Peru

Other traveller reviews on Peru

Lily Nguyen — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:44:00 GMT

Read Peru travel reviews by other travellers from our friends at bugbitten.

Peru. TNT Travel Writing Awards 2009

TNT Travel Writing & Photography Awards — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:04:00 GMT

A TNT Travel Writing Awards entrant

Author: Kim Bouwer

I spend my first night locked in a cycle of discomfort - the point where I have invested sufficient body heat in my patch of stony ground to be able to sleep, is the point where my aching muscles cry out for an adjustment (probably chiropractic). The following morning, a friend confesses that he, unable to sleep, spent the freezing night watching the shooting stars. I ask him about wishes. "Yes" he replies. "I wished I wasn't here."

Why would a luxury-loving acrophobic with low blood pressure (read, really hedonistic unfit person with a fear of heights but a talent for excuses) ever embark on an adventure holiday in the mountains? Even I can not resist the Lost City of the Incas, and so find myself standing at the side of a Cusco road, at dawn, waiting for the bus to Mollepata and the start of our trail. A recent survivor stumbling from a nearby nightclub guesses what we were up to. "Good luck" she says, describing unprecedented pain. "You'll need it."

What she don't know, is we need it more than she ever did. While the pot of Incan gold at the end of the arduous rainbow - Machu Picchu - is a world heritage site, the Inca Trail is also a protected site. Both are busier than the M25 at rush hour and consequently at risk of degradation. A number of sustainable tourism companies offer alternatives treks past Incan sacred sites. Sadly, it seems that most only book these for the same reason we did - not having booked the Inca Trail in time.

The Cusco based Llama Path offers a variety of routes to the abovementioned pot. Our trek is named after a tremendous mountain, Salkantay - "the Savage" - and enjoys a higher difficulty rating than the Inca Trail. We spend the first two days walking uphill for 14 hours, at a speed and gradient similar to being on the left hand side of a London Underground escalator. The heartrending beauty of our surroundings is echoed by the rending of my cardiac (and all other) muscles, as I struggle to lug my backpack and body along mountain passes, across plains, over rocks. Terror occasioned by the sheer drops and precarious footpaths provides a welcome respite from the pain and I identify another use for the of the ten sol walking stick that Ramiro our mosquito resembling mountain obsessed guide, urged us all to purchase in Mollepata - it prevents that invisible hand dragging me over the edge. The first two days each offer in excess of 14 hours uphill hiking. We are jolted from sleep (or hyppthermia) before dawn each morning with a cup of hot coca tea (which certainly does help with the altitude) and Ramiro, spurring us on with the words "Come on Amigos! Inca time!" Despite being a sadist, he offers very good value for his knowledge of the mountains and the Incas. He takes a strongly revisionist view of Incan history and tries as much as possible to ensure that the Peruvian perspective on the culture, history and customs comes across - often a very different version to what we'd already read in our Peru guide books.

On the afternoon of the second day, we stagger over the 4,600m Salkantay pass. By this stage, battling with the altitude, I feel a strong urge to cry but don't have the energy. I reflect on my amazement to be alive, and my amazement at our porters. Unlike the official Inca Trail, this trek does permit horses, which with the amazing porters carry most of our stuff. The trekkers carry daypacks, which is more than enough for me. After each stop (there are lunch camps and the evening camps, when our sleeping tents are erected) the porters tidy away, including the delightful task of disassembling the "toilet tent", decamp and pack up the horses, getting to the next stop to set up - including the preparation of a delicious three course meal - by the time the hikers limp in. It certainly is humbling, to see a 50 year old man in sandals, carrying 20kg of equipment, run past you with a smile.

After the Savage it's all downhill - quite literally. For the next three days we descend from this tremendous peak, through the river valleys below. The stark rocky hillside on the ascent gives way to increasingly lush vegetation, populated with mosquitoes that seem to think that Deet is some kind of salsa. This offers its own unique brand of terror in the form of rough, handrail-less bridges (really just a loosely joined collection of planks) slung across each river, sufficiently gappy for a good view of the rocky streams below. A fellow hiker shows me how to deal with these crossings - by holding onto a trusted friend's backpack with diminishing levels of fervour, I manage to wean myself off any form of support until I can cross alone, if not confidently, as least without hyperventilating.

On the fourth day, we are given a choice between an ascent to the Incan site of Llactapata, or the hot springs at Santa Theresa, crossing the Urubamba river on a rope bridge the following morning. We opt for the latter and spend a luxurious few hours, clutching cerveza decanted into waterbottles, soaking our aching muscles in the natural hot springs. The next morning we are pulled across a vast expanse of white water, in a basket slung from two ropes. Our choice of route means that we miss the hot springs at Aguas Calientes (Spanish for hot water) but we are told, in any event, that they do not compare with our heavenly Santa Theresa.

Despite having had favourable weather for the entire trek (we go at the end of April, the dry season in Peru) we are slightly nonplussed the following morning at sunrise, as Ramiro, gestures into the impenetrable fog behind him and exclaims "This is Machu Picchu!" But as the stony structures emerge from the fog, we do experience the wonder of these mysterious buildings. Our guides take us through temples, sanctuaries and residences, describing their probable purpose and, to the extent known, the artefacts that were found there before their removal by "explorers" to Yale University, where they remain.

Was the real pot of gold Machu Picchu, or was it the limitation and fears I had overcome to get there? A bit of both probably. But when faced with the option of a further climb - Huayna Picchu, which offers a terrifying ascent in exchange for panoramic views of the ancient city - I elected to go back to Aguas Calientes with the other slackers, for pizza and a golden cerveza.

9 Days in the Jungle. TNT Travel Writing Awards 2009

TNT Travel Writing & Photography Awards — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:40:00 GMT

A TNT Travel Writing Awards entrant

Author: Jill Willis

There were six of us in the group, plus an English guide called Tina and a talented cook, setting off for nine days in the Manu rainforest in southern Peru. We left Cusco at 6 a.m., the landscape changing constantly as the sun rose and the bus zigzagged over the Andes. By 9 o'clock we had stopped in a village famous for its bread (which was delicious) and visited the pepperpot ruins of a 1500 year old city. We reached the puna, a landscape with long grass in which guinea pigs live, by lunchtime, but we were too late to see the "cock of the rock" birds performing their dusk display in the cloudforest, where we spent the first night.

The next morning we continued down to the river Alto Madre de Dios, where we transferred to our boat. When the road (such as it is) was built, the valley was rich until the valuable timber was exhausted. Nowadays there are poor settlements where people live in huts (with televisions), with a few hens and turkeys

It took a few hours by boat to reach our first rainforest lodge and all the way Tina pointed out birds, lumbering capybara and motionless cayman.

We spent a lot of time on the water - rivers and lakes - as well as walking in the jungle. We were up at 5 most days, because that´s when the wildlife is busiest. We watched several species of monkeys; the woolly monkeys were agile and entertaining, but the howler monkeys were easy to spot because they don´t move around much. They eat leaves and sit around digesting them.

