Daily Archive for November 25th, 2007

Inka Trail, Day 1

Published
by
Karen
on November 25, 2007
in life, peru/bolivia and travel
. 0 Comments

The first day of was pretty easy.  It was about 16km and 6 hours of walking along the Urubamba River  But we were at our lowest elevation point  of 2380m (7,808 ft), which was even lower than Cuzco.  The climb was very modest to Wayllabamba at 3100m (10,170 ft), our first camp site.

 

me, around 7am.  on the bus, en route for the trail.  photo op break.

 The Start of the Inka Trail

the start of the trail.  we were very lucky and had a very fun treking group.

 Hee HAW

friendly visitor - donkey!

 

 First Night Camp Site

our first camp site.

The Inka Trail to Machu Picchu

Published
by
Karen
on November 25, 2007
in life, peru/bolivia and travel
. 0 Comments

I first began wanting to go to Peru a couple years ago.  My main motivation was to do the 4 day trek to Machu Picchu.  I had heard amazing things about the Machu Picchu ruins.  And I just imagined hiking through the Andes and finally coming upon the ruins…

Well, the trail and Machu Picchu lived up to all my expectations.  It was an amazing experience.

Some basic info about the trail:

  • 33 km (22 miles) in 4 days
  • Lowest point:  2380m (7,808 ft)
  • Highest point:  4200m (13,779 ft)

 

If you’re heading out on the trail, a few thoughts for you…

  • Bring bug repellent.  Some parts of the trail are at “lower” alitutoides and there are mosquitos.  I got devoured at Machu Picchu during the 15 minutes I decided to make my convertible pants “shorts.
  • They sell wooden walking sticks at the beginning of the trail.  They’re cheaper than renting metal walking sticks… and you don’t have to lug yours from the States.  For me, having 2 walking sticks was *key*.
  • Bring lots of memory cards.  I went through about 6 GB.  :)

(I’ll add a few more points once I get through the rest of the trip’s photos.  I did a bunch of research on which agency & what to bring that I’ll share.)