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One of the most interesting, short and
accessible treks in the region is the one
leading to the enigmatic Inkan City of
Machupicchu. The best time to do the Inka
Trail is during our dry season between May
to September; however, this does not mean
that there is no possibility of getting
rains or showers because they simply are
unforeseeable even by this season. The first
thing when getting ready is to get the
necessary camping equipment. When dealing
with organized excursions, normally the tour
operators supply all that is necessary
except for the personal equipment that may
also be rented in the several specialized
agencies by the Qosqo's downtown area. The
elementary equipment items are a tent, a
backpack, sleeping bag or blanket,
insulating pad, rain gear, trekking boots,
food for the 3 or 4 walking days, etc.
If the trek is carried out by the traveler's
own, then he must be very careful about the
equipment to be carried. Besides the items
already indicated he must get the following
elements: canteen, flashlight, matches,
knife, cooking gear with stove, pots, jars,
fork and spoon, candles. Food consisting of
light products such as instant soups,
noodles or spaghetti, fish cans, cheese, ham,
rice, semolina, salt, pepper; dry fruits,
oats, powdered milk, instant tea, coffee or
chocolate; refreshment packs, jam, butter,
candies, bread (kept in plastic bags it will
be O.K. till the last day). Even more, it
will be necessary to take a small personal
first aid kit containing a bandage, sterile
cotton, gauze, adhesive bandages, analgesics,
antiseptic ointment or liquid, diamox or
coramina for those who suffer altitude
effects, insect repellent, sun screen,
Vaseline. Coca leaves are also very useful
since that they are used to make infusions
or they could be chewed in order help people
get adjusted to the altitude, as well as for
mitigating tiredness, thirst or hunger.
Normally, water is found in all the spots
described in this book as campsites. However,
it is always commendable to boil the water,
or otherwise to use chlorine or any other
purification device or tablets to make it
drinkable. It is recommended to take light
clothing for the sunny days as well as warm
ones because in certain sectors the nights
may be cold with temperatures under 0° C
(32° F). Do not forget a sun hat or cap,
towel, toilet paper; shoes must be
preferably waterproof hiking boots with
ankle protectors. Depending on your
interests also carry a photo or film camera,
binoculars, sun glasses, compass, a good
trail handbook, etc. All the equipment
including the food should have a light or
moderate weight for the hiker; some few
extra grams become heavy and unbearable on
the hike. In order to sleep do not leave
your belongings outside your tent since in
some sectors, especially during the first
hiking days some nighttime robberies were
reported. It is not recommended to hike all
alone, do it always along with some other
hikers; there is a Safety Committee in order
to grant help to travelers but which is
seldom effective. Moreover, it is
recommended not to move away from the trail
or the signaled way; if you ever have doubts
ask the other travelers coming after you.
With
aloha airlines, we have a number of offers. Where some are similar to that of
malaysian airlines, the rest are like the
midwest airlines. But whether it is
allegiant airlines or any other, all make you
go airlines.
There are some basic rules that must be kept
in mind carrying out the trek, such as:
- Set your campsite only in the signaled
sectors, it is completely forbidden to do it
inside or close to the Inkan buildings;
- Avoid pollution of the Machupicchu
Historic Sanctuary, inside where the Inka
Trail is. In the last years there was an
enormous deterioration in the trail's
hygiene and sanitation; many irresponsible
visitors defecate in the ruins or over the
trail, or leave their garbage wherever they
want without considering that there are many
others like them who would like to enjoy an
agreeable and pollution-free surrounding. It
is recommended that every visitor group
should take their garbage out of the Inka
Trail or ask their porters to do it,
especially all non organic waste;
- Setting fires is not allowed and neither
is he use of local wood for that purpose;
setting fires against the Inkan walls damage
them irremediably causing their stones
crack;
- It is not allowed to gather flowers or
other vegetable species; therefore, it is
forbidden to spoil flora of the Historic
Sanctuary as well as capture or hunt its
wild fauna as many of the animal species are
endangered. The Machupicchu police are fully
authorized to enforce penalties or arrest
those breaking the rules.
- The Inka Trail fee is U.S. $ 17.00,
including one day of visit in
Machupicchu.
