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Welcome to the jungle post. Here I’ll detail our three day experience in the sweltering Tambopata Jungle.

After a bus journey overnight from Cusco I’d rather forget, we arrive at 6.30am near Puerto Maldonado. The friendly face of Gabriella greets us at the bus station and we’re off to the PV Travel office in town. We need to wait for the rest of our group to arrive before heading to the jungle around 10am. With time on our hands we head for desayuno (brekkie). We try a Cafe but just after we order, a power cut hits the town and we’re out of luck. We have a bit of a wander around and stock up on supplies from a local chemist. After a while we find a decent Cafe, the owner hands us a large menu and says “you can have anything you want”. We enjoy breakfast in the breeze of a huge fan. 

We return to the PV Travel office and before long the rest of our group is here and we’re ready to go. Jack a solo traveller from Shropshire and Harry and Siobhan from Bristol make up our group of five. We board a basic but sturdy motorboat below the impressive suspension bridge that looks a bit like the Golden Gate Bridge, connecting Peru to Brazil and Bolivia. On the way, Gabriella warns us not to leave our shoes outside the lodge as tarantulas might make a home in them.

Around 20 minutes buzzing down the Madre de Dios river and we arrive at the Paradise Lodge, and find out there’s not so much as a desk fan by way of respite from the heat. Saay (pronounced “sigh”) introduces himself as our guide for our stay in the jungle. We get the key to our rudimentary accommodation and immediately scan for creepy crawlies, we’re delighted not to find any extra roommates…

We rejoin Saay and the group for our first excursion, a biodiversity walk through the local jungle. We’re pouring with sweat in the unrelenting heat. Saay explains the weather is hottest at this time of year and it gets worse here everyday! The flora of the area is incredible, even within camp there are banana trees (at Alex’s dismay), pineapple bushes, birds of paradise and many more beautiful specimens flourishing in these warm and humid conditions.

We enter the jungle proper, slightly terrified by all of the scuttling around us as Saay casually exclaims “I just saw a tarantula run back into it’s hole.. You guys will be ‘lucky’ to see a snake”. We walk for around 90 minutes through the dense jungle, stopping frequently for Saay to explain the stunning ecosystem around us.

There are palm trees with sharp spikes to protect themselves while they grow, natives use these spikes as blowdarts, usually coated in the toxic resin from frogs; trees that latch onto other trees and smother them to take their place; walking trees that can move closer to sun or shade; a zombie wasp hosting a parasitic mushroom on its back; thousands of army ants forming lines of workers and soldiers like an organized regiment; giant termite nests that natives crack open for a source of protein and has holes built in for ventilation; a tree that has wedges in it for ants to live in that protect it from surrounding plant competitors creating a perfect simbiotic relationship (which Alex thinks us humans could learn a lesson from). Everywhere you look the jungle is teeming with life and a constant battle for sun, shade and rainfall is slowly happening before our eyes.

A “walking” tree:

We swat flies and mosquitos away and return to camp. Our lodge feels like a sauna so we wait for lunch in the hammocks outside the main shack. We enjoy a lovely lunch and we’re super grateful for the ice-cold local fruit juice. 

Return to Monkey Island

The afternoon excursion involves a short trip downstream to “monkey Island” home to around 12 monkeys that were once held captive as pets. We cross the boiling sand and reach the 3km area of monkey territory. As we make our way through the lush jungle Saay calls out “Chico, Chico” and impressively replicates the sound of the local residents. There is no gaurantee to see them in their vast home but we’re in luck and each have the opportunity to feed these delicate creatures who now rely on human intervention as there is not enough natural fruit growing on the island.

Saay explains that tourists used to feed the monkeys cookies, candy and other unnatural foods that caused them to get closer and closer to tourists. Their previous alpha male Chico began to get aggressive when he didn’t get the sweet goods he craved and would scratch and bite visitors trying to take selfies and get too close.  Eventually they had to revert back to natural foods and the monkeys now keep a safe distance. Much better for all involved in my opinion. Saay’s specialism at uni was eco tourism and we see his passion and consideration for protecting this region shine through. Sadly Chico met a grisly end as he was shot dead by a local miner, the family have a new alpha male now and balance appears to be restored.

Arriving back at the boat there is the opportunity to kayak or swim in the frankly quite dirty looking, piranha infested river. Alex and I are still adjusting to the 42 degree heat and opt to sit in the shaded boat while Gringos and locals wallow in the tepid water. We return to camp and share some tips over dinner with Siobhan and Harry who are doing the Inca Trail after the jungle tour. Even after the sun has long set the air is still incredibly humid and we’re in a constant state of damp sweat. We treasure the cold shower in the lodge (Alex is practicing a new ethos of ‘shower every hour’) and prepare for our night excursion, the same trek as before but this time in the pitch black when the wildlife “is different”. 

The first stop on the trek is a dead palm tree in our camp, barely two metres from some lodges (luckily not ours). This tree is host to a family of tarantulas and Saay teases them out by making small vibrations with a twig. Eight large legs crawl out of the tree to investigate. Despite my phobia it was fascinating to see these horrifying creatures in their natural habitat.

Slightly shaking we head into the jungle. We are told to turn on our head torches and look for shining eyes of jungle inhabitants. Helpfully there is a colour scheme.. 

Green/yellow = spider or bug

Red = snake or rat

White = Wild boar

The first wildlife we see is of course another spider. This time with a large hole in the ground where it’s family live, the matriarch is teased out by Saay and the Black Goliath is easily the size of his hand. We’re told they can grow up to 25cm so I consider myself lucky we see this smaller chap.

We see lobster crickets, another huge brigade of army ants flowing like a river across the path, orb weaver spider, wolf spider, giant moths, large beetles and our trek comes to a sudden halt. Saay wants us to learn to live like an animal and orders us to turn off all our of lights. We oblige and are plunged into total darkness while the jungle hisses around us. He says we’ll stay like this for one minute, it feels more like five as he explains how each (sometimes deadly) animal adapts to the darkness. Some evolve their eyesight, others like bats use sound and sonar, others do something else but we were freaking out too much over each sudden movement or sound in the darkness to take in what we were being told. Afterwards you can taste the bright lights of camp but Saay warns us not to hold the handrail as Bullet Ants are on it. Bullet Ants have one of the most painful bites in the world and the pain can last up to 24 hours. Ominously we’re told it’s the kind of bite you would remember where and when it happened for the rest of your life! 

