Water fights belong to my schooldays - or so I thought. Because there were my guide and I sheltering under the ornate balconies of one of South America's most beautiful colonial cities, Cuenca, as a gang of giggling children did their best to drench us with their arsenal of waterbombs.
Independence Day: The Plaza de la Independencia sits at the heart of Quito, Ecuador's charming capital
We had left our flank unguarded, and I felt a damp 'splat', followed by a whoop of triumph. another pair of damp trousers.
Fortunately, Ecuador's children do not normally run riot, and nor are they waging a vendetta against English tourists. I'd walked into a countrywide ambush, also known as Carnival, the four-day pre-Lent holiday during which children here have carte blanche to douse grown-ups.
Leo, my guide and a fahttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1210470/More-Machu-Picchu-Condorther himself, had warned me to wind up my window whenever we drove past a ten-year-old, but he couldn't protect me from the odd soaking.
More...Feature: Condors and canyons in unseen Peru
Feature: Ecuador, where the wildlife rivals the Galapagos
More on Ecuador in our South America section
It proved an unforgettably intimate introduction to this Latin American country. Though the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth has focused attention on the Galapagos Islands whose unique wildlife inspired his revolutionary ideas. But as extraordinary a destination as they undoubtedly are, tiny Ecuador, which owns the archipelago, is far more than just a stop on the way.
It is also truly a journey to the centre of the earth - for Ecuador means 'equator' in Spanish. Finding the actual spot where north becomes south is not as easy as you might think.
My search started off well enough - an imposing 100ft stone monument topped with a five-ton globe proclaimed I had reached the equator, the centre of an entertainingly kitsch theme park called Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World). this was where an 18th-century French expedition first pinpointed the spot - the parallel ranks of Andean peaks were supposedly vital for calibrating their instruments.
Here, demonstrations suggest water does indeed swirl down a plughole in opposite directions depending which side of the equator you're on. And you can have your picture taken with a foot in either hemisphere. But then a bombshell - satellite technology has demonstrated that the French team got it wrong by about 800ft. So, with impressively entrepreneurial spirit, rival spots have sprung up.
Brooding: Ecuador is a country dotted with volcanoes, notably the huge - and active - Tungurahua
For a more intriguing - not to mention calmer - place to contemplate the earth, we headed for Quitsato, 40 miles north of Quito. Ringed by imposing volcanoes, a giant sundial has been constructed with a 30ft orange cylinder as its pointer, on a spot confirmed by GPS to be exactly 0 degrees latitude. There is next to no development here, only a guide who explained how archaeological finds suggest the Incas worked out where the equator ran several centuries before we managed to.
The enthusiasm of Ecuadorians to share their unique place in the world is infectious. Street vendors selling beautiful scarves and blankets congregate wherever there are tourists. But for a true Ecuadorian shopping experience, I headed to Otavalo market, a short drive beyond Quitsato. An entire square of the pretty town was thronged with all manner of stalls selling bright textiles, leather-work, Andean musical instruments and ornaments.
Just as fascinating was the food market, boasting such exotic fruits as tree tomatoes, red bananas, melting custard apples and flowers.
My trip had begun in the capital, Quito, overshadowed by another immense volcano and renowned for having South America's largest colonial-era centre. With its network of narrow streets and beautiful churches, in particular the all-gold interior of the Jesuits' Compania, it was quite dazzling.
Stalls roasting entire pigs poke out from the pavements, while candyfloss-style taffy is squirted directly out of taps. all Ecuadorian life is focused on Quito's Plaza Grande. While we were there, the tall, blonde finalists for this year's Miss Ecuador paraded through the square, just as disgruntled gas workers were politely demonstrating outside the President's palace.
No prizes for guessing who got more attention.
I was travelling with Saga tours, rightly renowned for its friendly, well-informed local guides and selection of high-quality hotels and restaurants.
Lion's roar: The Galapagos Islands are a wildlife wonderland where residents include sea lions
In Quito, the culinary highlight was rincon La ronda, the perfect opportunity to hear the haunting music of panpipes.
Food is one of the unexpected joys of Ecuador - every meal or snack seemed to feature bananas or corn, while fried pork, grilled fish, and, if you're feeling brave, guinea pig cooked on a spit, are all popular delicacies.
From Quito we headed south along the evocatively-named Avenue of the Volcanoes, where snow covers the peaks of those which tower over the 5,000m (16,400ft) mark.
While the area hasn't witnessed a major eruption in living memory, many of these gigantic cones are by no means extinct. One, a mouthful named Tungurahua, put on a show, belching out enormous clouds of ash as I watched from a safe distance. The delightful subtropical spa town of Banos, on the edge of the Amazon basin, is en-route. Also unmissable is Ingapirca, a miniature Machu Picchu built by the Incas as a staging post and now run by the Canari, a people who predate even them.
But Cuenca was the highlight, its restored colonial houses overlooking a tumbling, tree-lined river. Fortunately, Carnival only comes once a year, and otherwise Ecuador is pretty safe - although the roads aren't for the faint-hearted.
Cuenca also has a permanent claim to fame - it is considered to be home to the Panama hat despite its name. The inaccurate title was popularised because the hats first spread to Europe after being worn by workers digging the Panama Canal. After a tour of the factory of Hermanos Ortega, where they bleach, mould and finish the hand-woven hats in traditional fashion, I duly bought my own.
After avoiding the odd watery ambush, it was onwards to the Galapagos - and seldom can there have been a place so guaranteed to exceed your expectations. After an hour-and-a-half flight from the wealthy port city of Guayaquil, I was transferred to my luxury yacht, the 90ft M/C Anahi.
I marvelled at the huge sealions basking in the hot sunshine on the decks of unoccupied neighbouring boats, then it was back onto the island of Santa Cruz, in search of the world-famous giant tortoises. There they were - mountainous, creatures, munching through the lush grass or wallowing in refreshing mud pools.
After an overnight sail, it was on to the lava island of Chinese Hat. The moment we stepped ashore from our dinghy, baby sealions came shuffling up to us, mewing curiously. It was during moments like these that I realised why the islands inspired Darwin so much.
Shell suit: The famous tortoises of the Galapagos were among the animals that enthralled Charles Darwin
Well-managed tourism - my funny, engaging, locally-born guide, Johanna, ensured none of our party got too close - means once-in-a-lifetime experiences can happen almost hourly. Just when we thought we couldn't top snorkelling with Galapagos penguins - tiny, black-and-white torpedoes zipping through shoals of tropical fish - we were astounded again. After getting up at six on our last morning, we were lucky enough to see a female green turtle waddling back to the waves after laying her precious eggs on a magnificent white sand beach. Even as we reluctantly made our way back to the airport, we were treated to the surreal sight of a bus stop where every bench was occupied by a slumbering sealion.
There's no need to leave South America to the backpackers. Ecuador gives you the chance to experience this magical continent in miniature, with one of the world's ultimate destinations as a bonus.
Travel Facts
Machupicchu Magical Travel Agency, Tourist Package in Perú: WEB SITE: http://www.tourmachupicchutravel.com/ Telephone number: +51-84-254571 / +51949755958 (whatsapp)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Destinations You Didn't Know You Could Reach By Cruise
If you think cruises are all about fun in the sun in the Caribbean, think again. These days your ship could take you to a desert location like the pyramids in Egypt, or Peru's mountainside destination of Machu Picchu. It's not about where you dock, it's about what inland sights are accessible from there. And as cruise companies add to their itineraries to tempt you on board, excursions are going ever further, according to Terry Dale, President and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). "With the globalization of cruise destinations and itineraries that often include extended, even multi-day, shore excursions, a cruise vacation today can be the easiest way to explore some of the world's most remote, exotic and culturally significant places." Even better, you can book your whole trip, including those far-flung tours, through your cruise line.
The View from Peru
I really meant to stick to the formula of at least two postings a month. But right after my first I took a long trip around South America, starting in Lima, Peru. From what I'd heard, Lima was a sprawling, grungy city, your typical third-world hell-hole, infested with thieves and beggars.
Sprawling it surely is; no-one could say whether it had eight million or nine million inhabitants. But you can drive several miles, from the upscale district of Miraflores almost to the pompously-edificed center, and see little but broad tree-lined boulevards and bourgeois homes with leafy gardens.
Peru's middle class is growing. This was borne forcefully in on us our first evening, when Yvonne and I walked down from our hotel to the five-hundred foot cliff--not rock but clay and pebbles, detritus borne down from the Andes--that separates the city from the sea. There we found an enormous food-court, on several levels, linked by escalators, seething with smartly-dressed young people. The economy is booming, the mineral wealth that drew Pizarro supplemented by recent oil and natural-gas finds and managed with an efficiency that defies Latin stereotypes (Peru recovered from the recession well ahead of the U.S.). We dined in a large glass-enclosed restaurant while a full moon sank towards the Pacific. There wasn't an empty table in sight.
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But, as an English expat we met in a bar told us, "Peru is still fifteen years behind Chile". The wealth hasn't spread much beyond urban Lima--not to the poor in the shanty-towns that circle the city, nor to the high plateaus of the Andes, nor to the slice of Amazon basin that constitutes more than half the country. That was one of the themes in Peru's very first Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film.
Its title was La Teta Asustada--literally "The Startled Nipple", an expression as meaningless to English speakers as a literal translation of its Oscarized version, The Milk of Sorrow ("La Leche de la Tristeza") would be for speakers of Spanish . We watched it on TV right before the Oscars came on. During commercial breaks they showed footage of the crowds already packing Lima's squares, reporters thrusting mikes under their noses so they could say just how thrilled and happy they were. It was a shame--they really believed they had a chance to nail their first Oscar. Half an hour into the movie, we knew they hadn't.
The title derives from the fact that the heroine attributes her physical and psychological problems to having been breast-fed by a mother who was gang-raped and brutalized during vicious warfare between security forces and the Maoist guerrilla movement known incongruously as Sendero Luminoso-- "The Shining Path" (the film carefully refrains from saying which side was responsible, yet was hailed as courageous by some for even mentioning events that many Peruvians are still unwilling to confront).
That internecine strife is one reason why you can't make an honest film about working-class life in Greater Lima without using subtitles (another first for this movie). Refugees from the Andean areas where the worst fighting took place often have Quechua as their primary language. Imagine a contemporary American movie set in Chicago or New York where half the dialog is in Navaho and you'll glimpse one of the differences between there and here. But perhaps because of this, or because it was altogether too dark for an audience that reveled in Life is Beautiful, Peru's first Oscar nomination never had a chance.
