Jungle trek to Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is surprisingly hard to get to - it's only accessible by train or by walking.  We chose to do an 'alternative' Inca trail with Lorenzo Expeditions as it had biking, hiking, ziplining, hot pools and finally Machu Picchu.

The first day was a 2,000m descent on full suspension mountain bikes - the road was sealed for most of the way, just a little gravel at the end.  It was brilliant starting at just over 4,000m and flying down the mountainside, swooping back and forth down the switchbacks.  Of course Ben thought it was a little slow, but I thought it was perfect.

Ready to roll

A delicious 3 course Peruvian lunch; soup, chicken & rice and a jelly dessert was followed by a short bus ride to the tiny town of Santa Maria.  Here Ben and I checked out the town (took about 15min) while the others went rafting.  The hostel we stayed in was very basic but had good hot water.  It was right on the edge of the petrol station, so we sat outside and watched the odd car fuelling up and the trucks being washed.  There was a constant loud, background noise which we thought was some sort of industrial equipment, like a saw mill - turns out it was the enormous cicadas.

The second day started with a short ride in a ute, girls in the cab, boys in the back, then an easy stroll through plantations of fruit, coffee and coca.  Peru and Bolivia are the only countries in the world where coca transportation is legal, though you do need a licence.

Precarious path along a scree slope.
The Inca trail we were to follow later skirted to the left of the rock outcropping in the centre of the picture

Three male turkeys gave us a hilarious dance display as we walked through their territory

Sad monkey kept as someone's pet, supposedly rescued from the black market

The trail climbed up steeply after an hour, through more coffee groves.  The local families are part of an organic coffee co-operative and we stopped to have a look and demonstration of the local food and costumes.  The locally grown and made chocolate was delicious, just not transportable so we were forced to eat it all before we left (darn).  Juan Carlos, our guide, really got us into the spirit of things, then the local lads demonstrated the power of the slingshot - most impressive.

Bricks under construction

How we'd look as locals

From there we were on the true 'Inca Trail' part of the trail, following a sometimes precarious series of steps around the hillside, JC stopping at exciting places to give us some history lessons.

The Inca trail, looking back the way we'd come

Just before lunch I spotted a squirming worm on the dirt path, but then I realised it wasn't a worm.  Turns out it was a tiny snake, about 10cm long.

The afternoon's walk seemed considerably longer than the morning; the sun was fierce and the biting bugs were out in force.  There was a cool swing bridge to cross and then a cable car across the river.  The walk finished at the hot springs of Santa Theresa - gorgeous looking pools that were a welcome end to the day.

Everyone on the bridge

Lorenzo and Colleen enjoying the ride

That night we had a delicious dinner with pisco sours and then Peruvian tequila shots (not really like tequila, it's fermented from sugarcane).  This was enough to get us all out to the local discotheque to do some dancing, Jason from Canada showed us his pole dancing move, then JC showed us how much Peruvian men like to dance.

Ziplining was the highlight of the third day; a bit like a flying fox across the valleys.

Anna flying over the treetops

Then it was only another 3.5hrs walking to Aguas Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu.  I'm not sure why, but it was definitely the longest 3.5hrs walking I've ever done.  The scenery was gorgeous, the way was virtually flat along the train tracks and the conversation with the others was good, but it just seemed loooooong.  The walk did provide an amazing perspective of Machu Picchu as it loops around the entire ridge that MP is built on.

Ah, health and safety in South America

Chooo Chooo!  Time to get off the tracks

Machu Picchu up on the ridge line to the left

Colleen, Jason, Anna, Juan Carlos, Delpine, Lorenzo, Geogio and Ben

Peruvian hairless dog in Aguas Calientes; like a strange alien dog

The dinner that night was the 'highlight meal' before MP, according to JC.  The restaurant was certainly much more upmarket looking that anything we'd been into for months and the food was good, but the highlight for us was getting our MP tickets and a plan for the next morning's early start.

Aguas Calientes by night