Exhausted by a day of terror, heat and sweat we collapse into our mosquito net covered beds after another cold shower. 

Ever want to come down? 

We sleep surprisingly well in the warm night air, the jungle shifting all around us and a symphony from the critters and creatures ushered us to sleep. We’re welcomed with a mountain of fresh fruit, sweet pancakes and dulce leche (caramel spread), the only downside is the tar-like coffee.

Our morning activity is a return to the local jungle but this time we will be 70 metres up in the canopy for a new perspective. A hilarious “safety briefing” ensues next to the magnificent laputa tree. We’re told to hold onto the handrail but watch out for biting ants and spiders that live on them. Look where we are going but beware that bees might fly into our eyes, “just quickly roll them out”. We will be exposed to severe heat and our sweat will attract wasps to land on us to enjoy the salt. Look up for branches and ropes overhead but also watch your step as there are trip hazards. They may as well have told us the bridge rope is actually an angry anaconda. 

Up we go:

Feeling somewhat nervous about the lack of safety gear, we scale the 60/70 meter stairs attached to the tree. I speak too soon about the stability of the rickety structure as it starts to wobble and sway around halfway up. Reaching the top, there is nothing to hold onto as it’s covered in bugs we start to make our way across the swaying canopy walk. We’re told this makeshift bridge can hold the weight of our entire group but as Alex helpfully points out there are recently replaced planks every few steps, wonder what happened there… I’ve done high ropes plenty of times and reassure myself that it’s fine because I’m attached to a rope in case I fall. Except this is Peru so I’m not, if I tumble over the waist high rope barrier, or a plank snaps underfoot, it’s a quick crash to the jungle floor. For the first time in my life I long for EU Health and Safety regulation.

Finding some courage I look up at the canopy view of the jungle biome and it is breath taking, there is an entirely different perspective up here. After walking 400m it’s time to zip wire down. The safety is still questionable but this is my favorite part of the experience as I zoom through the jungle trees, living life through the eyes of a local bird of prey for a precious few seconds.

A short steep hike back up a narrow plank and it’s time for a final zip wire. Connecting back to the rest of the group, we rush downstairs to terra firma. My emotion switches from a mix of excitement and fear to joy as Pumba the local boar comes up to me and scratches his ears on my legs.

Our lunch is a local speciality, Pika(?) fish steamed in leaves from a local tree that essentially acts as a natural baking foil.

Alex and I have slightly acclimatised to the heat and the experience of the jungle. Agreeing we take it day by day, we’re glad to be here after much uncertainty on day one.

No rest for the wicked, this afternoon we will trek 3km through Tambopata Nature Reserve to Sandoval Lake, paddle around until it’s dark then return 3km for a night excursion before dinner. We are very fortunate to see nature putting on a show for us on the way to the lake. We spot a small female turtle, a rare find explains Saay but then main course slithers into view. “SNAKE” cries someone towards the back of our group. Saay carefully investigates and we witness the macabre display that is the circle of life. A green whip tail snake has snatched an unfortunate brown frog for it’s lunch. Trying to ignore the pleas of the frog to somehow help it we move on deeper into the reserve. We see macaws flying overhead, hear noisy parrots making a racket in the tall trees and witness monkeys passing above our heads.

We arrive at a make shift dock and board a rowing boat. Saay captains us through “anaconda territory”, the jungle swamp that connects to the vast lake.

Luckily all we see are some nice birds. We reach the lake and are happily paddling around the edges, spotting many types of bird and cayman crocodiles peeking out of the water when Saay spots a hunting opportunity. Across the lake there is a family of otters fishing for their evening supper. It’s all hands on deck as we race across the lake to capture another theater of nature. We get there in time to watch the otters glide through the lake seeking fish. They are successful and we watch with binoculars as they crunch their way through their catch. At the same time macaws fly past, monkeys (including the tiniest baby howler monkey ever) swing through the trees and cayman slip under the water all around us.

A beautiful sunset creeps up on us and glistens in stunning colours on the waters surface. We head back to where we came from noting the change in mood in the jungle as darkness falls. To my delight the only creature we see on the way back is a boat billed heron searching for a snack. A quick 3km march and we’re back at the edge of the river. While we wait for our boat we admire the constellations of Scorpio, Orion and Sagittarius glistening in the night sky.

Birds of Clay

Our final morning trip involves setting off on the boat at 4.30am so we wearily make our way in the dark to the vessel. We doze as we skim at top speed up the river, passing under the Golden Gate-like bridge to reach a small beach.

Around 30 metres away are some clay cliffs, rich in minerals and anti-oxidants that birds fly from miles around to feast on for breakfast. Patience is a necessity as the gathering flocks of birds land on the top branches of the trees and slowly make their way down. Any slight suspicsion amongst the dozens of birds spooks them into flying away and regrouping minutes later starting the whole process again. This happens a couple of times but eventually the clusters of macaws, parrots and parakeets gain enough confidence to perch on the cliff face.

We spend half an hour in the warm dawn sunlight watching this unusual scene play out. Eventually the birds have their fill and we head back to camp for our last breakfast. The coffee somehow tastes worse than the day before but it’s the price you pay for a caffeine addiction.

With a bit of time to kill I wander the grounds of the Paradise lodge. I walk between trees with some curious tropical fruit growing on branches also home to several bird nests. I spot some black and yellow birds and a beautiful cardinal with a black and white body and bright crimson head. Alex joins me and we watch these tame birds flit between the trees building nests and feeding their young.

Returning to Puerto Maldonado we reflect on our jungle experience over our favorite cheap lunch, rotisserie chicken, chips and a large jug of cold fresh lemonade. Still sweating from the heat we agree we made the right decision coming here and putting ourselves outside our comfort zone. The jungle is a delicately balanced ecosystem daring you to explore it’s depths and full of surprises. We look forward to returning to the cooler climate of Cusco but this dog leg trip has definitely been worthwhile.