Peru's interaction with the U.S. is subtle and complex, perhaps best symbolized by Cholo Potter and Los Cholimpsons--t-shirts and comic postcards showing Harry Potter and the Simpsons kitted out in full Andean-peasant gear ("cholo" in Peru is a pejorative term for highland people of mixed or indigenous descent). Or by Peru's response to the outposts of economic imperialism that cluster round major intersections, the McDonalds, KFCs, Burger Kings: a homegrown fast-food chain called Bembo's. I didn't find this edgy mix of fascination and mockery in Chile or Argentina. Maybe it's history. Chile and Argentina are countries with a shallow past, large parts of them settled only in the last century. Peru has a past as deep as Southern Europe's--the U.S. is but a pup beside it. That, given our current dominance. is bound to produce mixed feelings.
Think Peru, and you think Inca. Yet the Incas only occupied Lima for about seventy years. Romans of the continent, they did little beyond superimposing military might and bureaucratic organization on layers of civilization millennia thick. You get some sense of that in the Larco museum. with its tens of thousands of pieces dating back 4,000 years--jewelry, ceramics, textiles, almost all of an astonishing beauty and sophistication (http://catalogmuseolarco.perucultural. org.pe). The museum's overall impact is stunning, and raises questions about the relationship between utility and beauty that I'd like to explore at a later date.
And had you ever heard of Huaca Pucllana? I hadn't, but there it is, in the heart of Miraflores, a pre-Hispanic temple-cum-city-hall that predates Machu Picchu by almost a millennium. Lima has been almost totally destroyed by earthquakes three times. but the walls of Huaca Pucllana still stand. Imagine a library stack. Take out a book or two from each shelf. Push the books so that they lean a fraction to the left or to the right, alternate shelves in alternate directions. Replace each book with an adobe brick. Instead of fracturing, buildings like this roll smoothly with the tremors, surviving countless shocks. So much for "primitive" architecture.
So, all in all, Peru's very different from its stereotypes. But then, so are most countries, even after waves of globalization have washed over them--different from their stereotypes and also, for all the resemblances globalization brings, different in subtle ways from one another. We all badly need, from time to time, to be reminded of tha
Sprawling it surely is; no-one could say whether it had eight million or nine million inhabitants. But you can drive several miles, from the upscale district of Miraflores almost to the pompously-edificed center, and see little but broad tree-lined boulevards and bourgeois homes with leafy gardens.
Peru's middle class is growing. This was borne forcefully in on us our first evening, when Yvonne and I walked down from our hotel to the five-hundred foot cliff--not rock but clay and pebbles, detritus borne down from the Andes--that separates the city from the sea. There we found an enormous food-court, on several levels, linked by escalators, seething with smartly-dressed young people. The economy is booming, the mineral wealth that drew Pizarro supplemented by recent oil and natural-gas finds and managed with an efficiency that defies Latin stereotypes (Peru recovered from the recession well ahead of the U.S.). We dined in a large glass-enclosed restaurant while a full moon sank towards the Pacific. There wasn't an empty table in sight.
Related Articles
Global Psyche: On Their Own Time
An Introduction
"Have the Rules Changed?"
Nancy Grace on Endurance
Hillary Schadenfreude
Find a Therapist
Search for a mental health professional near you.
Find Local:
Acupuncturists
Chiropractors
Massage Therapists
Dentists
and more!
But, as an English expat we met in a bar told us, "Peru is still fifteen years behind Chile". The wealth hasn't spread much beyond urban Lima--not to the poor in the shanty-towns that circle the city, nor to the high plateaus of the Andes, nor to the slice of Amazon basin that constitutes more than half the country. That was one of the themes in Peru's very first Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film.
Its title was La Teta Asustada--literally "The Startled Nipple", an expression as meaningless to English speakers as a literal translation of its Oscarized version, The Milk of Sorrow ("La Leche de la Tristeza") would be for speakers of Spanish . We watched it on TV right before the Oscars came on. During commercial breaks they showed footage of the crowds already packing Lima's squares, reporters thrusting mikes under their noses so they could say just how thrilled and happy they were. It was a shame--they really believed they had a chance to nail their first Oscar. Half an hour into the movie, we knew they hadn't.
The title derives from the fact that the heroine attributes her physical and psychological problems to having been breast-fed by a mother who was gang-raped and brutalized during vicious warfare between security forces and the Maoist guerrilla movement known incongruously as Sendero Luminoso-- "The Shining Path" (the film carefully refrains from saying which side was responsible, yet was hailed as courageous by some for even mentioning events that many Peruvians are still unwilling to confront).
That internecine strife is one reason why you can't make an honest film about working-class life in Greater Lima without using subtitles (another first for this movie). Refugees from the Andean areas where the worst fighting took place often have Quechua as their primary language. Imagine a contemporary American movie set in Chicago or New York where half the dialog is in Navaho and you'll glimpse one of the differences between there and here. But perhaps because of this, or because it was altogether too dark for an audience that reveled in Life is Beautiful, Peru's first Oscar nomination never had a chance.
Peru's interaction with the U.S. is subtle and complex, perhaps best symbolized by Cholo Potter and Los Cholimpsons--t-shirts and comic postcards showing Harry Potter and the Simpsons kitted out in full Andean-peasant gear ("cholo" in Peru is a pejorative term for highland people of mixed or indigenous descent). Or by Peru's response to the outposts of economic imperialism that cluster round major intersections, the McDonalds, KFCs, Burger Kings: a homegrown fast-food chain called Bembo's. I didn't find this edgy mix of fascination and mockery in Chile or Argentina. Maybe it's history. Chile and Argentina are countries with a shallow past, large parts of them settled only in the last century. Peru has a past as deep as Southern Europe's--the U.S. is but a pup beside it. That, given our current dominance. is bound to produce mixed feelings.
Think Peru, and you think Inca. Yet the Incas only occupied Lima for about seventy years. Romans of the continent, they did little beyond superimposing military might and bureaucratic organization on layers of civilization millennia thick. You get some sense of that in the Larco museum. with its tens of thousands of pieces dating back 4,000 years--jewelry, ceramics, textiles, almost all of an astonishing beauty and sophistication (http://catalogmuseolarco.perucultural. org.pe). The museum's overall impact is stunning, and raises questions about the relationship between utility and beauty that I'd like to explore at a later date.
And had you ever heard of Huaca Pucllana? I hadn't, but there it is, in the heart of Miraflores, a pre-Hispanic temple-cum-city-hall that predates Machu Picchu by almost a millennium. Lima has been almost totally destroyed by earthquakes three times. but the walls of Huaca Pucllana still stand. Imagine a library stack. Take out a book or two from each shelf. Push the books so that they lean a fraction to the left or to the right, alternate shelves in alternate directions. Replace each book with an adobe brick. Instead of fracturing, buildings like this roll smoothly with the tremors, surviving countless shocks. So much for "primitive" architecture.
So, all in all, Peru's very different from its stereotypes. But then, so are most countries, even after waves of globalization have washed over them--different from their stereotypes and also, for all the resemblances globalization brings, different in subtle ways from one another. We all badly need, from time to time, to be reminded of tha
Sting and Spielberg have also been invited to visit Machu Picchu
Peru's minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Martín Pérez, confirmed that Infanta Maria Cristina of Spain; former frontsinger of English rock band The Police, Sting; and US filmmaker Steven Spielberg; were formally invited to visit Peru's top attraction Machu Picchu.
Latin American singer Juan Luis Guerra has also been included on the list of celebrities invited to visit the Inca citadel.
" I can't tell whether they're coming or not or when, but we have sent them invitations-, I hope they can come", Perez said.
The government of Peru has committed itself not to unveil the visit of those celebrities who accept to come.
He said that Oscar award winner Susan Sarandon, “has had an unforgettable experience”, preceding today the reopening ceremony of the Inca citadel.
Latin American singer Juan Luis Guerra has also been included on the list of celebrities invited to visit the Inca citadel.
" I can't tell whether they're coming or not or when, but we have sent them invitations-, I hope they can come", Perez said.
The government of Peru has committed itself not to unveil the visit of those celebrities who accept to come.
He said that Oscar award winner Susan Sarandon, “has had an unforgettable experience”, preceding today the reopening ceremony of the Inca citadel.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Cusco , City Tour and Machupicchu in 3dyas / 2 nights
VISIT TO MACHU PICCHU, THE CITY OF CUSCO AND 04 RUINS AROUND
DURATION: 3 DAYS 2 NIGHTS
DAILY DEPARTURES
INCLUDES:- Transfers In / Out Cusco.
- 02 Nights of Hotel in Cusco.
- 02 Breakfasts in the hotel.
- City Tour Cusco visiting The Cathedral, Koricancha and 4 Archaeological Ruins: Sacsayhuaman, Quenko, Pucapucara and Tambomachay.
- Tourist Partial Ticket + Entrances to the Catedral and Korikancha.
- Visit to Machu Picchu (Includes Round Trip with Backpacker Train / Bus up and down / Entrance and Guided Visit).
- 01 Tourist Lunch in Aguas Calientes.
- Entrances and Professional Tourist Guides.
- Hotel Taxes.
- Permanent Assistance.
:: ITINERARYDAY 01: CUSCO - Pick up from the airport. Transfer to the Hotel. Free morning to rest.
- In the afternoon we start the City Tour Cusco. Visit to the Main Square, Koricancha Palace and the 4 archaeological rests: Sacsayhuaman, where we observ the Inti Raymi every year. The amphitheater Quenko, Pucapucara and the bains of Tambomachay.
- Overnight in Cusco.
DAY 02: MACHU PICCHU- Breakfast in the hotel.
FULL DAY TO MACHU PICCHU- 06:00 AM. Breakfast in the hotel.
- Transfer to the train station San Pedro to take the train to go to Aguas Calientes. Visit to the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu. It is Well-known universally for their imposing and original remains of the Inca culture for its incomparable location on the edge of the abyss in whose bottom the waters of the Urubamba run.
We will visit the main staggered constructions, perrons, Temples, Turrets, the Solar Clock or Intiwatana, Platforms, etc.
Tourist Lunch. Return to the City of Cusco.
Overnight in Cusco.
DAY 03: CUSCO OUT
AM Breakfast in the hotel.
Free morning for personal activities.
Transfer to the airport to take the plane.
PRICES PER PERSON (IN AMERICAN DOLLARS) FOREIGNERS
HOTEL IN CUSCO DBL TPL SWB
:: Amanecer del Sol $318 $310 $350
:: Prisma / Buho's Inn $338 $323 $381
:: Casa Don Ignacio 3* $342 $330 $379
:: Samay 3* $351 $341 $407
:: San Agustín International 3* $370 $354 $459
:: BW Los Andes de America 3* / Del Prado Inn 3* Sup $381 $365 $480
:: Casa Andina Classics 3* Sup $394 $390 $506
:: Eco Inn Cusco 4* $404 $389 $527
:: Casa Andina Private Collection 4* $456 $452 $631
:: Libertador Palacio del Inka 5* $771 $685 $1133
DWB = Price per person based on a double twin or full size bed.
