“How high is this hike?” I asked as I gasped, the top seemed out of reach.
“12,0000 feet,” said our guide Efrain, who and the others Amazon Explorer Office slid across the trail. “But it will flatten soon!” he added a little encouragement.
I’m skeptical.
When I first came into contact with Amazon My Machu Picchu HikingI asked them to choose a slightly off-the-scenes route that could be completed in one day. After all, there are plenty of places to choose from in the Sacred Valley. The Incas built over 40,000 kilometers of roads through their empires, many of which have become hiking trails.
The selected full-day hike is not as good as the others, and it will take us to the archaeological site called Huchuy Qosqo (“Little Cusco” by Quechua). Start an hour outside Cusco, a small village of Taucca, which passes through some mountains, through abandoned villages and a pleasant ravine filled with Inca ruins, before reaching our final destination, Snake on the ridge: Huchuy Qosqo.
Starting from the village, we climbed directly to the first waypoint. We are at the highest altitude ever in my life (higher than Machu Picchu), and despite spending a week in the area, I feel like I need to rest regularly when I lift the mountain. Thankfully, the sky was dark and covered the sun, while the soft wind kept me cool.
But frequent parking only makes it easier to appreciate the landscape around me. The higher we go, the better we have a view of the land below and the surrounding mountains. At this height, without much growth, the barren arid landscape reminds me of Wyoming and Tongariro Hiking in New Zealand. The mountains of rugged mountains are seen in the eyes, and below us are the villages and farms.
“The lake in front of town is part of the hydroelectric dam,” Everland said. “Most of the people here are farmers, mainly used in local markets and potatoes. The larger farms that export the food you buy in the United States are in the valleys Other places.”
The trail flattened a little after the first off-road mark (actually just the phone pole that marked our first stop), and I had an in-depth discussion with Patrice, an Amazon employee. She lives in the United States, so we discussed the quality of the food Peru with the United States. (She found Peru’s food was better because it was processed less. It was hard to disagree.)
“All the food you call superfood, it costs a lot of money, we just call food. We’ve been eating it since the Inca era.”
As we travel through the vastness of the drought, it becomes more and more, although the trail follows what looks like a remnant of the ravine. The road began to tilt down gently, and thus began to appear trees and flowers, as well as ancient Inca walls and foundations, which were built for a long time. Soon we encounter a village of absurd soil structure and a troubled straw roof.
Villages like this are common throughout the region, and people live a lifestyle. But as young people moved to the city, they disappeared, and most structures remained in various states of disrepair. Efrain said there are only a few families left in the community. The only person we met throughout the process were two women in traditional costumes.
At the end of the village we meet what Efrain calls an ancient Inca guard room where we stop near the small waterfall for lunch and watch the women’s goats grazing before us, all of us Everyone likes their own meals.
After we had a meal and came to Peru for the Ayahuasca rituals on the West – and how they didn’t always incorporate the spiritual essence, but just wanted to be high – we continued through an ancient British doorstep, which led to the last part that led to us Trek to Huchuy Qosqo.
“It could be a military defender,” Efrain explained, as we passed it and descended into the canyon along a series of steps. “Such structures are used to protect people in the canyon and track their numbers to make sure they provide enough food for everyone. The Incas are great counters and have conducted detailed census to ensure food supply. ”
I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by joy as we walked along the trails and along the creek of the lunch field waterfall. I had a great day throughout my trip to Peru. Although Machu Picchu and the trek are special, this feeling is even more so. The scenery is spectacular and I peeked into rural life and traditional costumes, and we were the only people on the track, which made the trek particularly special.
Efrain suddenly walked by steeply. When I thought we were slowly descending to the bottom of the mountain, but we were still thousands of feet on the valley floor!
After staring at the valley, we continued through the gables along the Huchuy Qosqo terraces lined up along the gables. I’m always amazed at how they change this place, adding underground watering paths, irrigation systems and stairs to move between terraces. The food grown here will provide support for the surrounding area and Huchuy Qosqo.
We entered the destroyed city through the old door. Very little is known about Huchuy Qosqo, but according to the records we do have, it is the home of the Inca ruler Viracocha, who was exiled here after his young son Pachacuti, and he won the decisive victory of those who rebel against his father.
After the battle, Pachacuti declared himself the last day King and his father spent in Huchuy Qosqo, one of the last settlements built with dirt-covered stone walls (Pachacuti decided to start building the famous stone wall Inca structure, We are familiar with each other today). After the collapse of the Inca Empire, the Spaniards eventually attacked and used it, and he destroyed most of the buildings in 1534.
Like the rest of the trail, we were the only place outside the guards. We didn’t stay for a long time because the site wasn’t as impressive as the trip there, I was tired and ready to go back to Cusco.
We gathered companion hikers and started to descend from the hills through a series of steep folds that stretched the numbers on my knees to the actual bottom of the canyon where our driver picked us up.
“What an incredible hike!” I screamed as I went back.
A huge smile appeared on my face as I stared at the window passing through the village. This hike is my favorite experience Peru And, with only two days left in the country, I am content to let myself do something so special.
How to Hike to Huchuy Qosqo
You can choose a guide alone or by yourself, although I don’t recommend the latter. While you can easily take a taxi from Cusco to the starting point and pick up a bus at the end, it’s hard to find the trail (sometimes, especially at the beginning, it disappears) and anywhere There is no sign. Even in Huchuy Qosqo, there are no signs that describe what you are looking at, the landscape or the history of ruins. If you need any context, you need a guide. Just like Machu Picchu, I went Amazonas Explorer.
notes: Comes with sunscreen! I went back to the hotel where the burnt was. The lobster isn’t even as red as I do. I forgot to apply sunscreen because it’s cloudy and rainy, I don’t have sunlight, but at this height, the UV is very powerful and I paid for it. Don’t be like me!
Book your trip to Peru: Logistics Tips and Tips
Book your flight
use Skyscanner Looking for cheap flights. They are my favorite search engines because they search for websites and airlines around the world, so you always know that no stone will not be twisted.
Book your stay
You can book your hotel Hotel World Because they have the largest inventory and the best deals. If you want to stay outside the hotel, please use booking.com Because they are consistently returning to hotels and cheapest hotels.
If you are looking for hotels in Cusco, Here is my favorite list.
Don’t forget travel insurance
Travel insurance will protect you from illness, injury, theft and cancellation. This is comprehensive protection in case something goes wrong. I’ve never been on a trip because I had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that provide the best service and value are:
Looking for the best company to save money?
Check out my Resource page The best company to use when traveling. I listed everything I used to save money on my trip. They will also save you money when traveling.
Want more information about Peru?
Must visit mine A guide to powerful destinations in Peru More planning tips!