Can you guess which famous rock song has lyrics peppered throughout this post? Bonus points for how many lines from the song are in here! Answer in the comments below!

James

*******

Adventure – Being immersed in a new biome, facing our fears, row boating through the swamp to the stunning lake, being so off grid there was only electricity for 3 hours per day, trying to use a bus toilet during the many switchbacks through the Andes

Excitement – The huge array of wildlife on display, zooming through the jungle on a zip line, delicious local food and juices for each meal at camp, sleeping soundly on the night buses (Alex)

Trauma – Stinky snoring passengers on the night bus (James) , sleeping in separate beds due to the heat, Jack being bitten by a mystery jungle bug (he was fine), finding new places your body will sweat from such as your knees!

Alex – The day-by-day follows below from James, but first I’m going to endulge in a takeaway from the experience. To summarise, the Inca Trail for me has been profound.

For me, the journey was not just a physical one, but a philosophical and spiritual one. Spending our time immersed in nature (albeit with the comforts of being fed, watered, sheltered and toilet facilities!) I felt deeply at peace and settled. Constantly in awe and dumbfounded by the beauty of not just the astounding views, but each glimpse of this incredible ecosystem working together, unconcerned of the humans wandering through each day.

The Trail, being one humans created hundreds of years ago, brought back to life in the last century, and restricted and prohibited by the government to protect it, feels very much like a permitted passage through nature. This is pachamama (mother Earth) territory, this isn’t ours. The picturesque views are largely untouched. Sure, we camp and eat and walk, but we’re just visitors in this vast, interconnected ecosystem that carries on irregardless of us. Once humans are gone, nature will reclaim this path back as it did all those hundreds of years ago. The moss will keep raining (see day 3), the bugs will keep flitting about, the grass will keep waving in the wind, the flowers will keep blooming, we will be but a blip in pachamama’s memory. Being amongst her majesty, I realise how insignificant we truly are and should consider ourselves to be, and how cut off from her power, beauty and resilience we are in our towns and cities, making it easy for us to forget that we aren’t number one on this planet, nature is. How we could do with taking a leaf out of the ancient ancestors’ books from across the planet to revere, protect and honour the natural world that gives us life. After all, we are but a speck in the extensive history of this planet, she will forge on without us. How long we get to enjoy in her majesty is very much up to us and how well we treat her.

I ponder and process this on the long bus ride back, watching the sprawling cities of people from rural communities (and across the world) who are leaving behind their lives more connected to nature, those spent living by the natural light, by the seasons, by what nature provides. The porters are testament to this, they are farmers who want to make more money to provide something more for their children. Farming is hard work, many hours, and little financial reward, and it’s easy to romanticise and idealise a life on the land having never done it.

So, one thing is certain post-trek… this trip isn’t one to give me any answers, just many more questions, which is certainly providing sufficient distraction on the many hours of buses we have around this continent!

Now onto the trek itself…

*** Spoiler Warning ***

For anyone who wants to walk the Inca Trail in the future, you may want to skip reading the detail below. Part of the enjoyment was all of the surprises along the way, both from nature and G Adventures.

Day One – Following the footsteps of History

We meet at the G Adventures office at 5am, as with most things in Peru it takes a while to know what’s going on. We soon learn that we’re in a group of 8 and the other 6 in our group are waiting for us at Ollantaytambo. After a brief stop for breakfast, we meet our trek group and our guide Odilio and drive 45 minutes to the start of the trek. Our group consists of an Irish couple, Aoifa and Ben; a Canadian couple, Kyle and Christie; and Sydney, a solo traveller from Chicago. Sadly one member of our group was hit hard by altitude issues so had to drop out at the last minute.

We collect our equipment, sleeping bags, roll matt (for Alex) and hiking pole (for James) plus a bag of snacks for each of us. We pack and hand our 6kg duffel bags over to the porters, all while dodging locals trying to sell us everything from sunglasses (we’re already wearing some) to sombreros. We take an obligatory group photo infront of the Inca Trail start sign and our adventure begins.

The first day is hot, we are exposed to the morning sun and there is little resbite of shade or wind. We are impressed by the army of porters, all wearing the colour’s of their company (red, green, yellow and the Quality Street purple of G Adventures) marching past us with packs weighing up to 20kg’s on their back. Peruvians are not usually tall, so in some cases these packs are as big as the porters themselves.

We occasionally stop for rest in a covered shelter to refuel and catch our breath. During these times and along the trail, Odilio informs us of the history of the area, both ancient and modern. He has an air of experience, a wealth of knowledge and most prominently a deep respect for the area we are privileged to be in. On our way to the lunch site we see a large Incan settlement in the valley by the river, this was mostly used for farming and housing. Higher up, where we are lucky enough to wonder around inside, is another site used for more housing and a lookout post.

After trekking 6km in the heat, we are glad to stop for lunch at…. We had heard from Matt and Kim during the Colca Trek that the food here was amazing and they were not wrong. First, as with every lunch on this trek we are served sopa (soup) despite the heat, the warm soup goes down a treat. For main course there are various platters, rainbow trout with mango, fried trout, steamed veg, rice, potatoes and more. There is more than enough food to go around after two servings! Another mealtime tradition is a hot drink after food, with a choice of various teas, coca tea or coffee.

After lunch is another testing but doable hike up to where we will camp for our first night. On the way we learn more about our group members, Ben is into comedy and has performed stand-up routines at various locations; Kyle is a volunteer fire fighter and gives us fascinating insight into that life; Sydney has recently moved to Chicago and this is the first of many places in the world she wants to see outside the US having already visited 48 states back home.

Nearing camp we pass a surreal, modern looking hut pumping out drum and bass music. Offering Wifi, beers and Pisco Sours, it’s hard to resist but we’re enjoying being off grid and walk past before giving in to temptation. For the first night we camp near local people and a couple of friendly dogs make themselves known, a rooster also scurries through camp, he’ll make himself known during the night. We wash our dusty legs in the warm water delivered to our tent, and take in the beautiful view.

