Machu Picchu
and the Cordillera Vilcanota
Our trip begins in the ancient capital Cusco, visiting Inca sites, before a warm-up trek above the Urubamba valley leads to Machu Picchu. The nearby Cordillera Vilcanota mountains are Peru's second largest Andean range and the circuit of its highest mountain, Nevado Ausangate (6384m) completes a challenging visit to the Inca heart of Peru.
We fly into Cusco (3350m) with time to acclimatise, to walk to the nearby Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman and to marvel at the many sites.
Our warm-up trek rises steadily above the Urubamba valley, the natural gateway to Machu Picchu, with high villages and two passes along the way. A final train ride adds to the excitement and we spend two days at Machu Picchu with time to climb adjacent hills as well as marvelling at the stonework.
Our trek in the Cordillera Vilcanota is quite a hard high-altitude trek over 3 passes but with llamas and alpacas, turquoise lakes, glaciers and hot springs and encounters with traditional Indians, it is a rich and rewarding experience.
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