Street & Rail: Holiday

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If I had the mental ability to peak into the bucket list of travellers worldwide , id say that the Inca Trail trek would be up there. Four days hiking though the brutal altitude and stunning panoramic views towards an unmatched final destination: the ancient Incan city that is Machu Picchu. The most exclusive trekking route to the site itself, we paid upwards of $400USD and nearly 6 months in advance.

Ok so I should start off with saying that climbing is not my forte. I was both excited and nervous for this part of the trip specifically. Concerned about my stamina and the decision to hike for four days despite the fact that I can’t climb, but how could I not love the Inca trail. We booked with cuscoperu.com, and aside from some slight hiccups, we were otherwise impressed. We arrived in Cusco the day before we were due to start the trek. This wasn’t a conscious decision, but because the booking company made a mistake with the dates when booking. Luckily we didn’t need time to acclimatise or stock up on supplies.

Up at 4:30am, we hopped on a bus to km.82 Ollantaytambo where we would start the trek. Probably the smallest group of them all, we made ten including our guide and porters who carried everything from a tent, table, chairs and coca tea for tempting up our of our tents in the mornings. The first day was challenging but both rewarding and manageable as we were coursing with energetic and excitement. Starting at around 8000ft climbing another 1000ft passing the last of the villages and snack stops.

As we arrived at Ayapata, our first campsite, I felt a tension of emotions. Thrilled I had made it through the first day without retreating up into a ball of defeat and rolling myself down a cliff (Victory!), but I feared day two!! The fancifully-named Dead Woman’s Pass was said to be the most challenging of the four days and it was looming large in my mind.

Day two started strong. I was well rested with shockingly unsure muscles and it wasn’t raining (yay)! When the 4am wake up call came, I was ready to devour my caramel coated pancakes and make a move. I tried to keep spirits high but I was succumbing to altitude sickness. For me it was sickness and stomach cramps - somewhat like hiking with a tummy bug. It’s about this time that you see little tribes forming. The fighting fit blazing ahead, the mildly-ill and cardio-challenged trailing behind the rest (no need to explain where I was). Thankfully my partner in crime was moral support enough and stuck by my side all the way! Thank-You!!

Thick fog rolled in and out all day and at points you could only see a few steps infront. There were groups that stopped for lunch but our powered ahead for an early finish. After the climb and decent of the first mountain peak I was almost at defeatt. This was by far the most mentally and physically challenging part of the trek. As we reached the second peak, now 13,000ft, I held in for the decent which although seemed to be never-ending I knew my struggles were over - its different for everyone but for me decent are pretty painless.

From here on in, the rest of the trek was nothing but Fun!

Definite highlights were the inca sites and ruins on the way, carved into mountains and hidden in valleys, only stopping for lunch or to make camp on the way (oh and the multiple stops to catch up breath). I was also surprised to see my phone battery had lasted four days and wassail on 46% by the end of it. I felt the kind of exhausted satisfaction that comes from achieving something you weren’t entirely sure your body would be able to do to begin whith. In fact, for all my struggles, never once did I think that horrible thought — I can’t do this. I knew all along that though it might be painful, I would get there. With all challenging ascents out of the way, it would be smooth sailing — at least for this uphill-hating hiker. We were well on our way to Machu Picchu. By the end we’d have done it again in a heartbeat! (Just after a few days rest)

We could hardly go all the way to Peru and not vernture though the Amazon. The jungle is vast and covers parts of Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. After two days R&R in Cusco we left to meet Carlos, of Carlos Expeditions in Puerto Maldonado.

Deciding which tour to go with was tough. Having trailed through most of them we decided that Carlos expeditions looked like it provided the best packages at the best value.

We jumped on a Cruz del sur night bus from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado ready for our next adventure. We were picked up at the bus station by one of the team, there were only a handful of people on our bus so it was a short trip to the office, then off on the boat for Monte Amazonico lodge aka home for the next 3 days. It didn’t take long to notice the temperature difference. The humidity was off the charts!