TPL = Price per person based on a triple room.
SWB = Price for 1 only person in a single room.
CMT-TV5%-TMC5%
:: ADDITIONAL SERVICES- Up-Grade Vistadome Train: USD$50 per person.
- Up-Grade Lunch in Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge: USD$20 per person.
- Cena Show in Cusco: USD$20 per person.
- Flight Tickets Lima / Cusco / Lima: Consult.
- Travel Insurance: USD$2.00 per person per day.
Children Policy- Children shares room with a minimun of two adults.
- Children under 3 years old do not pay services, share room with their parents and does not include additional bed nor breakfast.
- Children from 3 to 9 years old have a disscount of 20% in a double room (Bed & Breakfast). Maximum one child per room.
:: ADDITIONAL NOTES- Not includes Tickets Lima / Cusco / Lima.
- Not includes beberages and food not mentioned (lunches and dinners).
- Not includes hotels, excursions and visits not mentioned.
- Prices Valid until December 15Th, 2009.
BOOKINGSTo book this tour, write us to reservasmapi@gmail.com or call us, indicating:- Program Charming Cusco 3 days 2 nights.
- Name of the choosen hotel and kind of room.
- Arrival Date.
- Departure Date.
- Names of Passengers.
- Document Number of Passengers.
- Nationality.
- Arrival Information to Cusco.
- Additional solicited services: Bus tickets, air tickets.
- Contact telephone number.
DURATION: 3 DAYS 2 NIGHTS
DAILY DEPARTURES
INCLUDES:- Transfers In / Out Cusco.
- 02 Nights of Hotel in Cusco.
- 02 Breakfasts in the hotel.
- City Tour Cusco visiting The Cathedral, Koricancha and 4 Archaeological Ruins: Sacsayhuaman, Quenko, Pucapucara and Tambomachay.
- Tourist Partial Ticket + Entrances to the Catedral and Korikancha.
- Visit to Machu Picchu (Includes Round Trip with Backpacker Train / Bus up and down / Entrance and Guided Visit).
- 01 Tourist Lunch in Aguas Calientes.
- Entrances and Professional Tourist Guides.
- Hotel Taxes.
- Permanent Assistance.
:: ITINERARYDAY 01: CUSCO - Pick up from the airport. Transfer to the Hotel. Free morning to rest.
- In the afternoon we start the City Tour Cusco. Visit to the Main Square, Koricancha Palace and the 4 archaeological rests: Sacsayhuaman, where we observ the Inti Raymi every year. The amphitheater Quenko, Pucapucara and the bains of Tambomachay.
- Overnight in Cusco.
DAY 02: MACHU PICCHU- Breakfast in the hotel.
FULL DAY TO MACHU PICCHU- 06:00 AM. Breakfast in the hotel.
- Transfer to the train station San Pedro to take the train to go to Aguas Calientes. Visit to the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu. It is Well-known universally for their imposing and original remains of the Inca culture for its incomparable location on the edge of the abyss in whose bottom the waters of the Urubamba run.
We will visit the main staggered constructions, perrons, Temples, Turrets, the Solar Clock or Intiwatana, Platforms, etc.
Tourist Lunch. Return to the City of Cusco.
Overnight in Cusco.
DAY 03: CUSCO OUT
AM Breakfast in the hotel.
Free morning for personal activities.
Transfer to the airport to take the plane.
PRICES PER PERSON (IN AMERICAN DOLLARS) FOREIGNERS
HOTEL IN CUSCO DBL TPL SWB
:: Amanecer del Sol $318 $310 $350
:: Prisma / Buho's Inn $338 $323 $381
:: Casa Don Ignacio 3* $342 $330 $379
:: Samay 3* $351 $341 $407
:: San Agustín International 3* $370 $354 $459
:: BW Los Andes de America 3* / Del Prado Inn 3* Sup $381 $365 $480
:: Casa Andina Classics 3* Sup $394 $390 $506
:: Eco Inn Cusco 4* $404 $389 $527
:: Casa Andina Private Collection 4* $456 $452 $631
:: Libertador Palacio del Inka 5* $771 $685 $1133
DWB = Price per person based on a double twin or full size bed.
TPL = Price per person based on a triple room.
SWB = Price for 1 only person in a single room.
CMT-TV5%-TMC5%
:: ADDITIONAL SERVICES- Up-Grade Vistadome Train: USD$50 per person.
- Up-Grade Lunch in Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge: USD$20 per person.
- Cena Show in Cusco: USD$20 per person.
- Flight Tickets Lima / Cusco / Lima: Consult.
- Travel Insurance: USD$2.00 per person per day.
Children Policy- Children shares room with a minimun of two adults.
- Children under 3 years old do not pay services, share room with their parents and does not include additional bed nor breakfast.
- Children from 3 to 9 years old have a disscount of 20% in a double room (Bed & Breakfast). Maximum one child per room.
:: ADDITIONAL NOTES- Not includes Tickets Lima / Cusco / Lima.
- Not includes beberages and food not mentioned (lunches and dinners).
- Not includes hotels, excursions and visits not mentioned.
- Prices Valid until December 15Th, 2009.
BOOKINGSTo book this tour, write us to reservasmapi@gmail.com or call us, indicating:- Program Charming Cusco 3 days 2 nights.
- Name of the choosen hotel and kind of room.
- Arrival Date.
- Departure Date.
- Names of Passengers.
- Document Number of Passengers.
- Nationality.
- Arrival Information to Cusco.
- Additional solicited services: Bus tickets, air tickets.
- Contact telephone number.
Cusco and Machupicchu 3days / 2 nights
VISIT TO MACHU PICCHU
DURATION: 3 DAYS 2 NIGHTS
DAILY DEPARTURES
INCLUDES:- Transfers In / Out Cusco.
- 02 Nights of Hotel in Cusco.
- 02 Breakfasts in the hotel.
- Visit to Machu Picchu (Includes Round Trip with Backpacker Train / Bus up and down / Entrance and Guided Visit).
- 01 Tourist Lunch in Aguas Calientes.
- Entrances and Professional Tourist Guides.
- Hotel Taxes.
- Permanent Assistance.
:: ITINERARYDAY 01: CUSCO
- Pick up from the airport. Transfer to the Hotel. Free morning to rest.
- Overnight in Cusco.
DAY 02: MACHU PICCHU- Breakfast in the hotel.
FULL DAY TO MACHU PICCHU
- 06:00 AM. Breakfast in the hotel.
- Transfer to the train station San Pedro to take the train to go to Aguas Calientes. Visit to the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu. It is Well-known universally for their imposing and original remains of the Inca culture for its incomparable location on the edge of the abyss in whose bottom the waters of the Urubamba run.
We will visit the main staggered constructions, perrons, Temples, Turrets, the Solar Clock or Intiwatana, Platforms, etc.
Tourist Lunch. Return to the City of Cusco.
Overnight in Cusco.
DAY 03: CUSCO OUT
AM Breakfast in the hotel.
Free morning for personal activities.
Transfer to the airport to take the plane.
PRICES PER PERSON (IN AMERICAN DOLLARS) FOREIGNERS HOTEL IN CUSCO DBL TPL SWB
:: Amanecer del Sol $264 $256 $295
:: Prisma / Buho's Inn $283 $269 $326
:: Casa Don Ignacio 3* $287 $275 $324
:: Samay 3* $296 $286 $352
:: San Agustín International 3* $316 $299 $404
:: BW Los Andes de America 3* / Del Prado Inn 3* Sup $326 $311 $425
:: Casa Andina Classics 3* Sup $339 $336 $451
:: Eco Inn Cusco 4* $350 $335 $472
:: Casa Andina Private Collection 4* $402 $398 $576
DWB = Price per person based on a double twin or full size bed.
TPL = Price per person based on a triple room.
SWB = Price for 1 only person in a single room.
CMT-TV5%-TMC5%
:: ADDITIONAL SERVICES- Up-Grade Vistadome Train: USD$50 per person.
- Up-Grade Lunch in Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge: USD$20 per person.
- Cena Show in Cusco: USD$20 per person.
- Flight Tickets Lima / Cusco / Lima: Consult.
- Travel Insurance: USD$2.00 per person per day.
Children Policy- Children shares room with a minimun of two adults.
- Children under 3 years old do not pay services, share room with their parents and does not include additional bed nor breakfast.
- Children from 3 to 9 years old have a disscount of 20% in a double room (Bed & Breakfast). Maximum one child per room.
:: ADDITIONAL NOTES- Not includes Tickets Lima / Cusco / Lima.
- Not includes beberages and food not mentioned (lunches and dinners).
- Not includes hotels, excursions and visits not mentioned.
- Prices Valid until December 15Th, 2010.
BOOKINGSTo book this tour, write us to reservasmapi@gmail.com
call us, indicating:
- Program Basic Cusco 3 days 2 nights.
- Name of the choosen hotel and kind of room.
- Arrival Date.
- Departure Date.
- Names of Passengers.
- Document Number of Passengers.
- Nationality.
- Arrival Information to Cusco.
- Additional solicited services: Bus tickets, air tickets.
- Contact telephone number.
DURATION: 3 DAYS 2 NIGHTS
DAILY DEPARTURES
INCLUDES:- Transfers In / Out Cusco.
- 02 Nights of Hotel in Cusco.
- 02 Breakfasts in the hotel.
- Visit to Machu Picchu (Includes Round Trip with Backpacker Train / Bus up and down / Entrance and Guided Visit).
- 01 Tourist Lunch in Aguas Calientes.
- Entrances and Professional Tourist Guides.
- Hotel Taxes.
- Permanent Assistance.
:: ITINERARYDAY 01: CUSCO
- Pick up from the airport. Transfer to the Hotel. Free morning to rest.
- Overnight in Cusco.
DAY 02: MACHU PICCHU- Breakfast in the hotel.
FULL DAY TO MACHU PICCHU
- 06:00 AM. Breakfast in the hotel.
- Transfer to the train station San Pedro to take the train to go to Aguas Calientes. Visit to the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu. It is Well-known universally for their imposing and original remains of the Inca culture for its incomparable location on the edge of the abyss in whose bottom the waters of the Urubamba run.
We will visit the main staggered constructions, perrons, Temples, Turrets, the Solar Clock or Intiwatana, Platforms, etc.
Tourist Lunch. Return to the City of Cusco.
Overnight in Cusco.
DAY 03: CUSCO OUT
AM Breakfast in the hotel.
