Machu Picchu - Apurimac - Salcantay Combo
“Hi, Marc!
Yes, I survived very well! You said I would be “well taken care of” and you were so right! It was a fabulous trip and everything was perfect: the itinerary, historical sites, education, guides, food (a totally unexpected and wonderful surprise), the Peruvians and the other tourists in my groups. Even the weather was perfect. The experience was unbelievably wonderful. Thanks for a wonderful trip.”
Wende Lathrum - Peru July 2006
MACHU PICCHU - APURIMAC RIVER - SALCANTAY COMBO TRIP - 14 Days
Visiting the Inca palaces at Machu Picchu in Peru, rafting the Apurimac River and then hiking the Inca Trail to historic Salcantay offers adventurers a unique combination of stimulation for the mind and the body! The grandeur of Machu Picchu combined with the startling views of the Apurimac River’s deep granite gorge juxtaposed by this river's inviting white sand beaches and world class white water make this Peru adventure vacation one of the best in the world!
This Bio Bio Peru adventure begins in the historic seat of the Inca civilization. Cusco where we acclimatize to the elevation (11.000 feet), explore the ancient city and take an excursion up to the ruins called Sacsayhuaman is lead by one of our local guides. Here at Sacsayhuaman, you will see stone blocks 8.5 meters high weighing more than 361 tons. It has been said that these ruins are one of the most astounding megalithic structures of the ancient world; however, these ruins are only a preview of what you will see at Machu Picchu!
Following our time in Cusco, we start our journey driving to the put-in for the Apurimac River, an upper tributary of the Amazon river. During the next three days, we will run numerous Class IV rapids and one Class V rapid in a magnificent gorge. We camp each night on the white sand beaches next to the river, enjoying delicious meals cooked over an open fire.
After our takeout from the Apurimac River, we return to Cusco and begin our trek around Salcantay Peak to the Inca Trail. On this three day hiking extension to our eleven day Machu Picchu - Inca Trail - Apurimac River Combo Adventure, we circumnavigate around the breathtaking 20,574 ft. Salcantay peak before connecting to the Inca Trail. Capped with a spectacular glacier and towering over the Andes, Salcantay is the highest peak in the region. This mountain was revered by the Incas as a sacred peak and it’s easy to see why. Once on the Inca Trail, we visit archeological sights at Wilkaray and admire the incredible views of the snow capped mountain of Wecheywilk. Our trek will also include vistas of Inca agricultural terraces and many smaller ruins along the way.
The following day, we pass through the incredible cloud forests of Yunkachimpa and Corralpunku and slowly work our way up to our first 14,000 foot pass. The views are stunning at this elevation and we can imagine the view of these peaks as seen by a condor, soaring above amongst the clouds. We descend down to the ruins at Runkurakay where we camp under the stars. On day eight, we climb up to our second pass at 13,000 feet, visiting the archeological sites of Sayacmara located at the edge of the jungle. Plant and bird life become more varied as incredible views of the Urubamba river valley surround us.
At sunrise the next morning, we begin our historic trek to Machu Picchu – the lost city of the Incas. A well earned visit with the Ancient Inca city awaits us! After exploring the many temples, Inca stonework and other relics of Machu Picchu village life, we transfer by bus to Aguas Calientes, a charming town nestled into the mountainside over the Urubamba river gorge. Our last day, we have more time to visit the ruins of Machu Picchu before we take a scenic train ride back to Cusco.
To Reserve Your Spot email us at info@bbxrafting.com or call 1-800-246-7238 now!
Machu Picchu is a perfectly preserved Inca city that was lost in the dense jungle for hundreds of years. Machu Picchu or “ancient peak” is perhaps the most famous and awe-inspiring of all the ruins discovered in the 20th century. Discovered less than a century ago, Machu Picchu allows us to step back in time and experience the wonder of living in a stone hewn ancient Inca city.
The whole of Peru was once criss-crossed with Inca and pre-Inca highways paved with thick interlocking blocks of stone. Sometimes these highways followed the valleys, but just as often they traversed the high mountain sides, tracing impossible pathways and forming narrow ledges over the bottomless gorges of the Andes. The trails were built for men on foot and lightly burdened llamas. Frequently, their gradients gave way to steps, tunnels and long zig-zag trajectories down steep faces.
The Inca Trail was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1915. The part of the trail that we trek along was formerly the royal highway to Machu Picchu. Few relatively short hikes in the world can offer such variety of scenery, staggering views, and such a mix of jungle and high sierra. Certainly no other walk known to us will lead you along an ancient highway from one secluded ruin to another, each in a breathtaking setting, each almost perfectly preserved, offering shelter, solitude, and views that no pen or camera can ever adequately record.
If the Incas were the Romans of pre-Columbian America, Cusco was their Rome. The Incas built a vast empire that stretched from modern Ecuador and Colombia to southern Chile. The empire, much larger in size than any previous new world empire, was called Tawantinsuyo - the “Four Quarters of the Earth.” Cusco was the heart of the empire, and its exact center was considered to be the main square of the city.
Cusco today is still laid out much as it was in Inca times. Seen from above, it takes the form of a puma, with the river Tullumay forming its spine, Sacsayhuaman the head, and the main city center the body. The center, the torso, was a tongue of land bordered on the east side by the Tullumay and on the West by the Huatanay (these two rivers now run under concrete). Cusco was more than just a capital city to the Incas and the millions of subjects in their realm. Cusco was a Holy city, a place of pilgrimage that was as important to the Quechuas as Mecca is to Moslems.
Cusco is a thriving market place where goods and services of all kinds imaginable meet the eye. The city has an impact on all the senses, as all the city sounds greet our ears and aromas of spicy local kitchens tantalize our noses. We observe truly colorful people displaying their wares as they busily draw our attention. Merchants smile and make a sale with characteristic cheerfulness. One place to relax and appreciate all the city has to offer is the “Plaza De Armas”, where on the second floor balconied terraces of the restaurants you can enjoy a beer or a cool drink and see the action from above.