In order to do the hike, today people use
mostly two start points: Chillca and
Qoriwayrachina or "Km. 88". In both cases it
is possible to catch the local train
departing Qosqo daily in two frequencies (in
the early morning or at noon); in order to
get to Chillca it is also possible to take a
private car following the road through
Urubamba and Ollantaytambo. Trekking from
the village of Chillca (Ch'illca is also a
native medicinal bush which biological name
is Baccharis polyantha) takes normally about
4 days; in this village there is a bridge
over the Urubamba River that must be crossed
in order to continue towards the west,
following the dusty trail that is parallel
to the river. Today this is a bridle path,
the one existing in Inkan times has
disappeared; by that time, there were two
trails on both river banks. The first hiking
day in this option is relatively easy and
serves as a training for the next days; the
terrain is almost flat. From some sectors
there are great views of the Cordillera of
Urubamba (Range of Mountains of Urubamba)
and the La Veronica glacier (its original
name was "Weqey Willka" -"Sacred Tear"- 5860
mts; 19225 ft). During the first hiking day
it is still possible to find small shops
where they sell soft drinks, beer and
cookies; besides, on the way is the
community of Meskay where there is a school,
and nearby there are archaeological groups
such as Willkaraqay, Kiswarpata and
Tunasmoqo. Even further is Patallaqta ("Upper
Town" -others call it Llaqtapata-) that was
an important Inkan town that keeps remains
of "pirka" type walls and farming terraces.
The southern part of this complex is named
Kusichaka (Happy Bridge) as well as the
stream. This is a good spot to camp,
otherwise, it will be okay to go on as far
as Wayllabamba.
When beginning the hike from Qoriwayrachina
(Gold Blower) also known as " Kilometer 88",
one must pass through the State check point
and pay the fee for using the Historic
National Sanctuary and then cross the modern
bridge built over Inkan foundations. Soon
after, the trek is towards the east through
the eucalyptus woodland in order to get to
Patallaqta and later follow upstream the
small Kusichaka river on its left bank
towards the south. Further away it will be
necessary to cross the small wooden bridge
called Hatunchaka (Big Bridge) and the
Yunkachinpa community to finally arrive at
the settlement of Wayllabamba (Wayllapanpa =
Prairie Plain) where there are houses of
peasants, a school and some material remains
of the Inkan Culture. This is the last spot
where it is possible to get some goods and
drinks before arriving to Wiñaywayna. From
Wayllabamba, that stands over about 2800 mts.
(9180 ft.), there is a path towards the
northwest that must be taken, following the
right bank of the Llullucha stream (Llulluch'a
is an aquatic plant with the shape of small
dark balls, its biological name is Nostoc
S.P.). Over here starts the longest climb of
the trail that ends on the Warmiwañusqa
pass. From Wayllabamba starts the way up to
get to " Tres Piedras Blancas" (Three White
Stones) which is a proper space to set
campsite close to the Wayruro stream (Wayruro
is an ornamental tree that has red seeds
with black patches, its biological name is
Citharexylum herrerae. In the tourist slang,
porters from Ollantaytambo who serve
tourists in the Inka Trail are known as "wayruros"
because of their red ponchos). Around this
zone and upwards is what is named as "Montane
Rain Forest" characterized by the abundance
of trees such as Intimpa or Romerillo (Podocarpus
glomeratus), Q'euña (Polylepis incana), Unca
(Eugenia oreophilla), etc. There is also an
abundance of lichens, mosses, ferns and
orchids of diverse species. Inside this
Historic Sanctuary there are more than 30
genera and over a hundred species or
orchidacea; likewise, over here it is
possible to find many species of wild
begoniae. Among some other tree species here
are: cedar (Cedrela herrerae), pisonay or
coral tree (Erythrina falcata), lambran or
alder tree (Alnus jorulensis), laurel (Nectandra
sp.), kiswar (Buddleia incana), walnut (Juglands
neotropica), sauco or elderberry (Sambucus
Peruviana), etc. By the end of the woodland
is Llulluchapampa that is another proper
campsite over about 3660 mts. (12000 ft.).
The temperatures around here are low because
it is the beginning of the "High Andean Zone"
simply known as "puna" with an abundance of
the wild native bunch grass ichu (Stipa
ichu). Following the climb is the highest
point of the trek in the pass of
Warmiwañuska (Dead Woman) over 4200 mts.
(13780 ft.). In this pass there is a pile
that looks like artificial, possibly it is
an "apacheta", that is, a heap of stones and
other objects that travelers used to leave
as presents in the highest passes. The air
is cold over here and in many cases it is
possible to get snow; it is recommendable
not to stay a longtime in this pass because
of its rarefied air with oxygen scarcity.
From the Warmiwañuska pass starts a descent
through a rough path around which it is
possible to perceive the slow formation of a
stream that in the bottom of the small
valley is named Pakaymayu (Hidden River). By
the bottom of the valley the trail is
visible without reaching the thick
vegetation; this is another of the
recommended campsites, over 3600 mts. (11800
ft.).