Free morning for personal activities.
Transfer to the airport to take the plane.
PRICES PER PERSON (IN AMERICAN DOLLARS) FOREIGNERS HOTEL IN CUSCO DBL TPL SWB
:: Amanecer del Sol $264 $256 $295
:: Prisma / Buho's Inn $283 $269 $326
:: Casa Don Ignacio 3* $287 $275 $324
:: Samay 3* $296 $286 $352
:: San Agustín International 3* $316 $299 $404
:: BW Los Andes de America 3* / Del Prado Inn 3* Sup $326 $311 $425
:: Casa Andina Classics 3* Sup $339 $336 $451
:: Eco Inn Cusco 4* $350 $335 $472
:: Casa Andina Private Collection 4* $402 $398 $576
DWB = Price per person based on a double twin or full size bed.
TPL = Price per person based on a triple room.
SWB = Price for 1 only person in a single room.
CMT-TV5%-TMC5%
:: ADDITIONAL SERVICES- Up-Grade Vistadome Train: USD$50 per person.
- Up-Grade Lunch in Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge: USD$20 per person.
- Cena Show in Cusco: USD$20 per person.
- Flight Tickets Lima / Cusco / Lima: Consult.
- Travel Insurance: USD$2.00 per person per day.
Children Policy- Children shares room with a minimun of two adults.
- Children under 3 years old do not pay services, share room with their parents and does not include additional bed nor breakfast.
- Children from 3 to 9 years old have a disscount of 20% in a double room (Bed & Breakfast). Maximum one child per room.
:: ADDITIONAL NOTES- Not includes Tickets Lima / Cusco / Lima.
- Not includes beberages and food not mentioned (lunches and dinners).
- Not includes hotels, excursions and visits not mentioned.
- Prices Valid until December 15Th, 2010.
BOOKINGSTo book this tour, write us to reservasmapi@gmail.com
call us, indicating:
- Program Basic Cusco 3 days 2 nights.
- Name of the choosen hotel and kind of room.
- Arrival Date.
- Departure Date.
- Names of Passengers.
- Document Number of Passengers.
- Nationality.
- Arrival Information to Cusco.
- Additional solicited services: Bus tickets, air tickets.
- Contact telephone number.
Cusco Machupicchu
Capital: City of Cusco
Altitud: 3.399 m.a.s.l.
Distancias:
· Cusco to Lima 1.153 kilometers
· Cusco to Ayacucho 597 kilometers
· Cusco to Arequipa 623 kilometers
· Cusco to Puno 389 kilometers
The province of Cuzco is in the Oriental region of Peru, passing through the oriental and central mountain ranges of the Andes.
The city of Cuzco, known as the archeological capital of America contends with Mexico for the honor of being the oldest city of America.
Economical and military capital of the Peruvian vice-royalty received the name of "La Muy Noble, Muy Leal Cabeza de los Reinos del Perú, Santiago del Cuzco" (The very noble, very loyal head of the Peruvian royalties). In the 20th., century it was honored as the Archeological Capital of South-America and Cultural Patrimony of Humanity.
The city of Cuzco is a living museum of America's history.
In Cusco we have the next tourist destinations:
:: CITY TOUR CUSCO
Sightseeing of Cusco visiting the Main Square, the Cathedral, and the Temple of the Sun or Korikancha. Take a pleasant walk in the bohemian District of San Blas, home of the best known craftsmen of Cusco. Visit its beautiful church, to admire its impressive carved wooden pulpit, with images of local fruits carved into it in filigree. Pop into some of the craft shops in its small Main Square. On your way back to Cusco centre, go through Hatunrumiyoc Street with its famous Twelve-angled Stone. Then, we drive out of the City to visit the Inca sites of Kenko, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara and the impressive Fortress of Sacsayhuaman. The latter site is strategically built on a hill overlooking Cusco and is famous for its enormous carved stones, some of them standing over 9m / 30ft tall, and weighing over 350 tons, set together with astounding precision to form the outer walls.
:: SACRED VALLEY OF THE INKAS
The Sacred Valley of the Incas is located by the Vilcanota River. We will have the opportunity to share closely the peasants customs and bargain with vendors at the typical indian market of Pisac, held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
In the afternoon we will pass through the Towns of Calca and Urubamba, we visit the Inca Fortress and Citadel of Ollantaytambo, built to guard the entrance to this part of the Valley, and protect it from possible invasion from the tribes in the Lower jungle. The Fortress consists of a series of stepped carved stone terraces accessed by long staircases. Later on you can walk through the quaint streets of the nearby Town, and get a good idea of what this Strategic Military, Religious, and Agricultural Centre was like during the era of the Inca Empire. On our way back to Cusco we stop of at the picturesque Andean Village of Chincheros where the ruins of the Royal Hacienda of Tupac Inca Yupanqui lie. You can admire the well preserved Inca Wall in the Main Square, and visit the beautiful Colonial temple built on Inca foundations, with interesting paintings in the entrance.
:: MACHU PICCHU
Since Machu Picchu discovery on July 24, 1911, by north american Hiram Bingham, it has been considered oneof the world's greatest architectural and archaeological monuments, due to its extraordinary magnificence and harmonious structure.
At 2,400 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l), in the province of Urubamba, department of Cusco, Machu Picchu surprises us because of the way its stone constructions are spread over a narrow and uneven mountain top, bordering a sheer 400 meter cliff side of the Urubamba River canyon.
Machu Picchu is a citadel shrouded in mystery, and to this day archaeologists have not uncovered the history andpurpose of this city of stone. The site has an area of about one square kilometer, and stands in a region that the Incas considered to be magical, due to the meeting of the Andes mountains with the mighty Amazon river.
Perhaps, Machu Picchu mystery may never be fully explained as, so far, there are only hypothesis and conjectures. For some, it may have been an advance settlement for planned further expansions by the Incas. Others believe Machu Picchu have been a monastery where young girls (acllas) were trained to serve the Inca and the Willac Uno (High Priest). Support for this theory comes from the fact that of the 135 bodies discovered while exploring the site, 109 were female.
The surprising perfection and beauty of Machu Picchu's walls, built by joining stone to stone without using any cement or adhesive whatsoever, has led to many myths developing around how the city was constructed.
It is said that a bird by the name of Kak'aqllu knew the formula for softening rock but by command, perhaps, of the ancient Inca gods, had its tongue torn out. It is also said that there was a magic plant which could dissolve and compress stone.
Nonetheless, mysteries and myths aside, the real attractiveness of Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, lies in its squares, aqueducts and watchtowers, its observatories and in its sun clock, evidence of the wisdom and skill of the city's Andean builders.
The excursion to Machu Picchu starts very early in the morning; we transfer the passengers to Cusco train Station for a three hour train journey to the famous Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu, also known as "The Lost City of the Incas", one of the best known examples of surviving Inca architecture. We will arrive in Aguas Calientes Station followed by a 30-minute bus drive, climbing 6km of winding road, to the marvellous Citadel. Upon arrival, you will participate in a guided tour of the Citadel, visiting the Main Plaza, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Sun Dial (the most important preserved Intihuatana), the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows and several burial grounds. After the tour you'll have time to stroll around the Archaeological Site at your leisure. In the afternoon we return to Cusco and tranfer passengers to their hotels.
When the excursion is developed with an overnight in Aguas Calientes, you have time the next day to make a new visit to Machu Picchu, perform maditation and absorb the enegy that surround this sacred place, having the opportunity to walk up until the intipinku, the entrance to Machu Picchu when you walk the Inka Trail or climb the Huayna Picchu, mountain where the temple of the moon is located. After, in the afternoon you return to Cusco.
Altitud: 3.399 m.a.s.l.
Distancias:
· Cusco to Lima 1.153 kilometers
· Cusco to Ayacucho 597 kilometers
· Cusco to Arequipa 623 kilometers
· Cusco to Puno 389 kilometers
The province of Cuzco is in the Oriental region of Peru, passing through the oriental and central mountain ranges of the Andes.
The city of Cuzco, known as the archeological capital of America contends with Mexico for the honor of being the oldest city of America.
Economical and military capital of the Peruvian vice-royalty received the name of "La Muy Noble, Muy Leal Cabeza de los Reinos del Perú, Santiago del Cuzco" (The very noble, very loyal head of the Peruvian royalties). In the 20th., century it was honored as the Archeological Capital of South-America and Cultural Patrimony of Humanity.
The city of Cuzco is a living museum of America's history.
In Cusco we have the next tourist destinations:
:: CITY TOUR CUSCO
Sightseeing of Cusco visiting the Main Square, the Cathedral, and the Temple of the Sun or Korikancha. Take a pleasant walk in the bohemian District of San Blas, home of the best known craftsmen of Cusco. Visit its beautiful church, to admire its impressive carved wooden pulpit, with images of local fruits carved into it in filigree. Pop into some of the craft shops in its small Main Square. On your way back to Cusco centre, go through Hatunrumiyoc Street with its famous Twelve-angled Stone. Then, we drive out of the City to visit the Inca sites of Kenko, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara and the impressive Fortress of Sacsayhuaman. The latter site is strategically built on a hill overlooking Cusco and is famous for its enormous carved stones, some of them standing over 9m / 30ft tall, and weighing over 350 tons, set together with astounding precision to form the outer walls.
:: SACRED VALLEY OF THE INKAS
The Sacred Valley of the Incas is located by the Vilcanota River. We will have the opportunity to share closely the peasants customs and bargain with vendors at the typical indian market of Pisac, held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
In the afternoon we will pass through the Towns of Calca and Urubamba, we visit the Inca Fortress and Citadel of Ollantaytambo, built to guard the entrance to this part of the Valley, and protect it from possible invasion from the tribes in the Lower jungle. The Fortress consists of a series of stepped carved stone terraces accessed by long staircases. Later on you can walk through the quaint streets of the nearby Town, and get a good idea of what this Strategic Military, Religious, and Agricultural Centre was like during the era of the Inca Empire. On our way back to Cusco we stop of at the picturesque Andean Village of Chincheros where the ruins of the Royal Hacienda of Tupac Inca Yupanqui lie. You can admire the well preserved Inca Wall in the Main Square, and visit the beautiful Colonial temple built on Inca foundations, with interesting paintings in the entrance.
:: MACHU PICCHU
Since Machu Picchu discovery on July 24, 1911, by north american Hiram Bingham, it has been considered oneof the world's greatest architectural and archaeological monuments, due to its extraordinary magnificence and harmonious structure.
At 2,400 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l), in the province of Urubamba, department of Cusco, Machu Picchu surprises us because of the way its stone constructions are spread over a narrow and uneven mountain top, bordering a sheer 400 meter cliff side of the Urubamba River canyon.
