If you are looking for an adventure for your next holiday how about hitting the famous Inca Trail? Forget being bored at the side of a pool, or feeling restless on a beach. Get the thrill and achieve something not everyone can do. This trail is one of the most famous treks combining hiking, amazing views, nature, history and physical achievement into a holiday you will never forget. See the over 500-year-old lost city of the Incas, stand at the top of mountains, walk through clouds and have one of the best experiences of your life along the Inca Trail.
A mystery hidden in the clouds for years
For many years Old Mountain was shrouded in mystery or mists, that hid the ancient site there. Nestled in dense vegetation and an overgrown forest it was not officially found until 1911 by archaeologists where the ancient Inca fortress sat now called Machu Picchu. It spreads out over an area of 5 squared kilometres and is believed to have been built by Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, an Incan ruler. But that is not all there is to see along the trail, there is a huge heritage site, fauna and flora, archaeological wonders and more.
The Inca Trail
The Inca trail is not the only way to see Machu Picchu, in today’s modern times you can get there by bus and by train. But if you want to experience more along the trail and walk where the ancients once walked, this is a small part of what was once a much longer ancient system of roads, spanning a good 23,000 kilometres! Along the spine of the magnificent mountains, the Andes, it links central Chile to southern Ecuador.
Along the trail, you see different eco climates and experience them too. Spectacular views offer stunning photography opportunities. When you first arrive you will have time to acclimatize, enjoy the city of Cusco and the treasures it has. See up close the stonework of the Inca Stonemasons, before moving on.
So much to see and do
With help from your porters who carry a lot of the essential equipment along the trail, you can save your strength for your essential belongings and enjoy more along the Inca Trail. All tour companies offer the use of porters, but some recently are including women porters too. Your trek and adventure is a great way people living local to the trail can make a better living. Have help with setting up base in the Sacred Valley and enjoy local village charms. Explore and then move further past the Urubamba River into the more challenging sections of the trail. The village at 3000 meters is the last human settlement on the trail.
Conclusion
From the vistas, villages, archaeological finds and habitat, there is always something to see, admire, explore and enjoy. With the right tour company, you can have a fantastic experience and be able to boast about having completed one of the world’s most famous trails. It is always a good idea to stay educated so for more information take a look there. The trail is one of the top-ranking for good reason. It is important to make sure you reserve a spot around three months in advance. There was a time when how many visited the trail got out of control which was not good for the trail (garbage, litter) or the people living around it. Today there are restrictions on how many can be on it per day and that number includes the porters and the guides too.
