Active Holiday Photos and Stories

The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu

Updated 03rd May 2011.

FALSE ALARM! The Peruvian authorities have decided that closing Machu Picchu in the height of the season isn’t such a good idea after all. You can probably expect some disruption to your visit if you are going to be at the site on either the 6th or 7th July 2011. Hopefully they’ll try and keep those dignitaries cooped up in corner somewhere though so you can still enjoy your time at the citadel.

Updated 05th April 2011.

Machu Picchu will now be closed on both the 6th and 7th July 2011. See further details below.

News just in from Peru is that Machu Picchu will be closed on July 7th 2011

This is due to the celebrations that will be held for the 100^th anniversary of the re-discovery of Machu Picchu. Let’s face it, it’s really the 100th anniversary of people in North America/Europe finding out about Machu Picchu but that’s a discussion for another time!

The Peruvian Government has decided to close access to the Citadel on July 07^th, 2011. Nobody will be able to visit Machu Picchu that day and no trains will run either way on that specific day.

This revelation is likely to lead to some interesting levels of chaos for those who have booked their holiday to Peru already in the hopes of arriving at Machu Picchu on the 7th July.

Pura Aventura clients visiting Machu Picchu at around that time are unaffected as dates fall just before and just after the 7th July.

A client called in recently to say she was getting in a bit of a flap about the prospect of hiking up to 4,600m on the lodge to lodge walking holiday to Machu Picchu.  I completely understood as I had got myself in a similar flap a few months earlier when I did the trek. Yet the actual day I was dreading turned out to be one of the most beautiful, challenging and enjoyable days hiking I have ever done.

I really enjoy walking  and that is essential on this holiday. You don’t need to be a marathon runner or a mountaineer but you do need to enjoy hill walking to get the most form this holiday.  I like to get out and about at weekends as much as possible but a particularly harsh winter had kept me indoors in the months leading up to this trek and a last-minute preparation trip to walk in the mountains of northern Spain was cancelled due to the volcanic ash cloud.  So I have to admit that I arrived in Peru utterly unprepared and unfit.  I was feeling rather daunted about the days ahead.

The two days I spent at the first lodge walking in the area around the base of Mt Salkantay meant I was acclimatised and getting used to walking at altitude but I had never stood at 4,600m, let alone hike up there.

We set off early from the lodge and as I tied up the laces on my boots I remember wishing I had opted for a beach holiday instead. It was mainly flat for the first part and the pace was very slow which I was very happy about. The next hour or so meandered slowly and gently up and down on a lovely path along the valley with Mt Salkantay as a permanent backdrop.

It was a beautiful sunny morning and I soon started to think I was actually going to enjoy this walk!  After a couple of hours we reached the dreaded switchbacks which our guides had been telling us about for days. About 30 – 45 minutes of steep uphill along a series of switchbacks. Most people agree this is the toughest part of the whole five days. We stopped at the bottom to refuel on nuts, chocolate and lots of water and gawped up at the top.  I was no longer nervous as I was enjoying the landscapes so much that my mind was focused on other things. Our guide advised us to just keep going on the next section and not to stop  - the best option was to just get a rhythm going and stick to it.

I set off and started counting in blocks of ten to get a rhythm. I soon got impatient with how long it took me to get to ten ( at this altitude the pace is very slow indeed), so I switched to blocks of six.  I kept going up and mentally crossed off each layer of the switch backs as I went. Some of the group stopped for a break and it seemed to take them ages to start again so I kept going and kept counting.  I got to the last two sets of switchbacks and by this stage I think the counting had been replaced with swearing but on I went to the top.

At the top of this section we continued on a flat ridge and then went round a bend where a big platueau opened up with the entire Vilcabamba mountain range surrounding us. It was simply stunning. We stopped for a break and this is where this photo was taken. It was one of those rare moments when you know you are looking at something and experiencing something that you know you will treasure for a long time.  I love the sounds of nature but the silence of the high mountains is very special. The group sat in silence and lay down looking up at the condors circling high above us.  The mountains towered above in all directions.  We persuaded the guide to let us stay a while longer than planned.

We then had the last push to the top of the pass.  The last ten minutes of this section are tough as your pace almost grinds to a halt with the altitude but you can see the top of the pass the whole time and knowing how close it was kept us all going. On reaching the top the pain of the previous ten minutes was immediately forgotten as a sense of achievement took over.  Not surprisingly the views were amazing and we had them all to ourselves as we did not come across any other groups on this trek.

After plenty of rest time and photos we started the descent. It was a few hours downhill where our porters were waiting with a hot lunch. The clouds came in fast over lunch and the mountains disappeared as we walked the last section. Our lodge slowly came into view – an amazing sight in such a remote lonely part of the world.  A hot shower and delicious food was waiting.  I was feeling on top of the world … and we hadn’t even seen Machu Picchu yet.

Find out more about our Peru holidays or this walking holiday to Machu Picchu.

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.