Machu Picchu is a citadel shrouded in mystery, and to this day archaeologists have not uncovered the history andpurpose of this city of stone. The site has an area of about one square kilometer, and stands in a region that the Incas considered to be magical, due to the meeting of the Andes mountains with the mighty Amazon river.
Perhaps, Machu Picchu mystery may never be fully explained as, so far, there are only hypothesis and conjectures. For some, it may have been an advance settlement for planned further expansions by the Incas. Others believe Machu Picchu have been a monastery where young girls (acllas) were trained to serve the Inca and the Willac Uno (High Priest). Support for this theory comes from the fact that of the 135 bodies discovered while exploring the site, 109 were female.
The surprising perfection and beauty of Machu Picchu's walls, built by joining stone to stone without using any cement or adhesive whatsoever, has led to many myths developing around how the city was constructed.
It is said that a bird by the name of Kak'aqllu knew the formula for softening rock but by command, perhaps, of the ancient Inca gods, had its tongue torn out. It is also said that there was a magic plant which could dissolve and compress stone.
Nonetheless, mysteries and myths aside, the real attractiveness of Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, lies in its squares, aqueducts and watchtowers, its observatories and in its sun clock, evidence of the wisdom and skill of the city's Andean builders.
The excursion to Machu Picchu starts very early in the morning; we transfer the passengers to Cusco train Station for a three hour train journey to the famous Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu, also known as "The Lost City of the Incas", one of the best known examples of surviving Inca architecture. We will arrive in Aguas Calientes Station followed by a 30-minute bus drive, climbing 6km of winding road, to the marvellous Citadel. Upon arrival, you will participate in a guided tour of the Citadel, visiting the Main Plaza, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Sun Dial (the most important preserved Intihuatana), the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows and several burial grounds. After the tour you'll have time to stroll around the Archaeological Site at your leisure. In the afternoon we return to Cusco and tranfer passengers to their hotels.
When the excursion is developed with an overnight in Aguas Calientes, you have time the next day to make a new visit to Machu Picchu, perform maditation and absorb the enegy that surround this sacred place, having the opportunity to walk up until the intipinku, the entrance to Machu Picchu when you walk the Inka Trail or climb the Huayna Picchu, mountain where the temple of the moon is located. After, in the afternoon you return to Cusco.
JUNGLE TRAVELS IN PERU: MANU, IQUITOS
National Park of Manu, located at 650 kilometers from Puerto Maldonado. It has a surface extension of 1.532.806 hectares.
Visit the Zone of Manu (apt to eco-tourism). - Cultural Zone in Bajo Manu (with a native population of 41.394 habitants).
Jungle Tours in Iquitos visiting the magical Reserve of Pacaya Samiria, an open destine all year long...
Visit the Zone of Manu (apt to eco-tourism). - Cultural Zone in Bajo Manu (with a native population of 41.394 habitants).
Jungle Tours in Iquitos visiting the magical Reserve of Pacaya Samiria, an open destine all year long...
SEASON TRAVELS IN PERU
We have a special section with Season Travels in Peru. Travel with us to Cusco, Machu Picchu, peruvian special festivities like Inti Raymi, North beaches of Peru, Mancora, Punta Sal, Iquitos, Tarapoto, Chanchamayo and a lot of other destinations with special season promotions for low season and also in easter and New Year Eve. You can organize your vacations in advance taking advantage of our fixed departures for domestic and travels.
Hotels In Peru
We offer a Free Peru Hotel Reservation Service for most of the important destinations in the country. In addition, it's important to know that you can add airport assistance and transfer to your hotel.
Travels in Peru Machupicchu
Travel to Cusco, have a marvellows experience visiting the amazing sites of Machu Picchu, make the trekking catalogued as one of the top 10 adventure trekking of the world: The Inka Trail, walk in the archaeological complex and last Manco Inka refuge Choquequirao, fly over the Nazca Lines, explore the Manu rainforest, navigate the Titicaca Lake, visit the andean comunities in Uros and Taquile islands, be part of the inkas world. Experience the back to the ancestral costumers of the past of the Inkas in the Inti Raymi.
Practice your favorite adventure sport on our rivers or mountains, treek in the Huayhuash mountains in Huaraz, enjoy the variety of our Jungle in Iquitos inside of Pacaya Samiria Reservation or visit the wild jungle of Manu.
Have a vacation in our marvellous beaches of the north of Perú, the beaches of Mancora in Piura, Punta Sal and Zorritos in Tumbes are a destine that offers relax, sun and hot water beaches all the year long.
Let us organize your trip and choose one of our Travels in Peru to experience the fascinant experiences that Perú "Country of the Inkas" can offer to you. Travel to Peru with us!.
Machupicchu Magico Travels
Welcome to Machupicchu Magico Travels in Peru. We are a Peruvian Travel Agency and Operators whose operations are based on internet and local sales for peruvians and international tourist and travelers that want to visit Peru and the world.
Our mision is to give the most complete Peru Travel & Vacation Guide offering our visitors the opportunity to visit the principal tourist destinations of Peru through the most solicited and elaborated Tours in Peru itineraries, tailored with your needs with a personalized attention, nice treatment and security. Our objective is to guarrantee our customers that your travel will be pleasure looking forward the total satisfaction of our guests with a top level service. Read what our satisfied customers say in our Testimonials, and give us the opportunity to prove you that our assistance and services make the real difference. We welcome your inquiries and look forward to have you as our future guest.
Peru: a guide for beginners
Lima was the trading hub and nearby Callao the key port in South America for Spain. Uprisings in the name of independence began in 1809 but were suppressed. After helping to liberate Chile, San Martín continued to Peru and tried to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the colonial authorities, suggesting the establishment of a wholly independent constitutional monarch of Spanish descent. But the royalists were divided and a military coup deposed the viceroy. San Martín entered Lima and independence was declared on July 28 1821.
Top five attractions
Machu Picchu (reopening in April, after recent floods), whether by train, trek or bus; Iquitos and the Upper Amazon river; Arequipa, known as the ciudad blanca for its buildings made from pearly white volcanic material, and a Unesco World Heritage site; the archaeological site of Chan Chan, including the ruins of the largest adobe city in the world; the high peaks of the Cordillera Blanca to see tropical glaciers and turquoise lakes on off-the-beaten-track hikes; and the mysterious, geometrical Nazca Lines, thought to have been etched into the stony desert as far back as 900BC.
Best city
Cuzco, because, despite being backpackers-ville, it has many impressive monasteries, churches and pre-Columbian buildings and is, as Che Guevara recorded in The Motorcycle Diaries, tangibly "the navel of the [Inca] world".
Top five attractions
Machu Picchu (reopening in April, after recent floods), whether by train, trek or bus; Iquitos and the Upper Amazon river; Arequipa, known as the ciudad blanca for its buildings made from pearly white volcanic material, and a Unesco World Heritage site; the archaeological site of Chan Chan, including the ruins of the largest adobe city in the world; the high peaks of the Cordillera Blanca to see tropical glaciers and turquoise lakes on off-the-beaten-track hikes; and the mysterious, geometrical Nazca Lines, thought to have been etched into the stony desert as far back as 900BC.
Best city
Cuzco, because, despite being backpackers-ville, it has many impressive monasteries, churches and pre-Columbian buildings and is, as Che Guevara recorded in The Motorcycle Diaries, tangibly "the navel of the [Inca] world".
The Sacred Valley: Paradise on Earth
Following is the second in a series of articles written by Barb Osterholz about her family's visit to Peru where a son had served as a Peace Corps volunteer.
The Sacred Valley is a special place deemed "paradise on earth" by the Incas, the native South American people who once ruled one of the largest and richest empires in the Americas. The valley is a place of breathtaking beauty; snowcapped mountains, red granite cliffs, the wild Urubamba River and lush green terraces. Inca palaces, fortresses, and temples are dotted throughout this valley, along with charming Andean villages.
Leaving Cusco on a meandering bus ride up into the Andes Mountains and down again into the Sacred Valley, we arrived at one of those small villages, Pisaq. Our bus was filled with many local people dressed in their colorful native clothing as well as pieces of furniture and crates of chickens. Once in Pisaq we wandered through the market and cattle auction where we were immersed in the sights and sounds of the countryside. Stalls tended by local farmers were selling everything from a hundred varieties of corn, wooden farming tools, sheep and llamas, to fluffy guinea pigs with their beady little eyes and deep fried guinea pigs ready for the tasting.
The next morning we attended Mass at San Pedro Apostol de Pisac (St. Peter the Apostle) Catholic Church. The tiny church was filled with beautiful fresh flowers and glowing candles. Though the Mass was said in a mix of Quechua, the native Indian dialect, and Spanish, we found it to be surprisingly similar to our Masses in Menominee. There was one exception. At the end of the service several people presented items for the priest to bless -- holy cards and food, as well as a wedding dress and shoes presented by the bride herself. After Mass we again felt the warm hospitality of the Andean people who offered us a slice of cake and a cup of warm sweetened coffee as we stepped outside.
From Pisaq we rented a taxi to further explore the Sacred Valley. Our first stop was at Moray, once a gigantic crop laboratory. Enormous sinkholes, 500 feet deep and wide, harbor a cluster of microclimates. More than 500 years ago, the Incas terraced and irrigated the huge depressions in order to experiment growing corn and potatoes in a variety of elevations to mirror the various climates of the Andean empire that stretched 2,500 miles from present day Columbia to Chile.
After Moray we travelled to the Salinas Salt Mines. Here the Incas once again transformed nature with their brilliant engineering methods. A spring of warm, salty water coming straight out of the mountain is diverted into 5,740 small pools hugging the mountainside where sunlight evaporates the water and leaves a thin crust of salt. Each pool can yield 331 lbs. of salt a year. The mines are owned and worked by local farmers and have been in use for over 500 years.
Our last stop in the Sacred Valley before our final destination, Machu Picchu, was Ollantaytambo, the best preserved Inca village in Peru, with its narrow alleys, street water canals, and trapezoidal doorways. The Inca temple and fortress above town were the sight of a 1537 battle in which the Incas defeated a Spanish army led by Hernando Pizarro. One morning at dawn, Pizarro arrived at Ollantaytambo with 70 cavalry and 30 foot soldiers. But Manco Inca's men were waiting on the terraces of the sun temple. From high on the upper terraces, Manco Inca commanded his troops to fire slingshots, roll boulders, and shoot arrows at the advancing Spanish army. The Spaniards retreated, but Manco Inca pulled a final surprise. On cue, he diverted the Urubamba River and flooded the plains below Ollantaytambo, causing the Spaniards' horses to founder in the mud. The Incas fought the Spanish all the way to Cusco. However, this was only a temporary victory, for in time the Spaniards destroyed the entire Inca Empire, leaving little in their wake.
