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Inca Trail 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. Inca Trail
Ruins of the storehouses above the town of Llactapata. These have been extensively restored and rebuilt .
This is the highest point we get to on Day 1 - the environment changed quite a bit from where we started - no more cactus and agave plants up this high! From here the trail turns away from the Urubamba and descends down in to a jungle valley along the Cusichaca river.
The building seen between Val and Guido, which is pretty far away, is a mountain resort. Some groups that take Salkantay trek spend a night there. It has many attributes of the western notion of comfort. We met a group of porters who were carrying huge refrigerator in the direction of the resort. Of course, such accommodation increases your trekking expenses. But I would stay in a tent while trekking as long as the health permits not because of the costs. Sleeping outdoors is one of the reasons I go trekking.
The Inka Trail got used as a communication system for the Incas to run from one place to another in the humongous Inca Empire which stretched from south Colombia to north of Argentina. There are different Inca trails to hike, but this one is the most famous Inca trail and it will take you from Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, through beautiful landscapes and different archaeological Inca sites.
This was our chance to buy something in the most "highlandish" shop on the trek. We didn't. We ate so much and so good during regular meals and had plenty for snacks in our backpacks. We didn't know that organizers provide for snacks, so we had our own, mostly from Russian store in Brooklyn, NY. Later I've heard from people that not everybody likes Peruvian food. In this case coca, chips and other gringo junk from the food kiosk comes out handy.