We’re soon summoned for an ice-breaker with the porters. All 14 men introduce themselves, one by one we learn their names, how many children they have and their background. Most of them are from a farming background in Lares and have taken up the porter life to earn more money for their families to have a better life.

The head porter is called Milton, the talented chef is Miguel and the waiter is called Juan. Miguel seemingly the shyest of them all, feeling uncomfortable with the spotlight, despite it being well deserved. Also Nicanor, 64 years old and has been a porter for 22 of them. He would direct us to each campsite with a flag, so not only did this make him a welcome face to see after each day trekking, he had one of the kindest faces we’ve ever come across, there was a sweetness to his spirit that came across without a word even needing to be said. Odi refers to Juan as Chino as he has Chinese heritage, this is common and seen as friendly between Latin Americans, we don’t feel as comfortable though so we stick with Juan. 

We have a beer with the group under the stars and the moon brightly illuminates the mountains into towering silhouettes. Another delicious meal for dinner and we hit the hay.

Day Two – Up, up and hurray

Juan wakes us at 5am, bringing us hot coca tea and warm water to wash with to our tents, we have one hour to pack up and prep for the day before breakfast. After a hearty meal, we’re ready for the challenge of day 2. We’re told we will hike for around 7 hours, 5 hours up and 2 hours down. Then we will reach a camp where we will eat both lunch and dinner and rest for a night before a 16km trek on day 3.

Odi suggests we take the trek at our own pace, if you stop and wait too much your muscles can start to cramp and you might get cold. With this in mind, Alex and I set off at good pace, only really stopping for a few minutes at the two designated rest points on the way up. At the second rest point is the final chance to buy any last-minute supplies for the rest of the trek to Machu Picchu. Locals have a stand with items for sale including Pringles, plasters, Starburst, nuts, beer, crisps, energy drinks and bottles of rum. As tempting as it is to stock up, we remember our packs are already heavy and opt for just a Gatorade to keep us going. Some local llamas appear out of nowhere and saunter through with ease amongst the exhausted hikers.

We march onwards and upwards, almost keeping pace with some porters and Chef Miguel tells us we are “good hikers” to be up here already. The summit, known as Dead Woman’s Pass is just up ahead. We later learn it is called this because the shape of the summit looks like a resting woman, the name is less ominous than it first sounds. With a final push we reach the top, at around 4200m, the cloud rushes over the top from the colder side we are about to descend into. We stop for a few pictures here at the highest point in the entire trek.

We descend through the clouds down a steep almost cobbled path. At this point the porters are sprinting past us, even with 20kg on their backs they are much more sure footed than us strangers in this land. To our surprise, after around one hour descending, we reach camp. We’ve completed the days trek in around 4.5 hours, well ahead of schedule. With time to kill we read and relax around camp.

The rest of our group arrive ahead of the average time, especially impressive as Christie had been suffering with the altitude but still powered through and remained in good spirits throughout. It’s time for another lunch feast, during which the other members of our group nickname us “The gazelles” for getting here so quickly!  After lunch, it’s time for a well deserved siesta. As the evening rolls in, so does a huge storm, at this altitude the thunder seems louder and we feel part of the clouds. Seeking shelter in the main tent Alex chats with Juan in Spanish during “Happy Hour” where tea and popcorn is served. The group joins us one by one until it’s time to eat once again. An evening meal of sopa, alpaca, veg and rice is served. Alex and I watch an episode of Taskmaster in our tent and bunker down for the night on the hard stone floor.

Day Three – “Inca Flat”

After a night of tossing and turning on the rock hard floor we’re once again awoken by tea from Juan at 5am. We fill up on breakfast and we’re ready to start the longest trek day just before 7. The trail has been described to us as “a bit up, a bit down, flat, then down again”, sounds easy right?

The first hour is like climbing stairs non-stop, luckily we’d had practise of this on the Colca trek. We’re glad to reach the top and a burst of endorphins enables us to climb up an optional path to get even higher for eerily beautiful views from the peak.

Once regrouped, we begin the descent into the cloud forest, Odi instructs us to wait for him at the next Inca site we find. Eventually we see the imposing Incan fortification, impressively still in good shape despite being built over 500 years ago. We take some pictures and Odi informs us this was was once a location for a lookout post but also where Incan messengers would use. These messengers would run miles and miles across the Andes and pass bags to one another in a sort of relay race style. These bags would contain “letters” made of colored string, their equivalent of our alphabet. The string is coded using different colours, knots and textiles to convey messages, an intricate communication system that has not been deciphered to this day.

We are still a long way from lunch so we carry on deeper into the cloud forest, briefly resting at a campsite before starting the flat part of the days trek. It turns out that “flat” to a local simply means not climbing vertically up. The path for the next couple of hours is undulating, constantly up and down. At times we have to camber through short caves under huge rocks to continue along the path. We are grateful to walk under moss raining cool cloud droplets on our heads. At one point Alex shrieks behind me as she has spotted a local critter, a brown colored tarantula on the path I’d just crossed. Sometimes I’m glad for my unobservant nature.

Finally we see the happy face of Nicanor with his purple flag welcoming us to the lunch camp. The rest of our group catch us up in minutes and the porters have been busy, the food is ready to be served. Lunch has been fantastic every day but today is extra special.. after helpings of Lomo Saltado, chicken strips, potato cakes and more, the chef reveals his masterpiece. Somehow after carrying the ingredients for 3 days, at an altitude of nearly 4000m with just basic kitchenware he enters the tent with a huge, delicious sponge cake.

The lunch spot has magnificent views of the surrounding peaks, completely untouched. As Sydney points out, we are at the same altitude as the cloud shelf and we admire the twisting Urrubamba river snaking through the valley thousands of metres below us.

Here we’re roughly halfway through the 16km trek of the day, inspired by the beauty surrounding us we press on towards the night camp.

After a few more hours of “flat” paths and steep steps down, we are definitely flagging. We ponder if we over exerted ourselves on day two and silently consider the parable of the tortoise and the hare. Finally after a few scenes resembling Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones we reach the large Incan site looming above camp a couple of hundred metres below.