In every battle the Spanish were greatly outnumbered, however, the Inca could not match guns and cannons. Most of the Inca destruction was due to disease brought to them by the Spanish. Nearly two-thirds of the inhabitants of the Sacred Valley died of disease. The Spanish conquistadors stole the bulk of Inca gold, silver, and precious stones. The native people that were not rubbed out were reduced to slavery. They worked on Spanish plantations and in gold and silver mines that the Spanish stole from the Inca people.
One Andean jewel the Spanish never found remains beautifully intact, Machu Picchu. That was our final destination in the Sacred Valley and the subject of my next article.
The Sacred Valley is a special place deemed "paradise on earth" by the Incas, the native South American people who once ruled one of the largest and richest empires in the Americas. The valley is a place of breathtaking beauty; snowcapped mountains, red granite cliffs, the wild Urubamba River and lush green terraces. Inca palaces, fortresses, and temples are dotted throughout this valley, along with charming Andean villages.
Leaving Cusco on a meandering bus ride up into the Andes Mountains and down again into the Sacred Valley, we arrived at one of those small villages, Pisaq. Our bus was filled with many local people dressed in their colorful native clothing as well as pieces of furniture and crates of chickens. Once in Pisaq we wandered through the market and cattle auction where we were immersed in the sights and sounds of the countryside. Stalls tended by local farmers were selling everything from a hundred varieties of corn, wooden farming tools, sheep and llamas, to fluffy guinea pigs with their beady little eyes and deep fried guinea pigs ready for the tasting.
The next morning we attended Mass at San Pedro Apostol de Pisac (St. Peter the Apostle) Catholic Church. The tiny church was filled with beautiful fresh flowers and glowing candles. Though the Mass was said in a mix of Quechua, the native Indian dialect, and Spanish, we found it to be surprisingly similar to our Masses in Menominee. There was one exception. At the end of the service several people presented items for the priest to bless -- holy cards and food, as well as a wedding dress and shoes presented by the bride herself. After Mass we again felt the warm hospitality of the Andean people who offered us a slice of cake and a cup of warm sweetened coffee as we stepped outside.
From Pisaq we rented a taxi to further explore the Sacred Valley. Our first stop was at Moray, once a gigantic crop laboratory. Enormous sinkholes, 500 feet deep and wide, harbor a cluster of microclimates. More than 500 years ago, the Incas terraced and irrigated the huge depressions in order to experiment growing corn and potatoes in a variety of elevations to mirror the various climates of the Andean empire that stretched 2,500 miles from present day Columbia to Chile.
After Moray we travelled to the Salinas Salt Mines. Here the Incas once again transformed nature with their brilliant engineering methods. A spring of warm, salty water coming straight out of the mountain is diverted into 5,740 small pools hugging the mountainside where sunlight evaporates the water and leaves a thin crust of salt. Each pool can yield 331 lbs. of salt a year. The mines are owned and worked by local farmers and have been in use for over 500 years.
Our last stop in the Sacred Valley before our final destination, Machu Picchu, was Ollantaytambo, the best preserved Inca village in Peru, with its narrow alleys, street water canals, and trapezoidal doorways. The Inca temple and fortress above town were the sight of a 1537 battle in which the Incas defeated a Spanish army led by Hernando Pizarro. One morning at dawn, Pizarro arrived at Ollantaytambo with 70 cavalry and 30 foot soldiers. But Manco Inca's men were waiting on the terraces of the sun temple. From high on the upper terraces, Manco Inca commanded his troops to fire slingshots, roll boulders, and shoot arrows at the advancing Spanish army. The Spaniards retreated, but Manco Inca pulled a final surprise. On cue, he diverted the Urubamba River and flooded the plains below Ollantaytambo, causing the Spaniards' horses to founder in the mud. The Incas fought the Spanish all the way to Cusco. However, this was only a temporary victory, for in time the Spaniards destroyed the entire Inca Empire, leaving little in their wake.
In every battle the Spanish were greatly outnumbered, however, the Inca could not match guns and cannons. Most of the Inca destruction was due to disease brought to them by the Spanish. Nearly two-thirds of the inhabitants of the Sacred Valley died of disease. The Spanish conquistadors stole the bulk of Inca gold, silver, and precious stones. The native people that were not rubbed out were reduced to slavery. They worked on Spanish plantations and in gold and silver mines that the Spanish stole from the Inca people.
One Andean jewel the Spanish never found remains beautifully intact, Machu Picchu. That was our final destination in the Sacred Valley and the subject of my next article.
Machu Picchu train: Stay awake and enjoy the ride
After the February floods in the region of Cusco and the recent reopening of Machu Picchu, I started thinking about my visit to this beautiful city and the train ride I took to visit Inca citadel. Much has been written about both Cusco and Machu Picchu but I have yet to read much about the trip between these two beautiful areas except for articles on the Inca Trail.
There are three trains that will take you from Cusco to Aguas Calientes: the Backpacker, the Vistadome and the Hiram Bingham. The Hiram Bingham is a luxury train ($588 round trip) with sit down dining and a club car, whereas the Backpacker ($96) and the Vistadome ($142) are more for those on a budget. On my visit to Machu Picchu I took the Backpacker. It is a comfortable train and they do sell food and drinks on the four-plus hour trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu.
(Note: As of this writing, the train is running between Ollantaytambo and Agua Calientes. See map here. Authorities say the full train service should be ready on June 1.)
I was prepared for a long, boring train ride, but much to my delight I was stunned at the beautiful and wide range of vistas that we passed through. Leaving Cusco it was still dark but the train ride up the side of the mountain using switch backs was a pleasant surprise and provided some nice views of Cusco in the pre dawn hours as we left the city. As we passed through the edge of the city we came into an area of farmland with large areas of freshly planted crops. Quaint farm houses dotted the countryside with creeks and small rivers meandering through the fields. Milk cows and other livestock grazed peacefully, ignoring the sounds of the train as it passed by. Small unnamed villages appeared and passed suddenly as the train kept its steady pace.
The idyllic farm scenes eventually passed as the ride brought us into cattle country. Suddenly we were surrounded by large cattle ranches with herds of beef cattle grazing contentedly in the large open grasslands. These large ranches butted up against the foothills of the mountains we were rapidly approaching.
http://filer.livinginperu.com/travel/machu-picchu-train2.JPG612816
Urubamba river. click to enlarge
As we passed into the foothills of the Andes the train tracks took us next to the Urubamba River which flowed gently through the valley from the mountains. Bridges made of stone crossed the river at several points providing the ranchers a way to safely cross. Stops were made at a few small towns to pick up more passengers.
Poroy and Ollantaytambo are a couple worth noting, as locals lined the tracks to sell handmade Peruvian crafts and food to people through the windows of the train. Not long after coming into the foot hills you could see signs of the ancient Inca and the terraced land they built to grow their crops on. As we passed further up into the mountains ruins of small Inca villages could be seen along the river also. The vegetation also changed with the elevation. Shrubs and small trees started showing along the edge of the river. The water in the river flowed more swiftly and rapids started showing up along the rivers course with large boulders that had washed down from the mountains in previous rainy seasons.
The higher into the mountains we went the more verdant the vegetation became. Soon we were surrounded by lush green forests as the train continued to ramble along the tracks, snaking its way into the mountains. Occasionally you would be able to see the ancient Inca Trail and hikers who had chosen the more difficult way to reach Machu Picchu. Wooden suspension bridges crossed the river to aid the hikers in their quest. As the train curved inward on the tracks when it rounded bends you would get nice views of the train itself against this magnificent backdrop.
Finally as the train rolled into Aguas Calientes I couldn’t help but reflect on this truly spectacular train ride and how it enabled me to see a part of Peru and its life that would have remained hidden to me had I chosen to sleep as did most of my companions that shared the train car with me. So my advice is to get a good night’s sleep before taking the train to see Machu Picchu. The views and insight into Peruvian life outside the cities are well worth it.
Sarandon at Macchu Pichu reopening
Machu Picchu reopened on the April 1st 2010 with the presence from Hollywood star Susan Sarandon and saw more than 1,200 visitors on its first day.
The Inca fortress has been closed to tourists since the end of January 2010 due to flooding restricting access.
Peru’s Department of Foreign Trade and Tourism and the City Hall of Cusco hosted a big celebration on the terrace of Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun) in Cusco included fireworks, music, dancing and a tribute ceremony ritual to the Mother Earth (Pachamama Raymi).
Oscar winning actress Susan Sarandon joined in the reopening festivities and was given the title of ‘godmother’ to Machu Picchu. This celebrity trip to Lima, Cusco and Puno was supported by PromPeru and Susan was impressed throughout by the friendliness of the people, gastronomy and cultural sights of the country.
To reach Machu Picchu, visitors should currently take road transportation from Cusco to a train station at Piscacucho at km 82 (a station beyond Ollantaytambo) and from there can board the train to Aguas Calientes. The entire railroad from Cusco is expected to open in June 2010.
Machu Picchu is one of South America’s major tourist attractions and was given the title of one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. Next year (2011) will mark 100 years since the rediscovery of Machu Picchu when the American explorer and politician, Hiram Bingham, found the lost city of the Incas in 1911 and brought its attention to the rest of the world.
Disney may consider exhibiting a replica of Machu Picchu in Epcot Center
A replica of Machu Picchu citadel may be exhibited at Disney World Epcot Center, according to local businessman and former congresman Raul Diez Canseco.
Diez Canseco has told local press that Kristi Breen, Disney World Wide Service Manager, was thrilled and “amazed” after visiting Machu Picchu, and they both spoke about that possibility.
Brent arrived in Cusco to sign an agreement with the University San Ignacio de Loyola, to allow Disney cooks to visit Cusco to share experiences and learn from Peruvian gastronomy.
Epcot Center is Disney's second part, and was built to share knowledge with children and adults as well: it has two divisions, World ShowCase and Future World.
Diez Canseco has told local press that Kristi Breen, Disney World Wide Service Manager, was thrilled and “amazed” after visiting Machu Picchu, and they both spoke about that possibility.
Brent arrived in Cusco to sign an agreement with the University San Ignacio de Loyola, to allow Disney cooks to visit Cusco to share experiences and learn from Peruvian gastronomy.
Epcot Center is Disney's second part, and was built to share knowledge with children and adults as well: it has two divisions, World ShowCase and Future World.
Call Him Andean Jones
George Lucas won't tell us if he based Indiana Jones on Hiram Bingham III, the swashbuckling, fedora-topped explorer who in 1911 (re)discovered Machu Picchu, an Inca citadel in Peru. But it is hard to find anyone other than Bingham who would make a more suitable model.