One afternoon we went out on a raft on Lake Salvador to see where the giant otters were going to sleep that evening, so we´d know where to look the next morning. We stayed on the lake as the sun set, the moon rose and the stars came out, while big bats flitted around us. The next morning we watched six giant otters playing and munching on fish.

Another morning was spent watching a clay lick. Hundreds of blue-headed parrots arrived and sat like big green leaves and blue flowers in the trees. They were nervous and often took off together, circling until it was safe to return. Red and green macaws arrived in pairs and sat higher in the trees. Eventually the parrots disappeared without going down to the clay, but the macaws gradually moved down to eat, and the bank was covered in brilliantly coloured birds.

We saw macaws at their nests - two red heads peeped out of a treetrunk, then two stunning scarlet macaws emerged, and wood chips flew as a pair of chestnut-fronted macaws chiselled out their nest-hole.

Oropendulas weave foot-long nests, and their call sounds like something plopping musically into water. On the river, black skimmers fly low over the water, scooping it into their beaks. Snakebirds, with their long necks and narrow heads, look like snakes. Although they dive, their feathers are not waterproof, so they spend much time drying out and preening. One bird doing this fell off its branch into the water, which made us all giggle. There are numerous hawks and falcons, including little bat falcons that flutter around like bats. The chicken-sized hoatzins are fun. They eat leaves and are always full and heavy, since they have to eat a lot to get enough nutrients (hoatzins are the world's only ruminant birds) so they can't fly properly. Pale-winged trumpeters, big, long-legged black and white birds, amble around eating seeds.

In the forest there is a constant tinnitus of crickets. There are also dazzling butterflies - vivid oranges, metallic blues and greens, and a clearwing butterfly, with leaded-light wings. There are ants of all sizes - I watched leafcutter ants carrying loads bigger than their bodies, marching columns of army ants, and an inch-long bullet ant. Ant nests hang from branches or are built around treetrunks.

There are spiders including tarantulas (pink-footed, if you look closely enough!), web-throwing spiders that sit and wait with "nets" to cast over their prey, and social spiders that make a communal web - an arachnid co-operative.

We heard many frogs but saw few, although I found one on the washbasin one night (it wasn't as pretty as the opossum that visited the previous evening!).

Turtles sunbathe on logs at the river's edge, sometimes with butterflies sipping mineral-rich tears from their eyes. One day we saw a big yellow-footed tortoise swimming past a little village where we´d stopped for fuel. The boatman scooped it up and we took it to the next lodge, where it wandered off into the forest, otherwise the villagers would have caught and cooked it.

Architectural trees such as the kapok and fig have huge buttress roots. Trunks can be fifteen feet across at the base, with enormous roots snaking off across the forest floor. Strangler fig vines surround many trees, wrapping their roots around the trunk until the tree dies but still supports the vine. The naked tree sheds its bark every year to get rid of such hangers-on and some palms protect themselves with two-inch barbs. Along the riverbanks there are parrot's beak vines, covered with bright red flowers shaped just like the birds´ bills.

Although it was the dry season, there was some rain most days. We welcomed it on the lake one scorching afternoon; it cooled us down and produced a double rainbow. It deluged throughout one night and in the morning the river was flooded, with fallen trees crashing into our moored boat (the previous day the water had been so low that everyone had to get out and push the boat).

On the final morning we returned to the cock of the rock lek at daybreak, and this time the birds obliged - a dozen vivid red and black male birds squawking at the tops of their voices to attract their females.

The Timeless Inca Trail. TNT Travel Writing Awards 2009.

TNT Travel Writing & Photography Awards — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:20:00 GMT

A TNT Travel Writing Awards entrant

Author: Aneeka Patel

"What time is it?"

"6.32 am!"

"Dammit we're never going to make it; surely the sun will have risen by now."

"Relax...no worries...just keep walking." Julio's serene tone and well rehearsed phrase was having little effect on our group this morning. Throughout the trail he had provided us with the history of the Incas, given us positive encouragement when our legs had threatened to strike, and told the timeless lie that our campsite was ‘just around the next bend'; but today was different. It was the culmination of three days of strenuous hiking and the urgency of our final ascent was felt by the group as a whole; in every sharp, painful and raspy breath we drew and every stumble we took on a loose rock.

Whilst peer-pressure cannot be endorsed in a normal situation, it was proving to be an asset today. We had been instructed to walk in a single file line on the narrow path and an unspoken challenge among the group ensured that none of us would be the first to stop or ask for a breather. In my case a mixture of anticipation and the adrenaline rush of a meeting a deadline pushed away any thoughts of stopping from my brain. I instead allowed my mind to wander among the pages of Inca history thinking about the countless Inca worshipers who had made this trip before me. From the ancient Capital - Cusco to Machu Pichu, young and old had ascended to celebrate sunrise and worship the pagan sun god, The Inti. Separated by over 400 years of history and our different reasons for making the trip, I could still feel their urgency and understand the importance of reaching the sun gate, the entrance to Machu Pichu before sunrise.

It is hard to believe that in Inca times people regularly made pilgrimages from their respective dwellings to spots of religious significance often located at high altitudes, which given the nature of the God they were worshiping seems hardly surprising. Although having said that, evidence of the incredible nature of the Incas lives on in the porters, (or Wykies as they preferred to be called, the literal term for ‘brother' in Quechua.) Working along the Inca trail they carry more than double their body weight on their backs; without the expensive back-pack with all manner of back-supporting features available in outdoor sports shops. On the trail you simply had to shamefully look on as a wykie overtook you every few minutes, nimbly hopping across a well memorised and quicker path than yourself, rivalling even the best GPS equipment money can buy.

Whilst the Inca Trail itself was an undulating challenge, one which had tested each and every member of our group to the extreme, this was only a small sample and by no means the most impressive of the paths the Incas had created all over their conquered territories. The Inca Empire had stretched over Peru, Bolivia and Chile, yet their reign lasted just shy of a century, which surprises many people considering what they achieved during this time. Sadly Inca history has been somewhat overshadowed by seemingly stronger and more advanced empires like the Roman or Ottoman ones, but it has not been forgotten and continues to draw throngs of visitors to Peru every year. Studies of Inca history enjoyed a resurgence after the discovery of the 450 year old Mummy Juanita in 1995 by anthropologist Johan Reinhard on Mount Ampato near the city of Arequipa.