I reward myself by chewing a handful of coca leaves and read a book while we wait for the others. As they join us, Alex has enough energy to plow ahead and venture to an additional ruin beyond camp.

I don’t have the energy for that so I tail the rest of the group into camp. On the way Aoifa and I discuss recent books we’ve read and find we’re both a fan of Kurt Vonneguts work.

Passing a small herd of wild alpacas we enter our final camp for the trek and prepare for dinner. Ben and Aoifa enjoy beers they’ve carried with them they bought from the locals on day two. Alex and I pretend not to be envious while we eat the “happy hour” snack of salted popcorn.

The weather provides a dramatic backdrop to the evening meal, another mountain storm but this time directly above our camp. Barely a moment passes between the loud crash of thunder and the sudden crackle of lightning, one fizzes so close to camp that even the hardened porters look concerned. We indulge in our final evening meal on this unique adventure and afterwards we thank the porters and chefs with a donation from each of us and some heartfelt words from Aoife. We hope that in time these donations will allow for them to send their children to good schools and universities while also providing a better quality of life for the porters and their families. We find shelter from the storm and brush our teeth at the edge of our tent. When the time comes to try and find sleep I regret the amount of coca leaves I chewed earlier but eventually drift off. 

Day Four – The Old Mountain

The final day, this can only mean one thing, a very early start! We set our alarms for 3.30am, this morning there is no Juan with his tea. Breakfast is at 4 and we need to leave at 4.15. We inhale what we can at this hour and make our way to the locked gateway to Machu Picchu. The gate is not open until 5.30 but once it does, it’s pretty much a race to one of the modern wonders of the world. We wait patiently in the darkness. 

Eventually the gate opens and we pile through, rushing along the sides of the mountains towards our ultimate goal. I thought the fourth day would be easy but we are almost at jogging pace for an hour as Odi leads from the front. We approach a very steep set of 52 stone stairs known as the “Gringo Killer” and Odi instructs Alex and I to go first.

The name makes it sound worse than it is but it does require clambering up using all four limbs for most people. Barely catching our breath we rush on towards the Intipunku AKA The Sun Gate. Relief and awe wash over us as in the distance we can finally see Machu Picchu in all it’s glory. We line up for a family photo with our trusted companions.

Only another 45 minutes downhill and we’ll be at the historic site, nothing compared to what we’ve already accomplished. Nearing the site we place three of our best coca leaves onto a large stone, not for good luck but to thank Pachamama for giving us such a majestic landscape and in our case, perfect weather conditions to admire her in.

We stop to inspect a large rock, around 20ft tall covered in black moss that looks like a cave painting. Odi informs us this rock represents Machu Picchu aka The Old Mountain. A couple of hundred metres away we can see the actual mountain just over 3000m tall. Also surrounding the famous Incan site are Young Mountain, Baby Mountain and Happy Mountain (because it directly faces the settlement).

I won’t dive too much into the experience of Machu Picchu itself, this post is already long enough and some of you may want to see it for yourselves. I will however say what a joy it was to walk this ancient site with our group we bonded with over the last four days. Especially our guide Odi who looked after us the whole time. He answered any questions we had, ensured we were healthy and as happy as could be with a good sense of humour to boot. He had the utmost respect for the history and culture of the area and it certainly rubbed off on Alex and I.

As an American lady alluded to during the Rainbow Mountain trek, it’s often the journey that means more than the destination. To use a marathon reference, you remember the thousands of meters you endured to get to the finish line, crossing it just confirms your achievement. While Machu Picchu is a stunning and well preserved site for anyone to visit by train or bus, it felt like we had earned our place being there having trekked 43km following in the footsteps of the Incas.

Tupananchiskama (Until we meet again), 

James

****************

Adventure – The Inca Trail!

Excitement – Everything! The views, the porters, the nature, Odi, the group, the history lessons, Quechua culture, learning about respect for pachamama, chacana, 3 levels, 3 rules to live by (don’t be lazy, don’t steal, don’t lie), the food, the weather…

Trauma – Squat toilets with sad bellies, a gringo squashing a harmless bug who had made its way onto his back in the queue

Another trek, another early start! We are the first to be picked up by the minibus at the tender hour of 3.45. We rush around the streets of Cusco, surprisingly busy for this hour, to pick up the rest of our group. We are introduced to our guide for the day, Broly, who advises us to try and get some more sleep for the long day ahead, I oblige and pull my recently purchased hat over my eyes.

A couple of hours later we stop for breakfast at the base of the mountain range. Despite being described by the tour operator as “basic breakfast” we are pleasantly surprised to find a good spread of food. I also brave the drink station marked “Inka Power” and sample their hot oat milk with cinnamon, it’s a heart warming drink and I felt it would give me energy for the hike. We introduce ourselves to the other tourists in the group who are mostly Americans over for a short trip and a kind couple from Dubai. After breakfast we’re back in the van for the treacherous and windy journey up the side of the mountain.

The trek starts at an altitude of 4600m! The air is thin and our bags feel heavier. Broly advises us to keep hydrated, take it easy and don’t stay at the top too long as we would likely get a headache or feel nauseas. Most of our group take the easy option and pay for a horse to carry them to near the top of the mountain. Of course, Alex and I would never opt out of a challenge so we begin the ascent on foot.

The weather is cool and cloudy, great for climbing but poor for visibility. We can just make out glimpses of snow covered mountains across the valley when the clouds part. We motivate each other in the high altitude and before too long we can make out the section where the lazy gringos have to get off their horses and hike the last 15 minutes to the top. The last part of the hike is steep but by now the weather has improved and we can see the colours of the Rainbow Mountain inviting us to get up there for a closer look. We pass a couple filming themselves inhaling an oxygen tank and reach the summit. There we find Broly who knows a great spot for a photoshoot, although no photos can do this place justice.

After taking lots of photos we head 5 minutes across the mountain pass to find an open area with very few tourists and spectacular views of an imposing glacier. We are currently at 5200m but this glacier towers above us and it’s hard to tell where it’s snowy peaks end and the clouds begin. It truly reminds us how small we are and the sheer awe of untouched nature. We take some more pictures and head back down, the descent is a breeze in comparison.

