David Lock

Anyone done this?

My daughter and her pal are starting later today. 4 days and 3 nights camping. Most of it uphill I think

She is excited about it all and reasonably fit but I just wondered what she was letting herself in for.......

David

warrenm2

The trail is fine, Macchu Pichu is however, rubbish

j4ckos mate

woman at worked loved it,
infact she brought one of the locals back and married him she loved it that much.

cost of living very cheap, remember a guinea pig is a meal and not apet over there so i would be careful what you eat, so is dog and cat as well

markr1963

In what way "rubbish"? Too touristy or...?

bugeyeandy

I did this 8 years ago on a whim, cost us $100 each organised by some sweaty taxi driver at Lima airport. Though he was just going to do us of our money but when we got to Cuzco we found it had all been arranged and paid for.

I found it quite tough on the 2nd day as it's pretty much uphill for most of the day. Imagine climbing the stairs for 6 or 7 hours and you'll get the idea.

The scenery was spectacular along the way and the trail is mostly paved and safe without too many drop offs. The only dicey part is if it rains, the trail on the last day is on pretty loose and often bits get washed away.

I was totally underwhelmed by Machu Picchu itself but looking back I realise that I was absolutely knackered on arrival having got up at silly o'clock to get there for sunrise. Also quite annoying to see all the lardy Americans stepping off their air-conned coaches that have just dropped them off at the top of the road.

It is a worthwhile trip but i'd advise anyone doing it to make sure they rest well on the last night to save some energy for a good climb around the place when you get there. It is a marvellous place but only if you're in the right mood for a bit of pondering

The town at the bottom of the hill it's on is called "Hot Springs" in English and they're well worth diving into after a few hard days trekking. We also managed to get cheap train tickets back to Cuzco from some dodgy bloke at the station. Saved us another days wait for the bus back, the train trip is well worth doing for the views alone and is a much safer prospect than the roads.

warrenm2

I cheated and went there by coach. Of course you have all the build up "Inca civilization!" "amazing discovery" and all that. When you get there its simply stone bungalows that are 500 years old on the top of a mountain. Think crofters huts in Scotland on a *slightly* larger scale.

Then think what was happening in Europe at the same time.....

David Lock

Oh to be young and fit

Thanks guys for the interesting comments. The good lady has given me a Google print-off of a typical trip which was fascinating.

I won't tell my daughter about "Dead Woman's Pass" on the way which, incidentally, is 11,480 ft high. Thank goodness she had a few days in La Paz so some acclimatisation for altitude.

Thanks for the help offer Nat.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

David