school kids going home.

Lunch in Yanama.

Lunch in Yanama

Farewell to our two horsemen (left). The three on the right are the helpers and chef cook "Mickey Mouse" on the far right. Unfortunately, I don't speak Spanish and they didn't English.

It's getting touristy!

Long line waiting for the avocado egg sandwich. The average tourist age dropped to 25.

Cafe with great view

Nevado Huayanay at 17,246 ft

Looking down onto Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu in the center of the picture

Crossing the Rio Abhobamba

Lunch in Hidroelectrica

Bananas

Hike to Aguas Calientes

Rare sighting of the Andean Cock of the Rock (Rupicola Peruvianus)

Railside cafe

First houses of Aguas Calientes and the Urubamba River

Machu Picchu

When rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911 he thought he found the lost last capital of the Incas, now known to be Vilcabamba. Instead, he found a getaway for the extended royal Inca family that was built around 1450 and which was abandoned after the Spanish invasion. The Spaniards never knew of this complex leaving it fully intact. It is believed the royal family gradually migrated into the jungle during the mid 1500s abandoning Machu Picchu forever.

Today Machu Picchu is recognized as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World with more than 1.5 million visitors annually. We were fortunate to get early morning tickets before the site would get crowded and the weather played along perfectly. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and after walking through the site for about 90 minutes some of us climbed on top of Huayna Picchu to have a view from the other side.

Honestly, I found this highlight of our trip pretty overwhelming. To me it was more about the beauty of the site in relation to the mountains than the perfect condition or size of the site. The high mountains as a backdrop, the Urubamba River flowing around this outcrop of a mountain and the beautiful small mountain Huayna Picchu in the back, just perfect.

After completing our tour we took the bus back into town, enjoyed lunch in a restaurant and then took the train back towards Cusco. We got back to our hotel in Cusco at around nine ending an incredible seven-day trip.

The iconic view of Machu Picchu with the Huayna Picchu mountain in the back.

The last stop of our incredible trek.

The sun temple. On June 21st the sun would rise perpendicular through the window.

The main plaza with Huayna Picchu on the left.

View of Machu Picchu from the top of Huayna Picchu.

On the train back towards Cusco.

Rainbow Mountain

On the last day of our trip we had booked a trip to Rainbow Mountain. The incredible coloring of the iron rich minerals have made this one of the newer tourist attractions in Peru. Before 2013 the mountain was covered by glacier ice caps, but thanks to global warming we can now enjoy this beautiful mountain. Fortunately, we had somewhat gotten used to higher elevations, which made the one hour hike from the parking lot to over 16,500 feet (5,036 m) bearable. This is only 1,000 feet below Everest Base Camp!

After returning from the trip we had one last dinner in Cusco. It was going to be my last alpaca sandwich. The next morning at five I rode to the airport and returned back to Raleigh at around midnight.