COMMUNITY ACTION TREKS LTD Tel: 01 Email: info@catreks.com Web: www.catreks.com Pure Inca Trail including the Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu Grade: Moderate Land-only duration: 10 days Lima - Lima Trekking days: 4 Maximum altitude: 4215m Minimum numbers: Requires just 4 participants to guarantee these departures at the advertised price. Dates and prices: Our latest dates and prices list is available at www.catreks.com or from the CAT office. Registered in England No. 4402182 Directors: Doug Scott C.B.E., Martin West and Jeff Frew
One of the most famous treks in the world, the Inca Trail presents you with culture, nature and history thanks to its rich Incan past. The 45 km journey, which combines mountain scenery, subtropical jungle and Inca paving stones, tunnels and ruins, can be walked in 4 days. We begin our trek in the Sacred Valley which gives a day to gently acclimatise to the altitude. Here your guide will give you a tour of the ruins of Ollantaytambo. The following day you begin the Inca Trail at 82km. (2650m) The trail was built some 500 years ago by the Incan civilisation and leads to the sacred Incan city of Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Over 400 species of orchid have been discovered in the area and the landscape is rich in wildlife, from hummingbirds to the majestic Andean condor and the shy spectacled bear. Early morning on the fourth day you finally reach your destination, Machu Picchu and although it sounds a cliché, seeing the great city in the clouds is truly a humbling experience. The historical Inca Trail is indeed so enticing that places on the trek are limited to a maximum of 500 people per day. Therefore, it is essential that you book at least 5 months in advance. It is also important to remember that the trail is always closed for the month of February for maintenance. To really enjoy this trek it helps if you are of a reasonable fitness level, and it will be a rewarding experience for any hillwalker.
OUTLINE ITINERARY Walking and journey times are approximate Day:1 Arrive Lima (Overnight in Lima hotel) Transfer to hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax. Day:2 Cusco (Overnight Cusco) Fly from Lima to Cusco and meet with your tour leader. Transfer to hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax and acclimatise. Take a look round Cusco s beautiful Main Square with its colonial architecture or take an optional city tour (this can be arranged by your tour leader, price dependant on numbers). Day:3 Day:4 Day:5 Sacred Valley Tour (Overnight Ollantaytambo) Travel through the Sacred Valley and visit the towns and Inca ruins of Pisaq and Ollantaytambo. Get a chance to learn a little about the local people, their way of life and their traditional weaving techniques. Start the Inca Trail Depart from Km 82 and cross the Urubamba River Bridge and begin our walk in the footsteps of the Incas. We travel along the winding path that skirts the river, offering views of the Vilcanota mountain range. Our route journeys through the narrow Cusishaca valley and later we ll reach the indigenous community of Huayllabamba. Our local crew of porters cook and guide look after us well for the duration of the hike. Porters carry the majority of the gear for the hike, so those passengers doing the hike only need carry a small daypack for the daily essentials. We camp at Wayllabamba. Approx. walking time 5 hours Trek to Pacaymayo On the second day we climb the long steep path to Warmiwañusca, or Dead Woman s Pass. Don t be put off by the name with your guide s encouragement you ll make it to the top and enjoy the fantastic view that awaits you! At 4215 m (13769 ft) above sea level, this pass is the highest point of the trek. The second pass of the hike is Runcuracay (3998m)(13113 ft) where on clear days, we enjoy superb views of the snow-capped Cordillera Vilcabamba. Tonight we camp at Pacaymayo. Approx. walking time 7 hours Day:6 Day:7 Trek to Wiñay Wayna Today the trail goes through some beautiful cloud forest on a climb which is steeper than Dead Woman s Pass but shorter (1 ½ hours), you will walk through a causeway and a tunnel, both original Inca constructions. The highest point of the third pass is at 3700m (12136 ft). On clear days you are rewarded for all this work with beautiful views of the Urubamba Valley below. Soon you reach the serene ruins of Phuyupatamarca, or the 'Town above the Clouds', at about 3650 m (11972 ft) above sea level. We camp for the final night close to Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young) ruins, a grandiose terraced hillside site, with panoramic views of the valley below and just a short hike from Machu Picchu. Approx. walking time 8-9 hours. Arrive at Machu Picchu (Overnight Cusco) Today we visit the remarkable Machu Picchu. There is no way to describe the feeling of the first views of Machu Picchu, as the mist rises off the mountains early in the morning and the famous ruin appears in front of you. It may be called the Sun Gate but bear in mind we are in the cloud forest and sometimes Cloud Gate would be a more suitable name. The morning is dedicated to exploring the extraordinary site of Machu Picchu, where your guide will be on hand to explain and give you an insight into the life of the Incas at Machu Picchu. For the keen, there s also the opportunity to climb the sacred peak of Huaya Picchu subject to availability of time and permits, which are limited. In the afternoon, we take the train from back to Ollantaytambo and then private bus back to Cusco. Approx. walking time 2 hours.