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden traffic-jam up ahead, as I peered around to see what the hold-up was I could see people twenty meters ahead gazing upwards, a look of puzzled disbelief on their face; As I came closer I saw the cause, in front of us was an almost vertical set of what was described as ‘steps', but really were a set of jagged and uneven crevices cut out of a high wall to allow people to get to the top. Stumped for only a moment, I quickly realised that this was no time for elegance or self consciousness. I ignored cries of ‘oh my god' and other phrases and words which road rage sufferers would be proud of, and found a gap to begin my ascent. Clinging to each ‘step' with dear life my fingers trembled; luckily my sweaty palms were covered in powdered sandstone giving my hands the necessary grip. Passing through a stoned archway at the top I saw it, my very first glimpse of Machu Pichu. It was an odd sensation to say the least, whilst it looked exactly as it had in pictures, it was different at the same time. There was a collective sigh of relief from everyone as they arrived, a mixture of having conquered the ‘Oh My God Steps' as they were nicknamed, and seeing that the sun had not yet risen over Machu Pichu. After a celebratory toast of a packet of fun-sized snickers bars and Oreo cookies, everyone scattered to find a good spot to watch the sunrise which was gradually flowing down the sides of the surrounding Andean mountains like a graceful wave caught in a slow-motion reel of film, heading towards the centre of the Inca ruins.

Not being a deeply religious person myself I had never fully understood the incentive towards sun-worshipping, but witnessing the impending sunrise at Machu Pichu I stopped wanting to understand, but instead just accepted that for something this beautiful to take place there had to be some higher purpose. Smiling to myself at this sudden revelation I decided to cast aside my analytical mindset for a few minutes, take my camera out, and enjoy the magic that was taking place.

Itinerary ideas for Peru

JOANNE CACKETT — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:08:00 GMT

Peru in 2-3 days

If you don't have much time to visit Peru, head straight to Cusco. Although teeming with tourists, it is the quintessential Peruvian experience with its intriguing colonial city and ancient Inca ruins. The quickest way to get there is to fly. Cusco airport is 4km south of the city centre. See airlines mentioned in Getting Around. In Cusco you can take a tour of the surrounding Inca ruins by horseback. Or explore the Inca Museum or the impressive Inca walls of Koricancha.

Taking a day trip up to Machu Picchu is a must. You can catch a train or bus to Ollantaytambo. From there you can catch a bus or train straight to Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes). To make up for missing the Inca Trail, take a walk up the mountain to the ruins, or if the altitude is too much, catch a bus.

In 7-9 days

If Lima is your first port of call, it's a good idea to spend about two days getting to know this bustling city. The common place to stay in Mireflores, with its close location to the beach, shops, cafes and bars. Explore central Lima with a stop off at the grand Plaza Mayor, where the cathedral sits on the site of an old Inca temple, and the Palacio de Gobierno where you can see the changing of the guard.

Art museums worth visiting are Pinacoteca Museum, with its fine collection of Peruvian paintings and Muso de Arte Popular. For historic artifacts check out the Museo de Arqueologia, Antropologia y Historia del Peru in Pueblo Libre. In the east, two fascinating museums are the Museo de a Nacion for its archeology, and Museo de Oro (Museum of Gold) for its display of arms.

Head south and stop off at the beach towns of Pisco for some fresh seafood, and check out nearby Paracas National Reserve or the Ballestas Islands. Continue on to see the Nazca Lines - a series of enormous animal figures and shapes carved into the stony plains.

If you're into surfing, the best beaches south of Lima are Punta Hermosa, Punta Roca and Pico Alto.

Continue onto Cusco, or make your way towards Bolivia to the colonial town of Arequipa, and then Puno on the majestic Lake Titicaca.

Two weeks +

If you have more time in Peru, the trip south of Lima is obligatory (see above). But there's plenty of attractions north as well.

If you're into surfing, check out the northern coastline and visit the famous Chicama and Cabo Blanco. Stop off at the bustling Trujillo, or continue onto the small town of Pacasmayo – with one of the longest righthand points in Peru. It's also a good place to hang out with a few bars/discotecas. There's also Mancora – the most trendiest and popular surf town on the north coast.

Delve deep into the Amazon jungle of inland Peru with highlights including pink and blue dolphins in the rivers around Iquitos; the rich rainforest of Tambopata-Candamo Reserve, Manu Biosphere Reserve and Pacaya Samiria. Your best point of entry is Iquitos for the Northern Selva, Pucallpa or Chanchamayo for the Central Selva, and Puerto Maldonado for the Southern Selva.

If you're into mountaineering, check out the Huaraz region. Huaraz is 3060m above sea level, but the highest peaks of the Cordilleras are more than 6000m.

Transport in Peru

REBECCA GALTON — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:34:00 GMT

Getting There

AIR

Flying to Peru often involves a stopover in either Europe or the US. From London the flight takes between 16-22 hours, depending on your stopover.Peru’s national airline is Lan Peru and along with Iberia flies from London via Madrid, Spain to Lima. KLM flies to Lima via Amsterdam, Lufthansa via Frankfurt and American Airlines flies via New York and Miami.

Getting Around

AIR

You can fly between towns with Lan Peru. Other domestic airlines in Peru include Aero Condor and TANS. Tickets can be bought at travel agents or airline offices in major towns, or via email.

TRAINS

Taking a long train journey in Peru is well worth it for the spectacular scenery. You can travel on the Cental Railway from Lima climbing up into the Andes as far as Huancayo. It is the only railway in South America to reach the dizzy heights of It is the only one in South America to reach the dizzy heights of 4,835m at La Cima.

The Southern Railway takes you from popular Puno on Lake Titicaca to Cusco, and then continues up to Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu.
Trains can be slow and crowded, attracting petty thieves, so keep your wits about you. It's advisable to buy your tickets in advance whenever possible to secure your place.

BUS

There are plenty of bus companies to choose from in all major Peruvian cities, and tickets are all relatively cheap. The question is how much you want to pay. Sometimes paying a bit more allows a comfier ride, but all in all the bus seats are often hard and the same video will be played over and over.

Each bus company offers two to three levels of service. Some of the better bus companies are Cruz del Sur, Linea and Movil.

Buy your tickets in advance from the bus company office.

TAXIS AND COLECTIVOS

Very few taxis in Peru have meters so agree your price before you go. Arriving at Lima airport, some unregistered taxi drivers will get as many travellers as possible, which means you get to pay less, but your journey may be longer.

Colectivos are shared minibuses that travel between towns.

CAR

Driving in Peru is great for accessing places that are off the beaten track. However, avoid driving in Lima as the traffic is crazy, and road rules often not adhered to. All the major rental firms can be found in the cities, and renting a car costs around the same as Europe. International driving licences are accepted, but if you are driving for more than 30 days you'll need to obtain a permit.

Peruvian highlights

JOANNE CACKETT — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:31:00 GMT

Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Peru

‘Dead Woman’s Pass’, ‘Hidden River’, ‘The Hanging Village’, ‘Forever Young’. Straight out of Raiders Of The Lost Ark or a Tolkien novel, the names of landmarks on the trail to Machu Picchu seem specifically designed to increase the suspense. Many believe the trail was a deliberate work of art designed ‘to elevate the soul of the pilgrim’ on the way to the lost city of the Incas. Few who have walked it would deny that this remains deservedly one of the world’s greatest treks.