National Geographic
Hiram Bingham III in 1912, on an artifact-gathering trip to Machu Picchu the year after the American explorer found the ruins of the Inca fortress in Peru.
.The grandson and son of Protestant missionaries, Bingham broke out of his Puritan constraints to became a professor, explorer, photographer, writer, World War I pilot and U.S. senator. His character was so complex that not even his closest family members felt that they fully understood him. Referring to Bingham's marriage to Alfreda Mitchell, an heiress to the Tiffany jewelry fortune, his son wrote that one "never could be sure how much his love forAlfredawas for herself and how much for her family's money." Nakedly ambitious, Bingham was a man of his age—an era when fortune-hunters ventured into remote parts of the world in search of "lost cities" and when the U.S. was making ever more inroads into Latin America.
Hiram Bingham and the Machu Picchu saga deserve no less than "Cradle of Gold," Christopher Heaney's thorough, engrossing portrait of a mercurial figure at a crucial juncture of his life. In the end, Mr. Heaney pronounces harsh judgments on Bingham's very real flaws—the author, for one thing, sides with detractors who regard Bingham as a terrible archaeologist, even if he was an effective publicist for the profession. But it is a tribute to Mr. Heaney's sense of fairness that different conclusions can be reached through a careful weighing of the material he presents.
Bingham made a total of five expeditions to Latin America. The objective of the third and most important trip was to find Peru's lost Inca city of Vilcabamba. Its existence— along with that of another town, Vitcos—was mentioned by 16th-century Spanish chroniclers. Vilcabamba and Vitcos, in the eastern foothills of the Peruvian Andes, were once part of an empire that stretched as far as Colombia, Chile and northern Argentina. But Inca power, already weakened by political infighting during the 16th century, was no match for the Spanish conquistadores. The beleaguered Incas sought refuge in the forested towns of Vilcabamba and Vitcos.
In the centuries that followed, haciendas and the infamous rubber trade spread across the Cuzco region where Vilcabamba and Vitcos had once hosted the remnants of the Inca empire. The Peruvian state had scant presence there. The few natives who lived near the Inca ruins were not aware of their historical importance. Then, in 1911, Hiram Bingham—a tall, handsome, world-traveling Yale University history lecturer—made his foray in search of Vilcabamba. He embarked on the trip with the backing of Yale, private companies, a few friends and even President William Howard Taft, a fellow Yalie, who assigned a government topographer to accompany the expedition.
When he arrived again in the region, Bingham gathered tips and local lore from a German prospector, a local prefect and others and then set off into the foothills above the jungle. He encountered a Peruvian who suggested that he investigate a ridge leading to a mountain in the distance. Guided by the young son of a local farmer, Bingham climbed to the ridge-top and found, as he later wrote, "a jungle-covered maze of small and large walls, the ruins of buildings made of blocks of white granite, most carefully cut and beautifully fitted together without cement. Surprise followed surprise until there came the realization that we were in the midst of as wonderful ruins as any ever found in Peru."
The peak near the site was called Machu Picchu ("Old Mountain" in the Indians' Quechua language), and so the name was applied to Bingham's extraordinary find. The expedition pushed on the next day as Bingham continued his quest to find Vitcos and Vilcabamba. Several days later Bingham came across hilltop ruins that he recognized as Vitcos. The site was less spectacular than Machu Picchu, but its discovery confirmed the accuracy of the 16th-century Spanish records. "By marrying the historian's archival tools to the explorer's compass and his own magnificent enthusiasm," Mr. Heaney writes, "Bingham had proved that the chronicles could be trusted, and that Inca history was real, not the stuff of myth."
Axiom Photographic Agency/Getty Images
Machu Picchu
.The uncovering of Vitcos encouraged Bingham to keep on looking for Vilcabamba. He traversed a jungle area peopled by the Machiguenga and Asháninka tribes, eventually finding more ruins—but they did not appear promising, and Bingham failed to take them for what they were: Vilcabamba.
The American was initially celebrated in Peru for helping to resurrect Inca history—but the good feelings did not last long. On an expedition in 1912 funded by Yale and National Geographic magazine, Bingham set out to collect Inca artifacts and bring them back to America. Successfully eluding a Peruvian government monitor and resentful locals, his team amassed 5,415 pieces, including human bones, from Machu Picchu and Vitcos. But the price for Bingham's reputation was heavy: He became a pariah in Peru, a country he professed to love, and he was excoriated by his peers for his hasty, haphazard collecting.
Bingham would hide some of the treasure for years because he hadn't obtained Peru's permission to export it, and even the objects he legally sent home to Yale would prove hard to classify because they had been jumbled together and arrived with little information from the site. Yet Bingham gained widespread fame for his Machu Picchu discovery, which he recounted with photographs and articles in National Geographic and in books, including a "runaway best seller" published in 1948, "Lost City of the Incas."
The battle over ownership of the materials Bingham collected has lasted nearly a century, and Mr. Heaney devotes the latter part of his account to the battle's details. At the time of Bingham's expeditions, Peruvian laws covering artifact-collecting were murky. He negotiated complex deals with the government and with land owners, and he made promises to return the artifacts and bones; but he didn't inform Yale of some of his arrangements. Even now a lawsuit is wending its way through a Connecticut court as Peru attempts to force Yale to give up the Bingham material held by the university's Peabody Museum of Natural History. The suit comes at a time when there is increasing pressure on former colonial powers to repatriate historically significant holdings taken from other lands. Some governments, including the U.S., have cooperated with the affected countries. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles have returned artifacts.
Absent from the discussion, however, are the rights of those who own the land on which the discoveries were made or of their ancestors, who may have owned the land lawfully and had it expropriated by their own governments. Very little effort has been given to sorting out the confusing laws prevailing at the time of most long-ago excavations—laws that, in the case of Bingham, were not credibly enforced in any case.
There is little doubt that Bingham bent the rules. But Peru also bore much blame. During the 1912 expedition that produced the bulk of Bingham's collection, the monitor appointed by the government did a dismal job. The monitor's final inventory has never been found, so we don't know what Bingham was cleared to collect. That the material was easily exported required an authorization that the Peruvian government actually gave, despite protests from members of a burgeoning movement to protect the country's cultural heritage. Still, Peru's actions do not excuse Bingham for hiding from his American sponsors his obligation to return much of what he had carted away should the Peruvian government want the pieces back.
.Cradle of Gold
By Christopher Heaney
Palgrave Macmillan, 285 pages, $27
Read an excerpt
.Mr. Heaney praises Bingham for opening up the entire field of Inca studies but otherwise seems to find little to admire in the man. He deplores Bingham's plundering of the ruins, but that's just one of several indictments. Mr. Heaney also chastises Bingham for not recognizing Vilcabamba and instead calling the site Espiritu Pampa. The attack is lame: Espíritu Pampa was confirmed to be Vilcabamba only much later, in the 1960s. Bingham also comes under attack for pumping up Machu Picchu as the "lost city" of the Incas. Maybe Machu Picchu isn't as important as Vilcabamba, but it was certainly a magnificent citadel, an architectural treasure that—aside from a few rumors, a couple of references in obscure maps and perhaps a visit by one or two foreigners over the centuries—was indeed "lost." It was not even mentioned in the Spanish chronicles.
'Cradle of Gold" argues that Bingham, in early accounts of his expeditions, shamefully played down the assistance he received from Peruvians and failed to give sufficient credit to the research on the Incas that had already been done by scholars within the country. The criticism is well-founded—but Bingham corrected some of those omissions in "Lost City of the Incas." Mr. Heaney also criticizes him for using "forced Indian labor." Bingham did indeed operate as something of an autocrat, particularly when recruiting natives who were reluctant to go rooting around in what they regarded as sacred places. But often the Indians willingly set aside their qualms if the money was right.
Mr. Heaney even seems put off by Bingham´s flamboyance, by his ability to reinvent himself as a pilot and a politician after his relationship with Peru soured and his sloppiness as a self-taught archaeologist was exposed. With America on the cusp of entering World War I in 1917, Bingham enrolled in a flying school—partly out of a patriotic spirit but partly, Mr. Heaney says, out of a need for personal grandeur. "Flight reflected the guiding premise of his life: to escape and soar above the crowd." In 1922, Bingham was elected lieutenant governor of Connecticut; two years later he ran for governor, won that race, but then a short time later also won a special election for an open seat in the U.S. Senate. Mr. Heaney says that Bingham "landed in Washington with a splash," wearing "Tiffany-bought finery"—at that point he had been married to Alfreda for more than two decades—and arranging "fabulous photo ops." Bingham once arrived at a committee meeting, we learn, "by landing a blimp on the steps of the Capitol."
As a spouse, a friend and a colleague, Bingham must have been insufferable. He showed little care for his wife, he hogged credit and tended to correct people's pronunciation of foreign words. But his revelation of Machu Picchu's existence has been a cultural and economic blessing for countless Peruvians over the years. The site is "a great engine of identity and prosperity for Cuzco," Mr. Heaney concedes. More than 800,000 tourists visit every year. "Where the family of Bingham's young guide once lived, there is now an $800-a-night hotel." And a luxury train now runs between the city of Cuzco and the town below Machu Picchu. The name of the train? The Hiram Bingham.
Tourists return to Machu Picchu after two month closure due to flooding
MACHU PICCHU, Peru — Tourists are back at Machu Picchu, which reopened after a two-month closure due to floods that washed out the rail link to the mountaintop ruins.
But officials say the entire route is not expected to reopen until June. Until then, tourists can travel by bus from Cuzco to Piscachuco and from there by train to Machu Picchu Pueblo at the base of the ruins.
Peru's No. 1 tourist site had been shut down since late January, when heavy rains disrupted the rail link from the city of Cuzco and trapped some 4,000 tourists, many of whom had to be rescued with helicopters.
Workers have now finished rehabilitating the last 27 kilometres of track, though service has not been restored all the way to Cuzco.
The train is the only form of transportation to the fortress, though hardier tourists can also hike there along the steep Inca Trail.
Machu Picchu, nestled atop a verdant mountain in the Andes, averages 1,500 to 2,000 visitors a day.
But officials say the entire route is not expected to reopen until June. Until then, tourists can travel by bus from Cuzco to Piscachuco and from there by train to Machu Picchu Pueblo at the base of the ruins.
Peru's No. 1 tourist site had been shut down since late January, when heavy rains disrupted the rail link from the city of Cuzco and trapped some 4,000 tourists, many of whom had to be rescued with helicopters.
Workers have now finished rehabilitating the last 27 kilometres of track, though service has not been restored all the way to Cuzco.