While our room was quite large and we had everything we needed, it was quite basic. Definitely made me appreciate having electricity and hot showers back home, not that I missed it at all over three days. They only thing that did get to me a bit was the showers. I spotted more than a few bugs about and although someone had a quick tidy before we arrived, I’m not too sure that anybody had actually cleaned!! Our days were filled with all sorts of activities from discovering the wonders of amazonian plants and feeding monkeys to sailing through nature reserves and hunting for Caiman.

I particularly enjoyed monkey island. Theres something about these cheeky little creatures that just melt my heart, so an island full of them beyond excited me. All off the monkey’s released on this island have been rescued by cannot be released into the wild due to human interaction. After a short hike through the island we spotted some capuchin monkeys spying on us. Our guide had brought a bag full of fruit so we could all feed the monkeys. We were quite a large group and after a bit of commotion when a baby money fell from a try trying to catch fruit his mum got very protective showing us his teeth. Time to head back to the boat!

Lake Sandoval was by far the highlight. Luckily enough the lodge have a stash of wellies because the path through the jungle seemed to be made of muddy puddles.

After hiking around 2 miles it was time to jump in the canoe and paddle out through a swampy channel to the lake. Oh my what a beautiful sight!

We were treated to all sorts of sights as we wove through the jungle; squirrels, monkeys, caterpillars, leaf cutter ants, butterflies, fire ants and some one the biggest hairiest bumbles in town.

The lake treated us to a rare glimpse of giant river otters, turtles, long nose bats, lots of birds and more butterflies. With over 7,000 different types of butterflies in the Amazon and 1,000 populated in the area we were in for a treat. It seemed like every time we looked around, we saw a more beautiful butterfly. Fun Fact - A scientific method used to attract and document different butterflies in the wild in urinating!

Sadly the day three is less of a ‘day’ and more a trip back to the office pretty early This is the only thing we wish we had known because we had a very long wait for our flight back to Lima in the evening. We thoroughly enjoyed our adventures through the Amazon and couldn’t have missed it. A definite to-do list item!

Any questions, get in touch in the comments below

Love Tan xx

*Sponsored Post - please note all reviews are unbiased and based on our actual experience*

Whichever way you try to escape them, the logistical struggles of getting around a new place are part and parcel of travelling. Navigating unknown streets, understanding the transport system, timings (or lack of) and making sure you don't get ripped off is just the start of it.

When looking at Peru the vast stretches of land between each destination seemed like quite the mission. The easiest way to get around would be by flight, well that was the initial thought, but that would waste valuable adventure hours and spending money (we couldn’t have that!). Busses on the other hand seemed notoriously unreliable, and tourist busses a little more pricey.

Peru Hop to the rescue. Ideal for backpackers of all ages, they offer a regular hop on hop off bus stopping at various locations (Paracas, Huacachina, Arequipa etc.) between Lima to Cusco, and vice versa. The landscape is such that there's something for everyone from mountains to jungle, sea to dessert, and the tours and stops on the way help to break it all up (although the drives are just as enjoyable).

A little pricier than local busses, however is worth it for the local knowledge and hostel drop off/pick up. It means no faffing around with taxis and scary bus stations at ridiculous hours.

So much more than just transportation, each bus is led by a guide, stopping at the key destinations along the route allowing you to hop on and off at each destination as you wish. The length of time is up to you but they also help you out by creating an itinerary. We opted for the latter and couldn't have been happier. It offered the freedom and flexibility we were after without feeling too confined. Being a planner, I sorted all accommodation before leaving home but if that not you, they also arrange accommodation from the bus and offer discounted rates! What don't they do right?! Well the answer is nothing!

Between stops they also have a number of free or extra tours at a discounted price. We did all the tours included and additional extras, from slave tunnels, Island tours and sand-boarding to national reserves and viewpoints.

Trip of a lifetime if you ask me, and this is only the start of it…

Tan xx

*Sponsored Post: Peru Hop Sponsored.

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