Inca ruins

Base yourself in Cusco to set off on the Inca Trail or explore the many nearby remnants of the ancient people of Peru, the Incas. Take a tour around the Inca ruins on a horse, though try not to be given one that looks half dead from years of carrying people around the sites. The temple of Sacsayhuaman (some call it sexywoman) is well worth the visit with its huge fortress walls. It is where the annual Inti Raymi sun festival is held.

Lake Titicaca, Peru/Bolivia

The highest navigable lake in the world stretches in a great inland sea, 110 miles long, between two Andean countries. Culturally it is one of the world’s most fascinating areas. The Uru people still live on the man-made islands of lashed-together reed beds on which they once escaped the attentions of the conquistadors.

Jungle-bashing

The emerald forest of Manu Park in Peru has been described as the jewel in the Amazon crown. It is one of the most pristine, yet easily accessible, regions of the Amazon basin. Even in this incredible natural region, Manu is unequalled in its number of resident species. Iquitos is a major hub for jungle tours.

Surfing

Peru's Pacific coast generates some top waves for surfers. Its barren and dry coastline may seem like a different world to the interior jungles and mountain regions, but the laid back vibe and long stretches of sandy beaches are a must to visit if you're into surfing. Among the most famous breaks are Chicama on the north coast, as well as Cabo Blanco. Pacasmayo is a cute town to hang out with a few great bars/discotecas and boasts a long right hand point. While Mancora is the most trendiest and popular surf town on the north coast. Some of the best beaches south of Lima are Punta Hermosa, Punta Roca and Pico Alto

Nazcar Lines

In south Peru, you can fly over the dry land to see the amazing Nazcar Lines, large intricate symbols of animal figures and geometric shapes. Their origin remains a mystery but there are theories that they were an agricultural calendar or ancient sacred paths.

Wildlife

You won't leave Peru without buying something made out of alpaca wool – and you won't go far without seeing llamas and alpacas out in their mountainous Andean environment. As well as plenty of goats and donkeys, Peru boasts a vast array of birdlife, including flamingoes, herons and the Guanay cormorant. If you're lucky you may see a puma. Worshipped by the Incas, these mountain cats are found in the remote high-altitude regions of Peru.

Amazon Adventures

admin — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:08:00 GMT

Travel Writing Awards Finalist

By Aaron Smith
Anacondas, alligators, piranhas, cannibal Indians, malaria and being in the middle of the Amazon jungle hundreds of kilometers from civilization didn’t scare me. Well, not nearly as much as my ex-Vietnam vet jungle guide Auckoo did. Back where I started my journey in the North Eastern Peruvian frontier city of Iquitos, accessible only by boat or plane in the middle of the jungle, everybody said Auckoo was insane and that I was even more so for hiring him. But I had little choice- no one else would take me where I wanted to go, deep into the Amazon Jungle of the Yavari Valley to live with the Matse.
These Indians, also known as the cat people because they puncture their cheeks with reeds of grass hence looking like whiskers, shun the outside world and for good reason. They have been exploited by successive governments, decimated by disease and had their territory encroached upon by prospective oil companies. Until recent years, they were cannibals, eating their enemies, believing it empowered them. The 2,200 surviving Matse Indians of this area struggle to maintain their cultural identity.
However, I was having second thoughts as we headed up the Amazon River over night by ferry. The only gringos on board, I lay in my hammock dismayed as Auckoo, dressed in a cowboy hat and army fatigues, ranted ‘Nam war stories for most of the night without breath or break, a beer in one hand and a machete in the other. But I only had myself to blame. Even Auckoo, always referring to himself in the third person, forewarned me he was stark raving mad. A real wild man, tall, lean, wiry, wrinkled and desiccated like an old leather boot, married to an Indian and 10 years too long in the jungle, he had a reputation of getting you well off the beaten track.
By the light of dawn we disembarked at a small police outpost where we met Pepe, the Matse village chief and continued in a dugout canoe up the Ucayali River. Pepe, though small in stature, rippled with muscle like a man 10 years younger than his actual middle age. A traditional jagged blue line tattoo surrounded his mouth and continued up to his ears. Auckoo elucidated, “They call that the Jaguar Smile.” Pepe, like me, spoke little Spanish and communicated with shy smiles, sighs and hums. He had a peaceful demeanor and seemed bemused by Auckoo’s antics, occasionally giving me knowing looks as if to say. You realize he is insane?
We meandered further and further up, the river became narrower, the jungle grew denser and Auckoo babbled an encyclopedic knowledge of flora and fauna as we approached a small village. Grass huts inset in fields of maize and yucca. Auckoo explained the Matse killed a family of overzealous and persistent Christian missionaries on the very ground we stepped onto some 20 years before. Auckoo, carrying what appeared to be our only supplies- a crate of beer, five packets of cigarettes and a pineapple, called out, “Lucy I’m home.”
The jungle was savagely beautiful, teeming with sounds and life. It’s not difficult to believe a large percentage of the world’s biodiversity lay inside. Carefree children ran around with chickens and wild pigs. Village life was hard, simple but incredibly tranquil. Living on fried piranha, washing in the river and observing the Matses’ daily routine, I started to feel the rhythm of a way of life that hadn’t changed much since the Pleistocene. Then one morning Auckoo woke me before sunrise, excited he explained, “Pepe’s making Sapo.”
Sapo, which is Spanish for frog, is what the Matse call a poison secreted from the skin of the Giant Monkey Tree Frog that they ceremoniously use to improve their luck in hunting. I was going to be initiated into the ritual. Pepe had a large green frog splayed out between four posts, each limb tied with string. He aggravated the frog to induce it to secrete a milky white poison, after which it was released unharmed. Then Pepe removed a branch from the fire and pressed the burning ember into my chest, creating six small wounds. Pepe scraped away the burnt skin, exposing an open wound and with an audience of giggling village kids, he smeared in the Sapo. The Sapo’s peptides affected me instantaneously. My breathing became labored, heart pounded and I broke out into a cold sweat. My legs buckled as I collapsed to the ground. It felt like I was dying as I threw up yellow bile. After ten minutes, I was revived by Pepe throwing a bucket of water over me. I crawled off to my hammock and slipped into a deep sleep.
When I woke a few hours later I felt better, more than better, I felt great, strong with heightened senses, suddenly aware of every sound and smell emanating from the jungle. Aukoo said the jungle was inside me now as he smudged orange dye from a jungle fruit on my face like war paint. I noticed individual leaf cutter ants scurrying across the forest floor, the veins in leaves and birds high in the tree canopy with amazing detail. Pepe then took me hunting deep into the forest, with nothing but a machete and a shotgun with only a single cartridge. Now being an avid environmentalist, I felt somewhat perplexed about going on a Sapo induced killing spree. However, after chasing an armadillo and being chased by a huge Tapir, we returned empty handed.
As our time with the Matses finished, I realized I may not be Amazon Indian hunter material, but my chronic lower back pain, which had been plaguing me for months, mysteriously disappeared after the Sapo ritual. Also, whenever it rains now and I hear frogs croaking, I feel a strange affinity with them and get the occasional craving to eat flies. Maybe Auckoo was right, maybe there really is a little bit of the jungle inside me now.