By the middle of the descent and on the left
side there is another genuine ancient paved
trail that follows almost horizontally on
the mountainside surpassing another pass to
go down then into the Aobamba Valley; it is
necessary to follow an abandoned trail and
further away towards the right hand is
Sayaqmarka. That last way is not
recommendable because the trail is abandoned
and in some sectors it disappeared by the
effect of natural erosion; it is not used
and it has no maintenance, thus it offers
many dangers.
From the campsite in Pakaymayu starts
another climb towards Runkuraqay; this time
the hike is over a trail paved with
flagstones that offers a lot of safety
specially in rainy days. Runkuraqay is by
the middle of the way up and has an ovoid
shape; possibly the name with which it was
baptized by one of Bingham's native guides
in 1915 was "Runturaqay" (Egg-shaped
Inclosure). The walls of its buildings are
of the "pirka" type. Because of its location
and the layout of its rooms, it seems that
it served as a "tambo" (lodge for travelers);
this is another possible campsite.
Continuing the climb through the cobbled
stairway, on the trail's left side there is
a very small lagoon called Yanaqocha ("Black
Lake"), on the right side and on an upper
level is another one having the same size.
In this zone occasionally it is possible to
see Guemals or Tarucas (Hippocamelus
antisensis) that come down in order to drink
water, and Mountain Vizcachas (Lagidium
Peruvianum). Inside the Machupicchu Historic
Sanctuary it is also possible to find
species such as the Puma or Mountain Lion (Felis
concolor), Andean Cats (Felis jacovita),
Ocelots (Felis pardalis), Hog-nosed Skunks
(Conepatus rex), South-American Foxes (Dusicyon
culpaeus), White Tailed Deer (Odocoileus
virginianus), Tanka or Dwarf Brocket Deer (Mazama
Chunyi) -endangered specie-, Weasels (Mustela
frenata), Pudus (Pudu mephistophiles),
Tayras (Eyra barbara), Amazon Otters (Luthra
incarum), Spectacled Bears (Tremarctos
ornatus) -endangered specie-; among the main
birds are the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus),
K'illichu or Sparrow Hawk (Falco sparverius),
Bat Falcon (Falco rufigularis), Torrents
Duck (Merganetta arnata), Cu-cu (Momotus
momota), Quien-quien (Cyanocorax inca),
Cuvier's Toucan (Ramphastos cuvieri),
Chiguanco (Turdus chiguanco), Razor-billed
Curassow (Crax mitu), Chinalinda (Phalacoboenus
albogularis), Andean Gull (Larus serranus),
Yanavico (Plegadis ridwayi), Cock of the
Rock (Rupicola Peruviana) -endangered specie-.
More over, there are vipers, lizards,
diverse amphibious, butterflies and insects,
etc., etc. If you decide to go into the
undisturbed forest, far away from the trail,
be aware of some dangers like finding lethal
snakes such as the bushmaster (Lachesis
muta) or the viperine fer-de-lance (Bothrops
atrox) which possesses a virulent venom that
is destructive of tissue destroying blood
cells and mucous membranes as well.
At the end of the climb is the second
highest spot named Runkuraqay Pass, over
3900 mts. (12800 ft.). From this pass starts
another steep descent towards Sayaqmarka. By
the middle of the way down, and on the right
side there is another interesting green
colored lagoon having a lot of algae, it is
known as Q'omer-qocha (Green Lake).
Sayaqmarka is an archaeological group
located over 3500 mts. (11500 ft.) and was
explored by Bingham's expedition in 1915
which native guides named it "Cedrobamba" ("Cedropanpa"
= Plain of cedars). By the end of 1941 a
Viking Fund expedition headed by Paul Fejos
explored the area and rebaptized it as "Sayaqmarka"
(Steep Spot) considering its geographic
location almost by the end of a mountain
spur that dominates visually the Aobamba
valley. In this complex there are different
constructions that are somewhat intricate
because of having been adapted to the rough
mountain shape; in spite of the difficult
environment there is also an aqueduct
capriciously carved on the mountain crest,
fountains that seem to have had a ritual
purpose, narrow streets, a semi-ovoid
dominant building, etc. Because of the area
where it is located, this site must had a
duty almost strictly administrative and
ceremonial; perhaps for management of the
territory and the nearby roads. Thus, it is
possible that it could have been inhabited
by soldiers, state officials, and priests,
who were not farmers as there are no
farmlands around. Normally this site has
little maintenance, therefore, occasionally
one may encounter vipers or some other
animals; more over, around here there are
almost always large amounts of very small
biting mosquitoes called "manta blanca" (white
blanket) that are almost invisible but they
exist by the millions and have good
resistance against repellents. This is
another place that serves as campsite. Near
Sayaqmarka, on the right side of the trail
there is another building that must had a
close relationship with the "Steep Spot", it
is Qonchamarka (Cooking Stove Spot) which is
also built with "pirka" type walls, its
original duty is unknown.