We regroup at the minibus and head back down for lunch, unfortunately one of the American girls is hit hard by the altitude and we have to pull over while she sees her breakfast again. We have lunch at the same location as breakfast and again there is a good spread of typically Peruvian food.

After the feast, Broly gives us a brief history lesson on Rainbow Mountain. Up until 2012 it was covered in snow, once the snow melted and the “rainbow” was discovered, thanks to social media, tourists now flock there in the thousands to take pictures. The whole ‘attraction’ is managed by the four villages that live in the region, taking it in turns to offer their equine support without wrecking them, and sharing in the cut of the money the tourists pay to get in and spend along the way. A real collective effort and reward. He also made an interesting point that because of the now enforced limited visitor numbers to Machu Picchu, tourism in the area has taken a hit as that is the main attraction in the region.

Return to Cusco

I wanted to treat Alex to a nice meal as she had been such an excellent tour guide and translator on the trip. There were times where my basic Spanish would have definitely struggled so having Alex around to help was a huge relief. I found a highly rated restaurant just off the Plaza de Armas square and booked a table. On the way there we stopped for some cheap but strong cocktails and played cards. In a surreal experience we had to pass through a marching procession on the square to get to the restaurant.

The food was exquisite, to start we shared a trout ceviche; for main we had alpaca loin and beef steak; for desert we shared Alex’s favorite, tres leches. While in the restaurant, a fellow tourist ordered the local speciality of Cuy (Guinea Pig), it arrived deep fried and whole, from head to tail. Even as an avid carnivore I was slightly disturbed by the presentation!

The next day we headed to San Pedro market to collect supplies for the Inca Trail. We stocked up on snacks and sweets and I had a fresh fruit smoothie served by a very smiley lady. The market was fascinating, each aisle is dedicated to a certain group of products (bread, fruit, meat) etc most of the stall merchants are women who look like they’ve been there their entire lives.

In the afternoon we went to G Adventures to attend our pre-trek briefing. The guide had a good sense of humour and gave us an overview of what we were in for the next four days. It certainly whet the appetite. Tune in next time for an in-depth post all about the Inca Trail..

James

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Adventure – exploring something new (Alex)

Excitement – finding everything you could think of at 5200m, including a full chicharron de alpaca! The clouds clearing and spectacular views not just of the rainbow but the surrounding glacier, amazing food in Cusco with fantastic service

Trauma – uncovering unprocessed feelings of being scammed from my previous travels (Alex) and feeling like a walking dollar bill, rationing soles for toilet stops/gatorade, having the worst leg wax of my life (Alex) due to the girl doing it having no clue, a second one arriving to help who knew little better, and them both working away for an hour trying their best but failing and ending up tweezing much of the hair (thanks to a scathing Google review I at least got it for free).

After a couple more days in Arequipa post-Colca:

We got a night-bus to Cusco:

It was a surprisingly bumpy ride and neither of us slept well from all the rattling and shaking despite being on main roads. A mystery. Thankfully we happened to get a room upgrade at our next hostel to a private bathroom and got in a couple of hours early to get settled.

We chose this hostel as it had a kitchen so we could start making our own food and save some pennies. It turns out that saving money on some mystery plastic-wrapped sausages wasn’t worth it as neither of us could figure out how they should be cooked or eaten (or at least without just looking like ground-up pink sludge squeezed out into a lump). James did a great job with the rest though and it was nice to have a ‘home-cooked meal’ after so much eating out.

That evening the hostel had a free pisco sour making class which we went to, and were the only ones. Seemed the hostel was rather empty! Nevertheless, Eduardo slowly and clearly showed us the ratio of 1 egg-white, 2 parts pisco, 1 part jarabe, 1 part lime-juice to make a really refreshing drink. He went back to his duties and we stayed chatting to another worker there called Washington. We learnt a lot from him about Cusqueñan life, guinea-pigs (now getting tinned and exported!), potatoes, agriculture, Inca empire history and rules (don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t be lazy), and a lot more besides. After a fantastic chance history lesson from Washington, we headed out for pizza, happy hour pisco sours, and a huge causa acevichado.

Our second day was free walking tour day. We learnt more about the history of Cusco, its people, the culture, the buildings, the conquest, and what was lost. Our guide made a great point that people come to Peru for Machu Picchu, but Cusco (Qosqo) was the centre of the empire, and if it still stood as it was, it would be more impressive and expansive than the acropolis. Just one tangible example of what has been lost due to colonialism. We’ve been to three of these walking tours now (Lima, Arequipa, Cusco) by Incan Milkyway and they’ve each given us a fascinating snippet into different aspects of Peruvian history.

After our tour, we got our new staple meal of pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken) and chicha. We also got stuffed avocado, and had so much we got it to take away (with extra chips and sauce!). That evening we went up to a viewpoint over the city to watch the sunset:

And then headed to Paddy’s Irish bar for a bit of gringo respite. We lucked out with a seat overlooking the square:

Before heading back for leftover polleria dinner at the hostel, to try for an early night before our 3:45am wake-up call to go to Vinicunca (Rainbow mountain) the next day.

Alex

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Adventure – James cooking a meal without setting fire to himself or the hostel, wandering around the backstreets avoiding touts, discovering a random dance-troup flash-mob in the main square

Excitement – meeting smiley, wonderful people in the food market, James buying coca leaves and stuffing his face, getting extra chips and sauce for takeaway

Trauma – constantly getting heckled to buy a massage, tour, food, shoe-shined…, Starbucks/KFC/McDonalds housed in original empire buildings on the main square, mystery meat sausages

It was time for our first trek of the trip, Colca Canyon, near Arequipa. Alex had done this hike on her previous trip but I had no idea what was in store, I wanted it to be a surprise and a trip into the unknown.

Getting there meant a 3am pickup, setting the alarm for 2.45am seemed very odd! A few other travellers from our hostel wait with us in reception but no one is really in the mood to talk at this hour. We are soon on our way in the minibus and try to catch a bit more sleep before arriving at the condor spotting zone around 8am. Here we are lucky to see so many condors flying across the clear blue skies above the canyon.