Machu Picchu, Peru – A tall trail

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:53:00 GMT

After climbing exactly 50 of the steepest steps imaginable, rounding the final bend and rising over and through the arches of Inti Punku - the Sun Gate - the ancient city of Machu Picchu dawns before you. WORDS: Gereurd Roberts.

Upon sight of South America's largest and best preserved archaelogical site, the magnificent Inca citadel, the aches, pains and strains from the Inca Trail disappear.

Even the awe-inspiring size of the mountains which flank and once protected the city from attackers - Machu Picchu (Old Mountain in Quechua) to the south, Huayna Picchu (Young Mountain) to the north and Putukusi (Happy Mountain) to the east - cannot dwarf the most sacred of ancient Inca sites as it rises from the lush green of its rainforest surroundings to meet, engulf and spoil the eyes.

Almost perfectly preserved granite houses and temples stand tall and proud together with crumbling remains and ruins stretching along a table of land perched almost impossibly between the a backdrop of rugged, seemingly impassable, uninhabitable, sometimes snow-capped peaks.

Tacky and clichéd as it may seem or sound, the first sight of Machu Picchu immediately becomes unforgettable. Combined with the exhaustion of the journey, it leaves even the most travelled backpacker breathless. Or perhaps it is the pilgrimage itself which makes reaching the city of Machu Picchu more meaningful.

There are two ways to reach Peru's most visited, precious treasure. Catching the train from Cusco is still a popular option - PeruRail have upgraded their service to Machu Picchu, and the journey to the city is still one of the world's most spectacular.

The train snakes through the Sacred Valley, next to the Urubamba River, where the Spaniards once sailed, and failed, in their quest to find the city in the 1500s, through Ollantaytambo, which offers a tantalising taste of the Inca ruins to come, and finally to Aguas Calientes. From this small village, buses run up a dusty, windy road to Machu Picchu.

But by far the best way to enjoy the Inca experience is to trek the Inca Trail, just as the kings, queens and priests of what was once the most powerful empire on the planet did 500 years ago.

For 40-something kilometres - experts put the exact length of the trek between 40km and 48km - the trail's avid travellers traverse mountains as tall as 4198m (the height of the heartbreaking first pass at Abra de Huarmihuañusca), trundle down ancient steps of the other side, and walk paths as wide as a person with a sheer drop on the side.

The trail stretches through the Sanctuario Histórico de Machu Picchu, a park of more than 32,000 hectares set aside by the Peruvian government to protect more than 350 types of birds, 47 species of mammal and countless other precious flora and fauna.

The pain of the journey is eased by the outstanding efforts of the Peruvian porters, who, despite being half the size of most of the travellers, carry their luggage and also cook, clean, set up tents and inspire as they run along the ancient road. But mostly the effort is made worthwhile by that first sight of the ancient city.

Machu Picchu is the subject of much rumour, legend, and debate among the many who visit each year. Built under the reign of the Inca king Pachacuti in the 15th century, some say the city's construction took less than a hundred years and that it was used solely for the purposes of astronomy, some claim it was the home of the royal family and priests, while others claim that its agricultural terraces prove it was used for both.

What is known is that the city may still be under the twisted trees and vines of the rainforest were it not for the American explorer Hiram Bingham, who is credited with discovering the citadel. While many local farmers knew of the ruins - if not their significance - it was Bingham who, accompanied by a local, uncovered Machu Picchu on July 24, 1911.

Untouched by the Spanish, who had systematically destroyed most of what they thought important to the Incas, and treasure hunters, Bingham thought the site to be the lost city of Vilcabamba, where the Incas made their final stand against the Conquistadors.

While his first theory was later found to be incorrect, the importance of his discovery was undiminished. Machu Picchu has been found to be the most sacred of Inca sites, a city which merited endless hours of toil to construct the temples and houses with intricate, exemplary stonework.

It is a city which easily affords and rewards the efforts of the Inca Trail, a trek which allows every traveller a true and lasting link to the Incas.

Tips for the trail
• Book in advance. In accordance with new regulations by the Peruvian government, tourist numbers on the Inca Trail are now limited to 500 a day, including cooks, guides and porters - down from as many as 2500 per day in high season, this means that places on the trail fill up several months in advance.
• Independent travellers are also no longer allowed and must be part of an organised tour.
• You must carry the same passport you book your permit with when travelling to Peru - otherwise there's a chance you'll be denied a place on the trail. If you renew your passport in between booking and travel, take both passports with you.
• Do the right thing by the people who'll help you make it to the end. The Inka Porter Project is dedicated to improving working conditions of porters and animal drivers (arrieros) in the Andes - see url below to check out their trekking guidelines.

Surfing in Peru

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:53:00 GMT

The Pan-American highway hugs the contours of the Pacific coast like a giant black serpent, before darting suddenly inland behind a hundred sandy miles of desert, leaving you anticipating from the seat of your Collectivo - wedged between the old lady's bag of live chickens and the farmer's bucket of freshly slaughtered meat - the next glimpse of what can only be called a forsaken surfer's paradise.

During the cramped drive from the Ecuadorian border in the company of a decent swell, each bend in the road reveals a lunar landscape against which a long string of endless left-hand point breaks reels off unridden.

Surfing folklore holds that somewhere along the empty stretches of Peru's northern desert coast, the longest waves in the world wind past the arid shores, blessed by a constant state of offshore perfection almost completely unnoticed by the handful of local fishermen that ply the waters. Like some surfing Indiana Jones, I'm on a hunt for treasure.

As you travel south, the water becomes colder and the landscape appears more desolate. It seems as though nothing could survive here, yet in this inhospitable terrain farmers try to scratch a life for their families out of the dust and sand. The hot winds of the seemingly infinite stretches of parched, lifeless desert - some parts of which haven't seen rain since the last Ice Age - meet the cold waters of the Humboldt Current, creating an eerie perma-fog. The mist blankets the coast from dawn 'til dusk like the haze of an all-day hangover. Happily for me, these phenomena also create a perpetually offshore convection current, grooming the waves to a state of glossy blown glass and forming perfect almond-shaped barrels in which to hide from the harsh desert wind.

