Explore Machu Picchu: Trek the spectacular eastern extension of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. This little-known route is our favorite alternative to the better-known traditional Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. We follow the footsteps of the Incas who built a high route from their capital city of Cuzco westward through the rugged cordillera, and filled their empire with amazing temples and royal residences.
We camp high, and discover the beauty of tranquil Andean valleys with sublime views toward the 18,000-foot snowpeaks of the Urubamba and Huayanay Ranges. We also explore amazing Inca stonework in an enormous 15th century quarry site of Cachiqata. After descending into the Sacred Valley of the Incas we reach the royal Inca town of Ollantaytambo, with its remarkable Sun Temple. We travel to Machu Picchu by train for a full exploration of the famous city.
During four hiking days you cover 39 km/24 miles, starting at 10,575’, and finishing at 9,315’ above sea level. You cross two high passes, with a maximum elevation of 15,170’.
The Conservation Cause: Harvard Biologist E.O. Wilson stated that by 2100, half of the world’s species may be extinct! This is an astonishing figure. We will join as a team to climb for a conservation cause: to protect the Peruvian Amazon and Save the near threatened Jaguar. The Jaguar lives in Peru and throughout Central & South America. In just 50 years, the Jaguar species has been decimated 96%. This is just one example of a species in need of help.
Every participants commits to paying their own individual travel & trip expenses and then commits to raising a minimum of $1k for the cause.
Save the Jaguar
The Jaguar, long revered for its hunting prowess and strength, has also been feared for the same reasons, even though jaguars have rarely attacked humans. In the ancient Inca and Mayan civilizations the secretive and elusive jaguar came to represent majestic beauty, power, stealth and mystery. One of the many ancient stories is the Mayan myth of the Jaguar supernatural being, Jaguar Sun, who rose each day in the east and then prowled west, aging along its course thru the sky, until finally plunging into the darkness of the west. Then Jaguar Sun fights the Lords of Xibalba (the Underworld) all night. Through his strength and cunning, Jag-uar Sun wins the right to rise each day in the East, making Jaguar Sun the ruler of both day and night. Click here to learn more…