These magnificent birds have a wingspan of up to 3 meters, can fly up to 500km per day and are scavengers, similar to vultures, so feast in packs on any animal carcass they can find.

We hop back in the minibus and continue on to Cabanaconde where our hike begins. We are split into groups, ours is made up of mostly Brits, with a couple of German guys, a German girl and a solo traveller from Brazil. Our tour guide is called Eric who outlines our route for the next 24h and I start to realize this is not going to be a walk in the park!

For the first two hours we descend into the canyon, it is steep, dry, dusty and the trail is made up of large loose rocks which makes it difficult to look up and take in the beautiful surroundings. I make sure to stop and take it in (and catch my breath) when possible.

On the way down we get chatting to Kim and Matt, a couple from England who are following a similar route to us through South and Central America. We also met another Brit called Tom who is reaching the end of his trip but has enjoyed it so much he wants to come back out soon to help improve a dog shelter he volunteered at in Bolivia. It’s wonderful to hear other travellers stories, share tips and distract each other from the blazing heat. Our group takes no prisoners and we reach the bridge across the river at the base of the canyon in good time.

Now the “easy part” is done we begin to hike up the other side. Before long we reach a local lady with a makeshift stall selling refreshments and jump at the chance to buy a cold Gatorade for 5 soles (around £1). We continue for a few more minutes and arrive at a spot for lunch. We welcome the rest and are served avocado (grown meters away) and alpaca meat with rice and veg. Tom talks about how much he misses baked beans and we all take the opportunity for a quick lie down in the grass.

Eric summons us and it’s time for the afternoon trek to begin. We walk through the local farms near the base of the valley, there is a local community of around 60 people that live in this hard to reach part of Peru. Eric talks us through the local flora including a peppery plant that will repel mosquitos if rubbed on the skin; an innocent looking but highly corrosive plant; aloe Vera, great for sunburn which Tom and I make use of and finally a very sweet fruit that we all try. He also shows us these tiny insects that live on the cacti plants, these can be squashed to create colouring for textiles or sweets, look out for E number E120 back home, that’s how your Haribo gets it’s colour.

After a couple more hours of ascent and flats we cross another bridge and hone in on our accommodation for the night. Somehow, in the middle of this remote Canyon exists an oasis for Gringos. There are basic but spacious lodges, hammocks, a bar and most impressively a large swimming pool!

We take this opportunity to wash all of the dust off, can you believe they even have hot showers here! We have a brief swim in the “heated” swimming pool, dry off and relax under the palm trees as darkness falls, with a beer of course. We combine groups over dinner and have a good chat while eating hot food and hydrating with lots of herbal tea. We soon retire to our lodge and find a few extra roommates waiting for us, two scorpions and a spider!

The next day brings another early start, we are instructed to be ready to set off at 4.30am with torches at the ready. The early start is brutal but worth it to avoid the sun beating down on us while we hike back up the canyon. What goes down must come up and by torchlight we begin our 4km ascent with an elevation gain of over 1000 meters. Before we know it, light starts to creep up on us and after an hour we don’t need our torches at all. In the distance we can see the morning sun hit the peaks of mountains far away.

We briefly stop for a rest now and then but we both had the mindset of let’s get this done before the sun reaches us. We hike and climb the tricky terrain, sometimes inspired by passing other climbers but most of all by the beautiful mountain dogs that reach us near the summit.

This hike reminded me of the Three Peaks challenge I did in the UK many years ago; just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you’ll surprise yourself with what you can climb. Eventually, after climbing for just over 2 hours we reach the summit and enjoy a rest and drying out our sweaty clothes while waiting for the rest of our group. We take a group shot and head to a well earned breakfast.

After brekkie, our guide Eric leaves us as he has to start the whole thing all over again with another group! We then spend the day (it’s still only 8am at this point) with another guide, the energetic and informative Rafael.

We hop back in the minibus and set off for the local hotsprings. On the way Rafa tells us all about the local area, Peruvian culture and his own life. My main takeaway from what he tells us is how hard Peruvians work, whether in the poverty of farming and other manual labour or the better paid work in tourism. Despite their hardships (Rafa had a hell of a day sorting out logistics for us Gringos) , the Peruvians have always been friendly and kind to us.

After the stop at the hotsprings, we stop to see the local farmland (above image), alpacas and vicunas, and finally a spot where we can see the volcanos surrounding the canyon, one of which is still active and was blowing out steam all day.

Finally, after another long day we begin the journey back to Arequipa. On the way back, Rafa tells us how he has entered a local competition to run/hike from the Plaza in Arequipa (2200m) to the top of Chachani volcano (over 6000m). Despite completing this slog three separate times, he has never been awarded a medal or t-shirt as he technically did not make the harsh cut-off time of around 7.5 hours! I’ll be wishing him luck for the next time he tries it in 2024.

James

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Adventure: trekking 21km in under 24h, ~1000m descent then ascent (with lumps and bumps along the way)

Excitement: drinking Pisco Sours and beers in the oasis, finding out there is a hidden oasis in the canyon, all you can eat buffet post ascent, a gringo dropping one of his boots in the river from the hot spring and the lady at the entrance rushing to save the day, fishing it out with a stick, absolute hero

Trauma: Alex pretending to lose her purse (it was under her bus seat), lodge critters

Leaving the peace, luxury and calm of Acari behind, we’re back on the gringo trail and experience our first night bus, to Arequipa. The buses here put any others to shame, but I’m still cursed with an inability to sleep sitting up at “160°”. James thankfully doesn’t suffer the same issue, but it’s otherwise a smooth journey and we make it to our hostel with time to kill before being able to check-in. We find a cute little crepe/coffee place with plugs, wi-fi and games where we easily pass the time doing our research for this stop. We find ourselves a ‘free’ walking tour that we can join that afternoon to get our bearings and slowly adjust to the altitude.