It's a white-knuckle, 45-minute taxi ride through the mist from Peru's second largest city, Trujillo, to the surfing world's special jewel. Puerto Chicama is an isolated, dusty little port town, and the namesake of the epic wave that rolls with clock-like precision past its shores. Looking like a real-life ghost town and with modern conveniences few and far between, there's absolutely nothing to do here apart from surf - but it's a good enough reason. On its leg-melting 4km journey from start to finish, the continuous face of a Chicama wave peels tirelessly for an eternity along the cliffs on the razor's edge between the Pacific and the barren windswept landscape.

In a shabby dorm room teetering on the cliff-face overlooking the point, I exist on beans and rice, but gorge myself on the longest waves of my life. In a small head-high swell, I sit on the cliff resting my burning leg muscles and watch people ride a wave for minutes before they disappear out of sight, throwing countless different turns along the way. If this was what happened on a small day, I could only imagine this place during one of the frequent bigger swells. Yes, this is definitely the place to fine-tune your surfing.

Yet, unbelievably, a crowd at Puerto Chicama consists at most of around 10 travellers and local surfers spread over the 4kms. You can go all day without seeing another person in the water. I had found surfing's holy grail.

While the surf proved fantastic, you can't spend every waking hour in the ocean, and it's the local people that make this country really special. Far from slowing either party down, the language barrier creates a mood of enthusiasm. It's hard not to get caught up by their zeal, sharing a wave and a laugh, or generosity. They really will go out of their way to help you in any way they can. When it came time to leave Chicama we did so with handmade parting gifts from several of our new friends.

Having surfed the longest waves of my life over a dozen times at any number of places in Peru, its reputation for the world's longest, most isolated waves is definitely founded in reality - but I had discovered so much more than I set out to find. I was constantly overwhelmed by the most open, genuine people I'd ever met. As the myriad individual jelly-leg-inducing waves I rode blur into one, the feeling from those faces - resiliently smiling despite their hard existence - burns crisp and clear. And it will probably remain, long after I've trimmed my last wave.

The (other) top guns of Latin America's Pacific Coast

PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico: Infamous board-breaker Escondido is the world's best and heaviest beach break. Surfers have flocked to this area for decades to witness some of the biggest, fastest, most perfectly formed barrels you'll ever see.

WITCHES ROCK, Costa Rica: The 1994 release of Endless Summer 2 exposed this remote, unspoilt surfers' paradise, located in the middle of a huge National Park, accessible most of the year only by boat.

PAVONES, Costa Rica: Bending around the big black rocks of its southernmost tip is Costa Rica's longest wave. Over 2km of left-hand point breaks offer fast mechanical lefts of real size and extreme length during the frequent big S/SW swells.

SANTA CATALINA, Panama: Located at the end of a remote peninsula the waves reputedly never fall below 4ft but are often over 15, thanks to Antarctic south swells that are filtered and focused by a series of small offshore islands onto a huge roaring right hand reef.

PACASMAYO, Peru: Just a short drive from better known Puerto Chicama, but receives more swell, is more consistent and is just as long, if not longer.

Incan descent

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:53:00 GMT

The 43km that forms the Inca Trail is as tough as it is rewarding. CONAL HANNA charts the ups and downs of the trek to the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu.

To walk the Inca Trail is to follow in a lot of footsteps. First, of course, came the Incas themselves, who ruled large swathes of South America until the arrival of the Spanish. Next were the early 20th century archaeologists led by American Hiram Bingham, who uncovered the abandoned city of Machu Picchu, the trail's destination, 400 years after it disappeared into the wilderness. Then there are the most recent invaders, the estimated 50,000 travellers who flock to Peru each year to embark on the four-day trek.

The Inca Trail's rampant popularity has led to a form of reverse snobbery among backpackers in South America, who point to the hugely inflated prices (it now costs at least US$250) and the fact you often have to book a berth months in advance as reasons to seek their thrills elsewhere. But speak to anyone who's endured the four consecutive early mornings and 43km of trudging up and downhill only to emerge around dawn at the Sun Gate to catch their first glimpse of the beguiling ancient city perched in the valley below, and they'll tell you it was worth every penny.

Certainly times have changed since the Peruvian government legislated in 2001 to prevent overcrowding and the degradation of the trail by limiting numbers to 500 per day and forcing trekkers to go with registered tour companies. Nowadays, the Inca Trail begins, at the point called km82, with a passport check far more rigorous than anything I've encountered at Heathrow. (You must provide your passport details when you book a trek, and then take your passport along with you.) Bureaucracy headaches soon fade, however, as we cross the romantic wooden swing bridge to begin the trail.

Day one is filled with excited chatter as our group of 15 (16 is the maximum group size allowed) travellers from all over the world (we even had a pair of Romanians) get to know each other during an easygoing 11km hike. The only noise to disturb the tranquillity is the occasional clamour of footsteps as our porters come rushing to overtake us. Setting out, I'd been filled with self-satisfaction gleaned from embarking on a four-day hike carrying all my own gear.

It didn't take long for the pride to fade, however, when I realised that our group of 15 was being accompanied by some 20 porters who were lugging up the food and tents. Indeed, it's hard feeling at all intrepid when you wake each morning to a cooked breakfast, then head off hiking while the porters clean up after you and pack away the tents before running past you on the trail, in order to have lunch ready by the time you arrive, and then repeat the process to have the tents pitched and dinner ready in the evening.

The improved life of the porters is one of the undisputed positives of the new legislation, which limited the weight they can carry and introduced minimum rates of pay and working conditions. A further law taking effect in March will force companies to provide their porters with life insurance. It's no less than they deserve for their Herculean efforts.

Going gets tough

Unfortunately, the good cheer and self-congratulations which characterise our first day don't linger long. In fact, day two is more about self-flagellation than congratulations. The banter is replaced by heavy breathing as the trail climbs some 1200m to Dead Woman's Pass, the highest point of the trail at 4200m. At this height you really notice the effects of the altitude making every step a struggle. Thankfully, the occasional pitstop to take in grand mountain vistas, gentle waterfalls or local wildlife (including hummingbirds and orchids) helps distract from the pain.

Just as the panting pauses long enough for us to realise we've conquered the toughest part of the trail, a new set of pain is inflicted upon us, the knee-jarring sensation of going down. Perhaps the most infuriating aspect of the trail - while you're on it, anyway - is that, over the course of the entire 43km, you actually descend some 200m, from an altitude of 2600m to 2400m. However, en route you fluctuate like a yo-yo, climbing to 4200m before going down-up, down-up over two more gruelling passes.

Location, location, location

Despite being, at 16km, the longest hike, day three encompasses all that's good about the Inca Trail. The scenery shifts dramatically from dry, rocky mountains to cloudforests and snow-capped peaks. The ruins, too, are at their most impressive. I'll say this for the Incas: they sure knew the secret of a good property - location. The only time we see ruins that aren't atop gorgeous mountains is when they're nestled in equally impressive valleys. Aside from the common feature of location, the ruins vary almost as much as the scenery, from multi-tiered agricultural terraces to nigh on impregnable fortresses to bathhouses to pitstops for Incas making the long journey between towns. Day three is also the first time we get to walk on original Incan pathway, built to last some 500-plus years ago.