From Sayaqmarka departs a somewhat abrupt
trail towards Machupicchu, and very few
kilometers away is a short humid and swampy
plain named Chakilqocha (it should be "Ch'aki
Qocha" = Dry Lake) that is often used as a
campsite. Farther away, continuing on the
trail carefully paved with flagstones, there
is a wide and comfortable tunnel carved in
the mountain rock; it is about 20 mts. (66
ft.) long and has carved steps, walls and
floor. Advancing through the comfortable
trail the traveler gains altitude in order
to get to Phuyupatamarka that is found over
3680 mts. (12070 ft.). Likewise, that
archaeological group was "discovered" by
Bingham in 1915 who named it as "Qoriwayrachina".
But, in 1941 Paul Fejos and his expedition
rebaptized the site with the name of "Phuyupatamarka"
(Spot over the clouds), because it is almost
always over the clouds and mist formed in
the valleys around. It is placed in a space
that dominates visually a broad territory
and must have been an important religious
and administrative core. Its features
include a superior almost ovoid platform,
aligned fountains that must had a religious
duty with well-disposed channels and water
that is still flowing; very well carved
stairways, rough wall constructions,
terraces, etc. From this spot there are two
trails in order to go down to Wiñaywayna;
one of them is projected almost horizontally
towards the west and then it descends
abruptly to the next archaeological group (this
trail reaches also "Wayraqpunku" -Windy
Doorway- on a mountain pass, where there was
a project in order to build a modern hotel);
that way is not used any more because of the
dangerous descent. The other trail, cleared
up in 1983 goes down from the western end of
this site, this one is a flight having so
many and very well built steps by the middle
of the thick forest where there is also
another small tunnel carved in the rock; by
the end of this Inkan path there is another
dusty and zigzagging one built by those who
raised the electricity towers by the 1960s.
Even lower is the Wiñaywayna Visitors Center
consisting in a group of concrete and red
roof buildings, that offers basic lodging
and eating facilities; however, it is
possible to camp around here. Towards this
center's southeast is the Archaeological
Group of the same name that is practically
hung over the Urubamba canyon.
Wiñaywayna is an important archaeological
group near Machupicchu, over an altitude of
2700 mts. (8860 ft.). It was found by Paul
Fejos in 1941, and subsequently in 1942 the
Peruvian scholar Julio C. Tello baptized the
site as "Wiñaywayna" (Forever Young) after
the Quechua name of an orchid specie (Epidendrum
crassilabium). The Epidendrum genus has here
about 20 species of white, red, yellow or
violet beautiful flowers that are abundant
in the zone; another very common genus is
Pleurothalis. In Wiñaywayna there are
diverse buildings among which is an upper
semicircular one that is traditionally known
as the "palace" or the "tower", built
partially with carved stones. Towards the
right side of the descending stairway there
is a range of 10 successive ritual fountains
that are classical in every important
settlement. Towards the north is the farming
sector with a large amount of artificial
terraces; lower are some other buildings on
the precipice's edge with "pirka" type walls
from where there is a nice view of the
mountains' lower part and the valley. Toward
the northeast of Wiñaywayna and in an upper
level is Intipata (Spot of the Sun); an
archaeological site formed mainly by
agricultural terraces. Down, in the valley's
bottom, on Km. 107 of the railway Qosqo-Quillabamba
is the dam for the Machupicchu Hydroelectric
Power Plant, constructed between 1958 to
1962. From that dam there are a couple of 3
Km. long tunnels drilled in the Machupicchu
granite mountain; they carry the water of
the Urubamba River to the other side of the
mountain in the San Miguel sector. Taking
advantage of the difference in altitude the
water is transformed in 110,000 KW of
electric power, for the Qosqo and Puno
departments. Near the dam is the
Archaeological Group of Choquesuysuy (Gold-ore
Sifter) that includes some few buildings and
farming terraces.
The last tract of the hike from Wiñaywayna
is through an impressive somewhat horizontal
trail, carved in the mountain face in which
on the right side there are deep precipices.
Almost by the end of the relatively flat
trail there is a stairway arising in order
to finally get to Intipunku (Sun Gate),
located on the pass over an altitude of 2650
mts. (8700 ft.). From Intipunku you will get
for the first time a panoramic view of
Machupicchu. In the Inkan Society this must
have been something like a watchtower and
customhouse in order to enable checking
those wanting to enter Machupicchu, as well
as for its protection. |
