{"id":4112,"date":"2014-08-23T14:43:20","date_gmt":"2014-08-23T20:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventureswithinreach.com\/travel\/?page_id=4112"},"modified":"2014-08-23T14:43:20","modified_gmt":"2014-08-23T20:43:20","slug":"peru-july-2013","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adventureswithinreach.com\/travel\/trip-journals\/peru-july-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Peru July 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guests:<\/strong> Eva H. and Ashley H., California
\nTravel Dates:<\/strong> July 2013
\nDestinations Visited:<\/strong>\u00a0 Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Salkantay Trek, Machu Picchu<\/p>\n

Machu Picchu \u2013 the lost city of the Incas – is on everyone\u2019s bucket list, right? It\u2019s been on mine for years.<\/p>\n

There were several options available:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Take the train from Cusco to Machu Picchu \u2013 seemed a bit lame for such an iconic trip;<\/li>\n
  2. 3 or 5 day Inca Trail \u2013 camping in the middle of winter, not so appealing + the prospect of 500 tourists beginning the trek each day, not so special;<\/li>\n
  3. But then voil\u00e0! I found the Luxury Lodge Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu<\/a>, an ancient path less traveled that approaches Machu Picchu from the west. Hmmm, this looks interesting. A 7 day luxury lodge to lodge trek to Machu Picchu \u2013 trekking between four mountain lodges in the Cordillera Vilcabamba range. Hello glamping!! No tents! Booked!!! Worry about the walking component later \u2026<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Salkantay Trail (which is longer and reaches higher elevations than the Inca Trail Trek<\/a>) takes its name from Salkantay Mountain, which at 20,574ft (6,271m) is higher than any peak in North America.<\/p>\n

    \"Salkantay<\/a>

    Salkantay Mountain<\/p><\/div>\n

    The trail winds through the Salkantay Valley \u2013 as we climbed over high Andean passes we experienced the most amazing scenery of wonderful ruins, glaciated peaks, rocky moraines, icy creeks, cloud forests, deep valleys and charming mountain villages. The scenery changed as we descended in altitude \u2013 the trail passed through coffee, avocado and banana plantations, lush orchards and dense forests en route to the legendary ruins. The entire journey was breathtaking.<\/p>\n

    Machu Picchu<\/a> was built around 1450 at the height of the Inca Empire.Why it was abandoned just over 100 years later remains a mystery. Quechuans (native Peruvians) blame the Spanish conquistadors for the genocide of their ancestors but historians believe that the conquistadors never discovered Machu Picchu as the sacred rocks defaced by the Spanish in other locations are untouched at Machu Picchu. It\u2019s more likely that the majority of Incas died from smallpox.<\/p>\n

    American Hiram Bingham is credited with re-discovering Machu Picchu in July 1911 but an engraving found in one of the temples suggests that August\u00edn Liz\u00e1rraga, a muleteer, came upon the site in 1905.<\/p>\n

    On the eve of our journey Ash and I met our guides Manolo and Danny as well as our fellow trekkers:<\/p>\n