Camp that night is spent in relative luxury, with hot water showers and cold beer on sale from a neighbouring hostel. After three days of physical exhaustion, it takes just two beers before I'm giggling like a schoolgirl. I quickly sober up, however, when told that day four won't involve the now familiar 5am start - it will start at 4am instead. The reason for the early wake up call, we're told, is to help us beat rival groups down to the National Park checkpoint where we have to queue to enter. Unfortunately, they all have the same idea.

These fellow groups had been with us at various times over the past three days, offering words of encouragement or a consoling grimace as we passed each other en route. All sense of camaraderie quickly evaporates, though, when the check point opens, with everyone seemingly hell bent on reaching the Sun Gate first. Having been too stuffed to rush, I'm one of the few people at the Sun Gate to find some amusement in the fact that low-lying clouds have blown in. Not only can we not see the sunrise, we can't even see Machu Picchu, some 20 minutes below.

Ethereal

Thankfully, the tale has a happy ending. Having given up on the sun, we begin making our approach only to have the clouds slowly lift, lending the city a mystical, ethereal touch. As spectacular as the ruins are, it's definitely the atmosphere and serene location that sets Machu Picchu apart. And there's no doubting the fact we've 'earned' this moment of relative solitude, before trainloads of daytrippers begin arriving, helps add to the appeal.

This gives us the chance to tour the grounds at leisure, wandering among tame llamas whose job it is to keep down the grass. Our guide astounds us by pointing out the advanced understanding of astronomy and engineering that went into the Incan buildings. That they ruled the areas outside their native Cuzco for only 100 years, before the jungle devoured Machu Picchu for almost 400, goes to show the temporal nature of civilisations.

Formalities completed, we take a seat on the grass and enjoy the twofold pleasure of a rest amid such splendour. My thoughts meander aimlessly through time to when the site around us was a bustling city of 1000 people, before fast-forwarding to 80 years ago when archaeologists reclaimed the city from the jungle, piece by piece. Last of all, I think of the friends and colleagues who in the past few years have walked the same paths only to arrive at this beguiling city. It's true, you won't be the first person to trek the Inca Trail, but rest assured you won't be the last.

• Conal Hanna traveled to Peru courtesy of Flight Centre (0870-499 0042; www.flightcentre.co.uk), who have return flights to Lima from £659. He completed the Inca Trail with Peru Treks (www.perutreks.com) who have all-inclusive four-day trips starting at US$295.

Inca Trail alternatives

If you really can't afford - or lock in a date - for the Inca Trail, Mike Weston from Peru Treks suggests these alternative walks which can be done at short notice or independently.

Salkantay via Santa Teresa to Machu Picchu
Length: Five days
Cost with a tour operator: Approx US$300
A popular trek with those who left it too late to get on the Inca Trail. The first four days are moderately difficult trekking to Santa Teresa, followed by a 45-minute train ride to Aguas Calientes where trekkers stay in a hotel before visiting Machu Picchu on the fifth day.

Choquequirao
Length: Four of Five days
Cost with a tour operator: Approx US$300
Becoming popular with tour companies, but this really suits trekkers who want to go it alone. Interesting Inca ruins but not comparable to Machu Picchu.

Lares Valley
Length: Four or five days
Cost with a tour operator: Approx US$350
One of the few treks that takes you to remote communities. There are varying routes, with the most popular starting in Lares and ending in Ollantaytambo. Trekkers take the evening train to Machu Picchu on day four and visit the ruins the following day.

Ausangate Trek
Length: Six or seven days
Cost with a tour operator: Approx US$250.
A circular route around Ausangate mountain that takes you well off the beaten track into highland communities. Recommended for experienced trekkers. Horses and Spanish-speaking guides can be hired in Tinqui and local buses can be used.

Machu Picchu, Peru - On the trail

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:53:00 GMT

The popularity of Machu Picchu has led to a rethink on how to treat the inca trail. WORDS: Daniel Smith

My head is pounding and my vision is blurred. The litres of sweat that have poured off me during the day have frozen my clothes to my skin. Outside the tent I've stumbled into, one of our guides is calling to the other for help with a fellow hiker who has practically fainted. We are at 4800m, the air is cold and thin, we have been walking uphill all day - and this is just day one.

People come from all over the world to hike the Inca Trail to the endlessly fascinating 'lost city' of Machu Picchu ('Manly Peak'). It is Peru's most captivating and popular tourist attraction - indeed, one of the most alluring destinations on the entire South American continent. Spreading from the 12th-16th centuries, the Incan empire once reached so far it encompassed areas now located in Chile and northern Ecuador. Vast amounts have been discovered about their civilisation but Machu Picchu is not mentioned in any surviving documents from the subsequent Spanish rule, and its history and purpose remain shrouded in mystery.

When American explorer and historian Hiram Bingham discovered the ruins in 1911, three indigenous Quechuan families were living there. Machu Picchu has captured travellers' imaginations ever since. But with high-intensity tourism comes litter, soil erosion and overcrowding. Something had to change, and in 2000 the Peruvian Government restricted the number of travellers allowed on the Inca Trail to 500 a day, leading to waiting lists of three months.

A variety of new treks have sprung up to accommodate the tourist hordes, though, and restrictions have not prevented an expansion in the number of tour operators thronging the streets of colonial Cusco, the starting point of all Machu Picchu treks. And many of the new walks, such as the Salkantay Trek I was about to attempt, are longer, harder and take in more spectacular scenery than the 'true' Inca Trail.

The trek begins in the grassy Molibamba valley, on a gentle incline that leads onwards and undeniably upwards towards the gleaming white Salkantay glacier. Our main guide, Milthon, leads us through coca leaf rituals which demonstrate respect for the glacier and for Pacha Mama, the spirit of the mountains. As we reach the pass beside the Salkantay each of us deposits a stone brought from the base of the mountain. They represent our sins and as we place them, we hope Pacha Mama will forgive us, or at least make the next few days a little easier.

The group divides into three. The bulk of us, mainly breathless Brits, adopt a steady pace, while an older Californian couple fall behind with the pack horses and a girl who is, bizarrely, afraid of heights. Storming on ahead is Milthon, with two super-fit Canadian lumberjacks who apparently feel no pain. The scenery is beautiful in its barrenness. Our surroundings change dramatically from day to day as we descend, and then climb once more: a lush valley with a rushing spearmint-blue river; sand and rock landslides; sheer cliffs; and even a cloud forest.

After a shorter second day walking through a verdant valley of bamboo and yellow flower alongside communities who only eat potatoes, we are pointed in the direction of a natural hot spring. After the muscle strain of day one this is blissful news, and we wallow in its temperate waters for an hour.