The train is the only form of transportation to the fortress, though hardier tourists can also hike there along the steep Inca Trail.
Machu Picchu, nestled atop a verdant mountain in the Andes, averages 1,500 to 2,000 visitors a day.
Machu Picchu reopens to visitors
Peru's Machu Picchu reopened to visitors this week, two months after torrential rains disrupted access to the famous archaeological site.
Though the Andean citadel itself escaped damage, the January landslides and flooding destroyed the rail line that takes most tourists from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, a town at the base of the ancient Inca stronghold and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The rains also closed the Inca Trail, a four-day trek to Machu Picchu that's considered one of the world's most iconic hiking routes.
While track repairs continue through June, visitors must travel about two hours from Cusco to Piscacucho by bus, then continue by train for another hour and a half to the Aguas Calientes station. (Luggage will be limited to one small bag or backpack per person.)
Hikers can again access the Inca Trail, though they must have a return train ticket and "it will be a little more challenging than usual" because of storm-related debris, says Peru tourism spokeswoman Amalia Meliti.
Machu Picchu, rediscovered by the outside world after U.S. explorer Hiram Bingham's 1911 visit, is one of South America's top tourism attractions. Access is normally limited to 2,500 visitors per day; a maximum of 500 hikers per day can use the Inca Trail. But for an unspecified period, Peru's National Institute of Culture will also ration the number of entrance tickets to the citadel and Inca Trail; reservations for the trail are sold out through May.
For more information and updates, visit Prom Peru (peru.info), the South American Explorers Club (saexplorers.org) or the English-language Peruvian Times
Though the Andean citadel itself escaped damage, the January landslides and flooding destroyed the rail line that takes most tourists from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, a town at the base of the ancient Inca stronghold and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The rains also closed the Inca Trail, a four-day trek to Machu Picchu that's considered one of the world's most iconic hiking routes.
While track repairs continue through June, visitors must travel about two hours from Cusco to Piscacucho by bus, then continue by train for another hour and a half to the Aguas Calientes station. (Luggage will be limited to one small bag or backpack per person.)
Hikers can again access the Inca Trail, though they must have a return train ticket and "it will be a little more challenging than usual" because of storm-related debris, says Peru tourism spokeswoman Amalia Meliti.
Machu Picchu, rediscovered by the outside world after U.S. explorer Hiram Bingham's 1911 visit, is one of South America's top tourism attractions. Access is normally limited to 2,500 visitors per day; a maximum of 500 hikers per day can use the Inca Trail. But for an unspecified period, Peru's National Institute of Culture will also ration the number of entrance tickets to the citadel and Inca Trail; reservations for the trail are sold out through May.
For more information and updates, visit Prom Peru (peru.info), the South American Explorers Club (saexplorers.org) or the English-language Peruvian Times
The Canine God of Machu Picchu
Open for business after apocalyptic flooding hid it once again from the outside world, Peru's ancient city in the clouds is ready to reveal its mysteries to patient travellers.
With the recent reopening of the ancient Incan citadel-city of Machu Picchu to tourists comes hope for the region’s battered economy, which is estimated to have lost a million dollars a day since heavy rains and flooding in late January stranded 4,000 vacationers and forced a two-month shutdown of the world famous attraction. I was lucky enough to visit just before the calamity struck.
The first stop on any trip to Machu Picchu is Cuzco, an 11,000 foot high city founded in the 12th century, according to legend, when the first Incan king found a spot where he could plunge a golden rod into the Earth until it disappeared. Thus was born a city which, in the Incan language of Quechua, literally means “naval of the world.” Although the gold and riches Incan royalty draped over the city’s temples and palaces was plundered by the Spanish not long after their conquest in 1532, treasure of another sort awaits sightseers today: a fully intact Spanish colonial city built directly on top of distinctive Incan architecture. Throughout the city, keen eyes catch glimpses of large, smooth stonework carved and assembled miraculously without benefit of mortar. This jigsaw puzzle work is easily seen in the ruins of the Sun temple of Qorikancha and along the narrow alley of Loreto, just off the main Plaza de Armas.
While trying to imagine what Cuzco was like when the Incans ruled much of South America, and then how it changed when the Spanish arrived, it’s not hard to see that today, the ruling authority are the dollars and euros shelled out by tourists. The main Plaza de Armas is clogged with vendors hawking horseback rides, Chullo hats made from Alpaca wool and photos with colorfully-dressed native women holding baby Llamas. To escape from all this, we chose our accommodations with care, ending up at La Casona, just a short uphill walk along a cobblestoned alley off the main plaza.
Housed in a colonial manor house believed to be one of the first Spanish constructions in the city, La Casona is a retreat from the bustle outside that reminds you you’re in a city almost unique in the world. Original Incan walls and colonial additions are obvious throughout the property, which has only 11 suites surrounding a central courtyard. It strikes a balance between evocative luxury and laid-back comfort, almost as if Spanish nobility had invited you for a few days stay. If any hotel can tempt you off the fascinating streets of this unique city, it’s this one.
Once our altitude sickness subsided (it took less than a day) and our imaginations were stoked by tales of Incan splendor, we set out for Machu Picchu. A three-hour train ride took us through some of the most spectacular scenery we’ve ever glimpsed from inside a train coach. Snow-capped Andean peaks and raging rivers alternated with lush agricultural land and the occasional ruined hints of civilizations long past. At the end of it all is Aguas Calientes, a small town whose sole purpose is to funnel (and profit from) two thousand tourists each day on their way up the mountain to the once lost Incan city.
If Aguas Calientes is an unfortunately necessary stop on the journey to Machu Picchu, we were fortunate enough to experience the town’s one bright spot: the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, an ecologically-friendly collection of 85 casitas spread across 12 lush rainforested acres just a short walk from the train station, this is a perfect spot to relax with a cup of coca tea in front of a fireplace, or indulge in a bamboo-and-eucalyptus sauna while contemplating the adventure in front of you: an ascent to one of the world’s most mysterious archaeological sites.
A typical day at Machu Picchu starts very early…in our case: 5 am, when we trudged down to the ticket office to grab seats on one of the first buses up the mountain. By getting out of bed before sunrise, we arrived at the gates of the site in relative quiet and tranquility, before the hordes of day-trippers loaded in behind us. As beautiful, intriguing and ethereal as Machu Picchu is, it’s easily overrun by tour groups, even if visits are limited to 2500 people a day.
Once inside the gates, we were met by a disappointing sight: clouds. Sitting at an 8,000 foot elevation, and tucked between high Andean peaks to the West and continental rainforests to the East, this spot is prone to unpredictable cloud cover almost any day of the year. But the weather only added to the mystery. Shifting shadows and sunlight alternately revealed and concealed bits and pieces of the massive city at the whim of invisible air currents. Each brief tease only encouraged us to probe deeper into the maze of temples, tombs, baths and houses.
Arriving early also gave us access to passes (limited to 400 each day) to climb the steep and slippery trail up Wayna Picchu, the peak that towers an additional 1100 feet over the southern end of the city. It’s a slow and exhausting hour-long climb that sometimes requires the assistance of metal cables embedded into the rock alongside the narrow pathways. Once we reached the top, the site’s true magic went to work.
Perched high above and out of the reach of the tour groups now filling the city below, our small band of patient adrenaline junkies waited for the thick clouds, now below us, to part. Hours passed and the group dwindled, as hikers one-by-one conceded that today was not their day. As I crouched with my camera pointing a direction I could only hope was back toward Machu Picchu, my partner marveled over an almost inexplicable discovery: a lone, wet, bedraggled stray dog. Human beings can barely make it up this summit with the help of modern transportation; how this creature managed the feat was inconceivable.
To pass the time, my partner began feeding the pup leftover scraps of bacon and sausage from the to-go breakfast our hotel had prepared for us. Suddenly, a shout of shock and elation went up from the few hearty trekkers still perched on rocks around the peak. The clouds had suddenly parted, revealing the enigmatic and awe-inspiring splendor over a thousand feet below us. It was a moment that truly defied words and reduced us to sighs and soft gasps of disbelief. And just as suddenly as they parted, the clouds closed in again and blotted out the vision that almost immediately we started doubting we actually saw. As we turned to start our descent, I gave the dog a good scratch behind the ears, dropped the rest of the bacon in front of him as an offering, and thanked what I now remember as the canine god of Machu Picchu.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Machu Picchu formally reopens after two-month closure
Tourism Vice minister Mara Seminario says hundreds of foreign tourists have entered the famed Inca citadel following its official reopening Thursday morning. Actress Susan Sarandon took part in the reopening ceremony.
The 15th century Inca ruin is the most visited site in Latin America
Floods in late January disrupted the only rail link from Cuzco to the ruins, trapping some 4,000 tourists, many of whom had to be rescued with helicopters. Peru lost roughly £131 million in revenue because of the closure, according to the country's tourism minister.
The railway linking the site to the rest of the country was damaged in hundreds of places by the flooding and landslides.
The Tourism Observatory had warned that Peru stood to lose up to 0.64 percent of GDP if tourism declined, with particularly serious repercussions for Cusco, where some 175,000 people make a living in the industry.
More than 2,000 tourists from all over the world visit Machu Picchu every day, tourism ministry officials said.
The 15th century Inca ruin is the most visited site in Latin America
Floods in late January disrupted the only rail link from Cuzco to the ruins, trapping some 4,000 tourists, many of whom had to be rescued with helicopters. Peru lost roughly £131 million in revenue because of the closure, according to the country's tourism minister.
The railway linking the site to the rest of the country was damaged in hundreds of places by the flooding and landslides.
The Tourism Observatory had warned that Peru stood to lose up to 0.64 percent of GDP if tourism declined, with particularly serious repercussions for Cusco, where some 175,000 people make a living in the industry.
More than 2,000 tourists from all over the world visit Machu Picchu every day, tourism ministry officials said.
Susan Sarandon vacations with new beau in Machupicchu
Susan Sarandon has been spotted vacationing with her business partner, according to People.
The actress, 63, and Bricklin, 31, were photographed on Thursday riding a train to Machu Pichu in Peru. Sarandon was scheduled to attend the reopening of the Inca ruin, which heavy rainfall had shut down for two months.
The pair are co-investors in the New York City ping-pong bar SPiN and, according to media reports, are romantically involved. Bricklin has denied this claim.
"She's amazing and I'm so lucky to be her business partner," Bricklin said. "We have a great relationship... She's one of my closest friends now. But as far as a romantic relationship, we are not having one."
In December, Sarandon split from her longtime partner Tim Robbins and has allegedly begun dating.
Machu Picchu reopens
Train services to Machu Picchu reopened this week after the railway was damaged during severe floods in late January. Tour operators have also begun offering trips to the ancient citadel again.
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