Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate
This image is from an interesting, and beautifully illustrated, piece on the hike from Choquequirao to Machu Picchu in the New York Times
This is a stunning trip which we have recently added to our portfolio of Peru holidays. The hiking is tough but the rewards phenomenal as you can read in this article.
If you would like to hike from Choquequirao to Machu Picchu, why not call us on 01273 676 712 to discuss this remarkable walking holiday.
Pura Aventura guide in the Picos de Europa mountains
I always think that this photo looks as if it can’t be real. Of course, it is. Not only hasn’t it been adjusted in any way, in fact it was taken by one of our own team with a little point and shoot camera.
This was during our Picos Walk holiday, one of our guided walking holidays to Spain, more precisely the Picos de Europa mountiains. The scene is to the west of the mountains, high above the famous Covandonga Lakes.
On each day of the holiday, we try to highlight the sheer variety of the landscape in the Picos. A day walking along the coast is followed by a day walking from village to village across meadows.
In this case, you walk from the basilica at Covadonga up onto the high escarpment shown here. Our guide, Alex Asencio is seen here being a mountain goat though most of our customers prefer to enjoy the view from a rather less nerve-wracking perch.
Find out if you are interested in one of our small group walking holidays or a tailor made trip, please get in touch.
Approaching Dead Woman's Pass on the Inca Trail
Clients and porter on the Inca Trail This is some feedback from clients recently returned from our Walk and Beach, Peru Brazil combination holiday. I put it up here because I really like the sentiment, it simply tallies with the thinking behind Pura Aventura holidays.
“Peru was wonderful…..everything was so well organised, our guide was fantastic, very knowledgeable, and as for the Inca Trail itself….an experience that I will never forget.The four days of camping and trekking almost had Mai-Britt giving up (Dead Womans’ Pass almost living up to it’s name) but when we finally reached the Sun Gate we were both nearly in tears. It was a wonderful, emotional moment as you see Machu Pichhu for the first time.How people can just take the train and bus up I have no idea. We did it the right way in my mind, the hard and sweaty way but the right way. We earned it ! We all know what Machu Pichhu looks like, it’s an iconic image, but to see it for real was breathtaking.”The photo above was taken by clients a few years back but shows the tough approach to Dead Woman’s Pass. It also shows one of our porters in the background looking disconcertingly untroubled by the climb.If you see the full remarks below, more light is shed on the work our porters do. I also thought it was worth dropping in a photo of the view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate (that’s where you get your first views when coming in on the Inca Trail).It is a quite extraordinary moment and an emotional one for most.
Your first views of Machu Picchu
What can I say about the holiday then…..It was the most amazing holiday experience we have ever had. It was certainly the most adventurous challenge we have given ourselves on a holiday.
Peru was wonderful…..everything was so well organised, our guide was fantastic, very knowledgeable, and as for the Inca Trail itself….an experience that I will never forget.
The four days of camping and trekking almost had Mai-Britt giving up (Dead Womans’ Pass almost living up to it’s name) but when we finally reached the Sun Gate we were both nearly in tears. It was a wonderful, emotional moment as you see Machu Pichhu for the first time. How people can just take the train and bus up I have no idea.
We did it the right way in my mind, the hard and sweaty way but the right way. We earned it ! We all know what Machu Pichhu looks like, it’s an iconic image, but to see it for real was breathtaking.
We have some amazing memories. Listening to the porters laughing was one of the simpler things we appreciated. Given the hard lives they lead in the mountain villages we appreciated their hard work, the help they gave us and they always had a smile on their faces. Priceless !
Rio was a nice stop-off before we headed to Buzios to re-charge our batteries. We wish we’d extended the holiday and had an extra couple of days in Rio, but we can’t complain.
It’s always nice to have a couple of unexpected things happen or things go slightly wrong, it’s adds to the experience, but the local guides and Pura Aventura were quick to fix things and deal with it. There was a strike in Peru that meant we were forced to walk to the airport, as they blocked all the roads. We were always kept informed by our guide and with the help of the hotel we got to the airport with no problem. Another guide was even sent to the hotel to escort us there. Luckily we were picked up by a hotel mini-bus that picked his was past all the rocks and rubble dumped in the roads. Also, we were told we would be transferred by bus to Buzios with other people, which was not what was in our package. Not really an issue but we were meant to have a private transfer. Anyway a couple of phone calls later all was resolved. A small things, but you remember these things.
So a big thank you to Pura Aventura.
We have certainly recommended you to our friends and colleagues, so I hope you benefit in the future with some more bookings.I know it’s a tough financial environment at the moment, but word of mouth counts for a lot when it comes to holiday experiences.We will certainly be back.Like to walk to Machu Picchu? Interested in Pura Aventura’s Peru holidays? Find out more about our Peru and Brazil holiday.