It's on the fourth day that things get tough again, starting at 5.15am for a two-and-a-half-hour vertical ascent. Our efforts are rewarded by our first view of Machu Picchu dominating a mighty skyline of blue mountains. It still looks incredibly far away, but it's nothing we can't manage now.

Our campsite that night is literally beneath the ruins, though several hundred metres away. We wake at 4am and conquer the final stretch in record time to try to beat the crowds entering the Machu Picchu. It's not to be - others have got here before us, travelling in air-conditioned buses. But when our turn comes to pass into the phenomenal site it's clear our worries were unfounded: Machu Picchu absorbs its visitors with ease.

As the sun bursts over the mountains, it seems as if spotlights are being used to point out areas of particular beauty. Agricultural ridges carved into the mountainside are dotted with grazing llamas; temples, fortifications and living quarters glow blue-grey, as mesmerised tourists pad through them reverentially. It's truly incredible.

Now there are just two things left to do: a final one-hour climb up nearby Huayna Picchu ('Young Peak') for an aerial view of the site, then a return to civilisation in Cusco to regain our energy by devouring a whole roast guinea pig.

• Daniel Smith travelled with United Mice (www.unitedmice.com). The five-day Salkantay Trek cost US$390.

Survival tips
Acclimatise This is very important. Arrive in Cusco at least two days before your hike, or altitude sickness will strike, and you don't want diahorrea and vomiting on your walk. Your tour group leader will give further
advice about altitude sickness medication.

What to pack
The weather conditions here are variable, so you'll need a raincoat as well as suntan lotion, vests as well as hats and jumpers. Good walking shoes and thick socks are essential, and a swimming costume for the hot spring. Take a torch and spare batteries, and make sure you've got spare batteries and memory card/film for your camera. Insect repellent and bite cream are also a good idea. Most tours are good at providing hearty meals, as well as fruit and water for the day, but take snacks - there's no denying the pleasure of a Snickers bar at 4000m. You'll need cash for tipping your guides, and your passport - you wouldn't want to leave without a genuine Machu Picchu stamp, would you?

Hiking Peru's Colca Canyon

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:53:00 GMT

Hiking high and deep, CONAL HANNA marvels at the spectacular scenery of Peru's Colca Canyon.

The term 'grand' can be subjective. Sure, the Grand Canyon might get all the plaudits, but then what do you call a canyon twice as deep? At the very least, it's one hell of a hike.

As well as hosting part of the world's largest jungle (Amazon) and highest lake (Titicaca), Peru is also home to the world's two deepest canyons. Proving once again that size isn't everything, it's the second deepest of these - Colca Canyon (3191m) - which is the more popular with tourists.

Being surrounded by several 6000m peaks highlights just what a massive gash in the Earth Colca Canyon is. The bus drive to it was spectacular enough. Starting in Arequipa, a highland colonial city, the bus climbed some 2500m to an altitude of 4800m, passing wild llamas and alpacas grazing on the plains. The barren, windswept landscape made for a scenic toilet stop, even if the altitude-induced wheeze brought on by the 20m walk left me slightly concerned for the three-day hike ahead. Thankfully, the bus still had to plunge some 1500m before we caught our first glimpse of the canyon.

Most striking from the bus window was the absence of anything to see - just a giant hole in the landscape. And no matter how close the bus came to the road's edge (and it was a damn sight closer than I was comfortable with), peering down we still had no chance of seeing the bottom.

We were dropped at the unassuming town of Cabanaconde, where we sat in a shadowy wooden café drinking coca-leaf tea while a guide talked us into using his services. His proposed route seemed plausible enough, certainly in terms of distance walked. We went to bed confident about the trip ahead.

What we didn't pay enough attention to, however, were the altitude changes. Day one was a five-hour hike, all downhill, which to me sounded a good thing. But while it might not require the aerobic fitness of climbing, I was soon to discover the strain on joints and muscles that walking continuously down on unforgiving gravel can provide.

Our reward on that first night was a natural hot spring spa, in which we nursed blistered feet while our guide Salvador caught trout for dinner in the nearby river. The night's accommodation oozed rustic charm. Cosy reed huts could almost have been romantic, but for the lack of privacy caused by the large gaps between each reed. Not that it mattered. We were far too tired to consider romantic notions, anyway.

The next day we were off by six, gradually reclaiming the altitude we'd lost the day before. Despite the early morning, we were feeling a smug sense of self-satisfaction until we passed some young children on their way to school. They walked this steep terrain every day.

At a miniscule town three hours later we took a well-deserved break, using the time to practice our broken Spanish on a young woman washing blankets in a tub with her feet, while her shy toddler hugged her skirt. It was nice to be in a town so remote that travellers retained some novelty value.

Alas, we couldn't relax forever, and we began our onward journey. Unlike the barren gravel surface of day one, the landscape here was far more fertile, and allowed gorgeous views over the valley spearing off the main canyon. Soon, however, the trees were replaced by seriously thorny cacti as we returned to wild west country.

Ten hours after setting off that morning, we arrived at our second campsite, known as The Oasis for its swimming pool and lush riverside setting. While the beers were warm and the showers cold (I generally prefer it the other way around), there was no doubt we found it akin to paradise.

Day three was short - only a three-hour hike - but in that time we had to climb 1100m in altitude, dodging mules carting supplies to The Oasis. The journey was slow going, every step requiring a mental effort to continue. It was worth it, though. The view from the top might have been no different to that we'd seen two days earlier, but now we felt like we knew something of the chasm that stretched before us. We'd seen both its charming beauty and gruff underbelly; looked up in awe from below and down in wonder from above; and what's more, we'd conquered on foot the second deepest canyon in the world. A grand idea? You better believe it. •

Big bird
One of the Colca Canyon's biggest (literally) attractions is the condor. A family of these giant birds reside at 'Cruz del Condor', about a 45-minute drive from Cabanaconde. The best time to see the birds is early morning or late afternoon, but there's no guarantee how much action you'll see - some days are amazing, others not so flash.
The best way to get there from Cabanaconde is to share a public bus with the brightly dressed local women, who travel out each day to flog their wares to day-trippers from Arequipa. Be warned, there's very little shade and buses can be irregular. Take a hat and water.

Checking out Colca Canyon
• Numerous companies run one- or two-day tours to the Colca Canyon from Arequipa. One-day tours are extremely amibitious. It's a 10-hour round trip out there, which doesn't leave much time for sightseeing.
• Public buses also run from Arequipa to Cabanaconde and take five to six hours. In Cabanaconde, you can find accommodation, food and a guide to take you hiking.
• Maps for hiking the canyon can be obtained in Arequipa, and experienced hikers may wish to consider going alone. You should have suitable emergency gear and proficient Spanish to attempt this.
• If you'd rather hike with a guide, our group of five paid US$40 a head, which included two nights' accommodation, seven meals all cooked by Salvador, local knowledge and some as-you-go Spanish tutorials thrown in. Money well spent!