A short guide about Scenic travel to Inca Trail
The Inca Trail is a journey that retraces the steps of the ancient Inca civilisation. Most people who visit Peru take a trip to the site of Machu Picchu; they usually travel there by train from Cuzco, a wonderful journey by the banks of the Urubamba River, a branch of the Amazon, passing beneath towering mountains and through the misty cloud forest. However, there is another way of reaching the site, and that is by hiking the Inca Trail over the mountains for four days, finally descending into the lost city from the Sun Gate at the end of the fourth day.
The four-day trek begins at the village of Chilca, 45 km from Machu Picchu. A tour leader and trek guide and a strong team of about 30 porters and cooks will take care of a group of about 16 people. Your guide will have completed the trek many times before and will most likely be a competent authority on the plants, animals, Inca ruins and other items of interest which you will most likely be seeing for the first time. Most of the trekking on this first day will be on swelling ground with a few very steep ascents.
The route follows the Vilcanota River, another name for the Urubamba, sometimes by its banks and sometimes on precipitous paths high above its course. Your guide will provide frequent stops to acclimatize to the altitude and catch your breath, and will point out the various cactuses, bromelia, fuschia, broom and other plants that you would not otherwise have noticed. The Inca Trail will have you captivated by its magnificent scenery and far below in the valley, the river courses its way over white-water rapids. Here you can clearly see the terraced mountain sides, and will no doubt marvel at how the ancient farmers could manage to cultivate what seems to be no more than narrow strips of land on sheer mountain faces.
Tourabout has many travel packages that involve trekking the Inca Trail, while exploring the remains of lost cities, meet with local villagers, and watching the sunrise over the magnificent Machu Picchu. The Inca Trail can be demanding, yet incredibly rewarding and it is undoubtedly the journey of a lifetime.