Day:8 Cusco (Overnight Cusco) Free day in Cusco. Shop for souvenirs or take a look round Cusco s beautiful Main Square with its colonial architecture or take an optional city tour (this and many other activities can be arranged through your tour leader). Day:9 Arrive Lima (Overnight Lima hotel) Transfer to airport and say your goodbyes to your tour leader before catching your flight to Lima. The rest of the day is free to spend as you wish. You may want to book a city tour if you have time. Day:10 Depart Peru Transfer to airport to catch your international flight. Important Note: Whilst we expect that the tour will run as per the itinerary, participants should accept that there is a possibility of changes being necessary subject to local conditions. Inca Trail Permit An Inca Trail Permit is required for this trek. Permits are strictly limited and the peak months (the UK summer) sell out very fast indeed once the permits are issued. It is therefore essential that we receive your booking as early as possible for this trip. We will buy the permits once we have reached the minimum number of bookings required to run the trek. The permits are bought locally in US$, and the cost of the permit can be changed by the Peruvian authorities. The permit price is published at the beginning of the year for which it applies. To book a place on a trek requiring an Inca Trail Permit, we need: A completed booking form The trek deposit of 300 An additional 90 which we estimate will cover the cost of the permit for 2010 treks. If the cost of the permit in changes due to the price set by the Peruvian authorities or the exchange rate, we will notify you of the adjustment to your final balance payment. Written confirmation of your name exactly as it appears on your passport, date of birth and the number of the passport you will be travelling with. Changes to passport details cannot be guaranteed, so it is essential that you check the details you provide us with very carefully Please note that: No travel arrangements should be made until we have confirmed that the permits have been secured. The cost of the permit is non-refundable (unless we cancel the trip). Name changes and date changes are not permitted If you will renew your passport before the trek, you will need to take the original passport or 2 good copies with you on the trek as well as your new passport. You are advised to keep 2 clear copies of your passport with you in case of loss. Should this happen, you will also need to provide a police report on entry to the trail.
The Price Includes: Bilingual Tour leader from Cusco to Cusco Tour leader (who is your guide in the Sacred Valley, Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and Cusco), Cook Equipment (double tents, dining and kitchen-tents, table, chairs, foam mattresses, etc.) Entrance and guided tour of Machu Picchu. English speaking local tour guides at Colca Canyon and Puno. All internal transport connections. Accommodation: Hotel (6 nights), camping (3 nights) All meals while on the Inca Trail. This includes snacks and fresh drinking water. All meals while at the eco lodge. Breakfasts included when staying in the hotels. Not Included: Inca Trail Permit Tips for the guides, porters and other staff. Lunch and dinner whilst staying at hotels Allow approx. US$10 /$15 for every meal not included Tickets for the hot springs at Aguas Calientes City tours of Lima and Cusco. All airport departure tax - Lima International Departure tax is approximately $30 USD and Lima Domestic Departure tax is approximately $6 USD. Travel insurance and things of a personal nature laundry and telephone calls, personal taxis, souvenirs, drinks etc. Sleeping bags, blow mattresses and hiking poles - but these can be easily rented in Cusco at a price of $4 per day. Just ask your tour leader. Group Size: 4 16 When to go Best trekking weather: Dry season Rainy Season Less Crowded: April - December May, June, July, August, September Dec - Mar (February closed) Dec - Mar These days it is very difficult to hike the Inca Trail without coming in contact with other groups. It is busy all year round, although it may get slightly quieter in December and January. We aim to keep away from the crowds by carefully planning our campsites and walking times. Our guides spend time with their groups - talking during the hike about plants, animals, Inca culture and Andean ideology not rushing the trek. Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Max º C 19º 19º 19º 20º 20º 20º 19º 20º 20º 21º 21º 21º Min º C 7º 7º 6º 5º 3º -0º -0º +2º 4º 6º 7º 8º Rainy days 15 16 15 8 3 1 1 2 5 7 12 16 In Cusco dry season starts in April to October, the days are usually sunny and hot but temperatures drop abruptly after 5-6 pm until 7-8 am. Weather is very changeable from November to March and heavy rains are expected being the wettest month December to March although is not as cold as it is in the dry season. Please note: Temperatures are for the Valley of Cusco at 3400metres. Temperatures change depending on the altitude (higher altitude = colder), also note that it could be a bit wet on the 3rd and 4th days of the Inca Trail (cloud forest regions). Updated 9.8.2010 AF