Camino Inca

Inca trail and other caminos andino, or ancient trails of the Andes mountains notably in Peru, continue to lure overseas visitors and trekkers in particular. The finest staging points into the interior of the Andes in Peru are Huancayo, Huaraz and Cusco.

The three common denominators of the above three towns is their altitude and prominent location in the Andes. Each is found in elevations over 11,000 feet above sea level and amidst dazzling environment and on important ancient as well as present day routes.

The northernmost of the three is Huaraz. It’s close proximity to Lima offers convenient and impressive entry into the heartland of High Andes. Located in the stunning Callejon de Huaylas Valley with towering snowcapped peaks rising on all sides, the area is known for its wonderful mountain scenery which is often compared to that of the Swiss Alps. Huascaran, Peru’s highest mountain, and its mesmerizing neighbor, Alpamayo, bewitch and in every sense of the word rival the most spectacular peaks of the Himalayas.

In central highlands of the Andes the place to see is the striking Valley of Mantaro. Huancayo is its as well as Peru’s key market town and a junction. The most memorable entrance to Huancayo can be made by train that follows a rail line over Ticlio Pass of 15,700 feet above sea level, the highest railroad mountain pass in the Peruvian Andes, an elevation that is nearly 1500 feet higher than the very top of the Rocky Mountains!

The last of the three 11,000-feet plus high towns in the Andes is Cusco. Of the three it is undoubtedly most visited on account serving as the key access point for Machu Picchu. But its prominence is not only in relationship to the Inca culture that permeates it but the art and architectural monuments of the Colonial era that are well represented as well.

Each of the above towns is blessed with wonderful Andes mountain climate of sunny blue skies and suitable to visit throughout the year with the exception of the rainy season December to March.

Severe rainfall in Peru recently has caused landslides along the railway line from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, making it impossible for trains to reach or depart Aguas Calientes, the access point for Machu Picchu, resulting in many tourists being stranded at the legendary site of the Incas.

The heavy rains caused severe damage to the 122-kilometer long railway infrastructure between Cuzco, Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes. While work to restore rail service into Machu Picchu has commenced and rains have in part subsided, it is a rainy season in Peru and the inclement weather will continue to adversely affect the repairs.

Tours operators have assisted in the evacuation operations of their stranded clients as well as other travelers caught buy the rains in the area. The Cuzco local government, Peruvian national government, the US embassy and the Peru Rail have all provided helicopters to evacuate the tourists from Machu Picchu to Ollantaytambo, from where they can be safely then transferred by road to Cuzco.

Although more than ten helicopters have been involved in the evacuations, weather conditions have slowed down the evacuations. Full evacuation of all travelers from Machu Picchu is expected to be completed this weekend. Though stranded at the Machu Picchu ruins the tourists stay at local lodges and medical services have been provided by the Peruvian army.

To restore the railway line may take at least another week although the engineers of the Orient Express owned company that leases and operates the railway infrastructure between Cuzco, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu have inspected the tracks and announced that complete reconstruction works will take minimum three to eight weeks.

The sector from Ollantaytambo to Piscacucho, fully accessible by road from Ollantaytambo, is expected to last the longest, with service to be restored no earlier than early April. Piscacucho is only a short distance from Ollantaytambo in direction of Machu Picchu and serves as the trail head of the four-day Inca Trail.

Whether you plan to shop for some Ketchua (Quechua) woolens or handicrafts at the Otavalo Market or just wish to take pictures, this well-known market is a must when visiting Ecuador.

While the Incas made Cuzco the center of their world, the Inca empire stretched along the spine of the Andes from Ecuador to Chile and Argentina, connected by a network of stone-paved roads that spanned distance of some 2500 miles. Though most of the once meticulously constructed roads has been engulfed by nature, some parts remain to this day with the most well-known of the Inca trails being the one leading from the Urubamba Valley to Machu Picchu. If following in the footsteps of the Incas is your forte, do not overlook the northernmost of the Inca trails, the El Camino del Inca from Achupallas to Ingapirca, or the Inca Trail of Ecuador.

The Inca highway of Ecuador constitutes a rewarding trek for any reasonably fit trekker, young or old, capable of walking 10 to 15 miles per day. Being just under 30 miles long, the trek is easily done as 2-nights, 3-day trek. The trailhead is at Achupallas, a small town about 10 miles east of Alausi on the main Ecuador highway #35.

Alausi is east of Guayaquil, north of Cuenca, south of Quito. From either city you can reach Alausi by road, from Quito also by train with fine views of the Andes to the east. The ideal access is from Cuenca, the capital of the southern highlands, and also the main access point for the excellent Cajas National Park (Parque Nacional Cajas.) From Alausi take local transport to Achupallas.

Starting from Achupallas you will be trekking south, first along Cadrul river, slowly gaining elevation, with beautiful panorama of Cerro Mapahuina (14,325 ft) to the east. First night’s camp is best made at Laguna Las Tres Cruces at elevation of just below 13,000 feet.

The next day the trail ascends to Tres Cruses Pass, the trek’s highest point at 14,275 feet. Beyond the pass the trail follows the ridge of Chuchilla Tres Cruces, continuing gently downhill to Laguna Culebrillas where you can camp for the second night.

From Laguna Culebrillas the trail brings you back into populated area with farms and small villages of San Jose and El Rodeo. Ingapirca, the terminus and highlight of the trek, lies further on.

The trail passes along noticeably paved sections of Inca road, including a few stepped sections, several minor ruins of Inca structures, most notable of which is the site of Peredones on a hill overlooking the Culebrillas lake.

Once in Ingapirca visit the Inca site, hailed archeologically as the most important Inca site in Ecuador. Dating from the mid 15th century the site is located atop a rocky outcrop at over 10,000 feet above sea level. The ruins are dominated by an oval structure in the core of the settlement, the Adoratorio, a devotional structure built by the Incas to Inti, the Sun god and the ancestor of the Incas, hence the Sun temple.

From Ingapirca you can take a local transport to El Tambo or Canar on the main north-south highway and from there connect to Cuenca or back to Quito.

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