Photographer: Brett Haakenson
| Up close and personal with an alpaca. |  | |
Photographer: Brett Haakenson
| Visiting Quechua school in Patacancha village. | | |
|
|
The Inca Trail to the Gate of the Sun
|
|
by Mandy Haakenson
|
|
| |
| There is no better way to live and breathe Inca culture than by trekking the Inca Trail. This unevenly paved trail can be challenging at times (with the highest path reaching 13,770 feet!). However, vistas of snow peaked mountains and plummeting valleys make each breathless step well worth the challenge. A first-rate guide and cheerful porters make all the difference. In order to preserve the trail, Peru has limited the number of hikers allowed on the trail and requires all to go with accredited guides. A cup of hot coca tea was brought to my tent at 5:45 each morning, just in time for viewing a hazy orange sunrise. A tub of steaming water to wash my face, followed by a hearty breakfast, and I was ready to begin another day of walking and exploring. Four exhilarating days later we reach Intipunku (aka: The Gate of the Sun). From this spot, Machu Picchu is an awesome sight to behold. The final reward for the 30 miles of trekking came as a picture-postcard view of the lost city of the Incas.
|
|
|
