- Looking out over the Vilcabamba mountains
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.
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 Carving Iberico ham Delicious food |
| Our newest walking holiday launches in April 2011. It is a relaxed walking and food focused holiday in the Aracena hills of southern Spain.
Andalucia This part of Spain is bursting with high quality local produce and food is a real highlight. There are no fancy restaurants, just simple places serving a quality of food which is way above average for most of us. The star is the Iberian black footed pig or Pata Negra. The ham from these pigs is among the most delicious and most expensive in the world. When you are out on your walks you will see lots of them. Each pig has at least one hectare of land so if a farmer has 20 pigs then they have to be kept in an area of not less than 20 hectares – a lot of space to keep the pigs healthy and happy. The pigs can usually be seen running around which is an unusual sight for us as we are used to seeing them do nothing except forage around in a trough. With all this running around they eat a lot and each pig can eat up to 12kg of acorns a day. The Spanish word for acorn is bellota and the ham from these pigs is called jamon iberico de bellota. The farm where you stay on this holiday is the only certified organic farm in the area which means it produces some of the best quality jamón in the world. It is a real privilege to stay here and learn about the traditions of pig farming as well as enjoy a feast of their produce. Learn about the area’s gastronomy from the producers. You will also come across lots of other fresh produce when you are out walking, depending on the season. The trees boast a delicious mix of fruit and nuts including oranges, lemons and pomegranates, figs, almonds, walnuts and chestnuts. Asparagus and artichokes are abundant. Then there is that Spanish staple, the olive. Andalucia is the world’s largest producer of olive oil and there is a huge variety. A traditional breakfast here is bread with olive oil. It may sound strange but it is no more strange than toast and butter – and it tastes a lot better. If you want to learn more about the different tastes you can try any of the thirteen different olive oils proudly on display at your first hotel in Alájar. Your host Angel can talk you through them all. And he has many more in the kitchen if you are interested! Find out more about our foodie walking holiday in Andalucia or about our walking holidays in general. |
Stay in small, sustainable lodgings
We are very excited about our new walking holiday in Andalucia.
It’s a sort of laid back inn to inn with great food. You only move on every other day so the pace is slow and lets you really get the most from the great places you stay.
The accommodation offered on this holiday is all comfortable, not luxurious but charming, characterful and each in a very different but striking location.
Over the course of the holiday you stay in a village, on a farm and out in the countryside on a hill. Each place reflects a different aspect of what makes this area special. Culture, people, food and landscape.
In addition to this, the owners of each place are passionate about protecting the environment.
In Alájar, Lucy & Angel have built the hotel from scratch. The whole hotel is insulated by lamb’s wool and cork. Heating during the winter months and air conditioning during the summer months is all generated by ground source energy.
On the farm the concern for the environment focuses on low-impact living and being as self sufficient as possible. The owners live off their land as much as they can – milk, eggs and cheese come from their own chickens and goats. They also have their own organic allotment.
The final lodge is a complete eco-build. Everything from design through to completion has used processes that are both sustainable and responsible. The vision of the owners was to create maximum comfort using natural and renewable sources. All of the electricity on site is generated by solar power and the property is heated in the winter months by burning ground up olive stones.
All three of the places you stay have their own food sources and are followers of the Slow Food Movement which aims to ensure that food should be as local as possible and prepared in a way that respects the environment, human health, animal welfare and that producers are paid a fair price for their food.
The result is delicious home cooking.
Find out more about our walking holidays in Spain
or about this Andalucia walking holiday.