These ‘free’ walking tours have been brilliant to get to know parts of the city and history we would never have known without significant effort. The history of Arequipa being so different to those of Peru’s other main cities, and one that still retains a lot of incredible architectural history from its colonial past. Including many buildings and sites from the various religious iterations imposed on the people here, including architectural propaganda to ‘encourage’ the locals to convert.

This square in the photo below, used to be an old jesuit monastery, with carvings of leaders in crowns of feathers, with maize and grapes beneath them. They’re all beautifully restored/maintained, and we get access to historical buildings to get an insight to the lives of the rich Arequipeñans from long ago. In the background is also the Chachani mountain peak, just one of three huge peaks that surround Arequipa, and inspired many offerings to the gods of pre-colonial people:

We also get taken to a cultural centre with alpacas we can feed and a lesson in textiles:

I’m continually impressed with how much Peru is leaning into celebrating its heritage. It makes me proud to see my country acknowledging and celebrating pre-colonial culture, and highlighting it to the many tourists that pass through. We even go into an exhibition of art chicha, that celebrates the bright, flourescent colours that mimics the vibrant textiles of the past:

I’m glad James gets to see this more complex and beautiful history of Peru, than the sanitised colonial one I was presented over a decade ago.

Our guide explains to us how and why Arequipaeñans feel more connected with their colonial heritage, compared to other Peruvian cities with greater connection to their pre-colonial heritage. He also offers a message of understanding that if we want to stop people coming to places searching for greater opportunity, we need to improve the situations those immigrants are coming from. Something that feels like an understanding many countries (including our own) could really do with taking on board. With much to ponder, James enjoys his first taste of alpaca, and we get an early night to catch up on sleep lost on the night before.

The next morning, after a breakfast looking out to the mountains, we went to the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, to learn even more history of young girls and women who dedicated their lives to the catholic religion, living in solitude and separated from the outside world:

Dedication was expressed in various levels of extremism, and whilst there are still some girls/women in the sections not accessible to the public, it’s apparently difficult to ‘recruit’ these days. The part we are privileged to access is stunning and beautifully presented with bright orange and blue walls throughout:

It’s another complex debate and the monastery doesn’t shy away from it. We enjoy the beauty, history, and picturesque scenes.

After the monastery, we get a La Lucha sandwich (which I was a huge fan of in Lima back in the day and very pleased to see it has expanded outside the capital), shop for a jumper (it’s cold up in these parts!), and head back for a chillout on the hostel hammocks reading under the sun looking out on the mountains:

We then packed up to be ready for our 3am colca canyon pickup the next day, and James had his first cheap and cheerful chifa.

Alex

Adventure: venturing outside tourist-ville to scout out a park to run around

Excitement: free shots on the walking tour, trying out ‘cheese’ ice-cream, having James try La Lucha chicharron, just being able to wander around the beautiful city

Trauma: not being able to get in our hostel and wandering around with our packs to find out it was where we started

We leave the desert town of Ica by taking a tiny cab from our hostel to Ica coach station. My expectations of a coach ride in Peru were not high so I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of Cruz Del Sur coaches. Reclining seats, legs rests, on board screens and privacy curtains even in the most basic seats. We traveled for over 2 hours for around £2 each! On the journey I read the John Steinbeck novella The Red Pony which I picked up before we left the hostel. An easy read to pass the time on the calm journey down to Nasca, occasionally looking out the window at the alien like landscapes.

The next journey was not quite as relaxing. From Nasca we had to take the Pan America highway south towards Acari. This two lane road mainly consists of huge 18 wheeler trucks travelling around 60km/h and dozens of pickup trucks going double that speed weaving in and out of the lorries. Our driver seemed to be in a particular hurry, add in the fact that a local sandstorm was still swirling and visibility was poor at best. I’m not often a religious man but on that ride I was praying to anyone who would listen! I’ve never seen a road so remote and desolate before.

Fortunately, we arrive in one piece in the dark desert evening and enter through the old part of the olive plant to the rustic family home next door to the factory. We are greeted by Vilma the lovely house keeper who took care of us throughout our stay. After catching our breath from the white knuckle car ride, we settle into our accommodation for the next couple of nights, a beautiful house and garden of one of Alex’s aunts.

We have a delicious meal of choclo, chicken and rice with some tasty custard apple ice cream for dessert.

The old part of the factory where it all began 25 years ago:

The next morning we are greeted by Rocky, the beautiful and rather playful German Shepherd who lives at/guards the house. After breakfast, Roger who works at the Nobex olive plant gave us an in-depth tour of the olive factory. It was a fascinating tour and impressive to see how this family business has bloomed from humble beginnings to a vast factory and farm employing over 120 workers. The 5 varieties of olives are exported to over 24 countries and automation has been introduced to help process the vast amount of produce. Of course, like all good tours, there was a tasting section at the end and I can see why they are so successful!

Each of these vats contains up to 6000kg of olives:

After lunch we are shown around the acres of olive trees growing around the factory by Richard. There is too much to share here in detail but we were blown away by how much data, science and maths goes into growing olives in the most optimal way, especially with climate change complicating matters.

Baby olives in their infancy growing on a branch:

The next day we mostly relaxed around the house, having enjoyed Steinbeck’s writing I read Of Mice and Men, a brilliant but bleak tale of aspiration and fate. After being served more delicious food we decided we needed to burn some off. We ran a 6km out and back across the farm to some trees that for some reason made me think of the Lion King.

On the final day we walked to an olive tree where some of Jeremy’s (Alex’s father) ashes were scattered. It was a beautiful peaceful spot and we both took some time to reflect before a final walk around the land. The skies had finally cleared after the sandstorm and for the first time I could see we were surrounded by imposing sand dunes and very little civilization at all.

In the evening we were kindly given a lift (and jars full of olives) back to Nasca to continue our journey to the mountains of Arequipa.

James (from a hammock)

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Adventure – leaving the gringo trail to go somewhere not many people get to go, drinking tap water and surviving

Excitement – playing yanif for the first time on this trip, being able to just chill out and read and be looked after for the last time

Trauma – fighting off losing our feet to Rocky, driving head-on towards trucks and cars at ridiculous speeds