Full Description
Lost to the jungle for centuries, Machu Picchu was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham 100 years ago. It's now probably the most famous sight in South America - and justifiably so. Perched high above the river on a knife-edge ridge, the ruins are truly spectacular. The best way to reach them is on foot, following parts of the original paved Inca Trail over passes of 13,500ft. Now in its fifth edition, this best-selling book is an all-in-one guide for a hiking holiday in the Inca region of Peru. Includes how to book from North America, planning and preparation, getting to Peru, detailed Lima and Cusco city guides (where to stay, where to eat, what to see and how to get around); a history of the Incas by explorer and historian Hugh Thomson; health, safety and responsible tourism; comprehensive hiking information for a full range of routes with 40 highly detailed trekking maps in the classic Trailblazer style showing walking times, gradients and points of interest. There are guides to 15 Inca ruins including Machu Picchu itself. Includes 70 maps - 15 town plans, 15 maps of Inca ruins, 40 hiking maps.
Contents
INTRODUCTION 7 When to go 10 PART 1group or on your own? How to book 14 - Group service or private service trek 14 Tour operators and trekking agencies 15 Porters, arrieros and guides 21 - Porter welfare 22 Getting to Peru 24 Budgeting 25 Route options The classic Inca Trail 27 - Route options map 28 - Variations 30 Km104 and the Purification Trail 30 - Km88 Riverside Trail 30 Other treks to Machu Picchu 30 - Salkantay/Mollepata trek 31 Santa Teresa trek 31 The Vilcabamba Trail 32 - The Choquequirao Trek 32 Combining routes 33 - Choquequirao to Machu Picchu Trek 33 Huancacalle to Cachora via Choquequirao Trek 34 What to take 35 Health precautions, inoculations and insurance 45 PART 2: PERU Facts about the country 48 Practical information for the visitor 76 PART 3: THE INCAS The Imperial Landscape A Reading of Inca History in the Sacred Valley (Hugh Thomson) 90 PART 4: FLORA & FAUNA Flora 104 Fauna 108 PART 5: MINIMUM IMPACT WALKING & OUTDOOR SAFETY Minimum impact trekking 115 Health and safety in the mountains 119 PART 6: LIMA City guide 122 PART 7: CUSCO & AROUND City guide 149 Around Cusco Ruins near Cusco (day hike: Tambo Machay 188, Puca Pucara 189 Salapunco 189, Q'enko 190, Sacsayhuaman 190) The Sacred Valley (Pisac 194, Chinchero 199, Urubamba 200, Ollantaytambo 204, Cusichaca Valley 209 Aguas Calientes (Pueblo Machu Picchu) 209 South and east of Cusco (Tipon 213, Pikillacta 214, Rumicolca 214) PART 8: TRAIL GUIDE AND MAPS Using this guide 215 Getting to the trailheads 218 The classic Inca Trail 218 Variations on the classic trail From Chilca (Km77) 234 - From Km82 236 The shorter trails Km104 to Huinay Huayna (Purification Trail) 239 Km88 to Km104 (Riverside Trail) 240 The Salkantay/Mollepata Trek 241 The Santa Teresa Trek 252 The Vilcabamba Trail 268 The Choquequirao Trek 296 Choquequirao to Machu Picchu 313 Huancacalle to Cachora via Choquequirao 326 PART 9: MACHU PICCHU Historical background 340 - Practical information 347 Machu Picchu Guide 349 - Machu Picchu map 350 APPENDICES A: Quechua and Spanish words and phrases 363 B: Glossary 367 C: Rail information and timetables 370 D: GPS waypoints 374 E: Route map key 377 Index 378
