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.

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.

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.

Most travelers to southern South America will arrive in Buenos Aires and begin their trip from there. Although many profess wanting to tour Argentina, it seems one of the first places most wish to visit is Torres del Paine National Park. There is no question that Torres del Paine is a spectacular park, but the fact is it is in Chile and not Argentina and so it’s best to decide whether one may not be better off to trek Cerro Torre and Mount Fitz Roy in Argentina rather than Torres del Paine.

Though to fly from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, in the heart of Argentine Patagonia, and overland from there, is geographically straight and shortest way to get to Torres del Paine, the transportation to the park is not exactly convenient nor overabundant and if time is of essence this may be an issue. There is public bus from El Calafate to Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas one can catch and hop off it at the park’s entry, and private transfers are available as well though not plentiful nor cheap.

Without a doubt the best access to Torres del Paine is from Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales, south of Torres del Paine in Chilean Patagonia. Of course this poses a bit of a dilemma if starting from Buenos Aires. To get to Punta Arenas can be done either by flight via Santiago de Chile or by going to Bariloche in the heart of Argentine Andes first and from there overland across the Andes Lakes District to Puerto Montt and fly to Punta Arenas from there.

If going to Punta Arenas via Santiago may seem like a cumbersome detour, then add a stop and break up the trip by visiting Mendoza first. Mendoza is an easy flight from Buenos Aires and on the way to Santiago. In Mendoza you can tour the best wineries of the region, sample local dishes, lodge at some wonderful hotels, and after three or four days continue on to Santiago.

A better alternative is indeed to forget Torres del Paine altogether, tailor it into your itinerary on a future trip focusing on Chile only, and instead proceed from El Calafate to El Chalten, a base town for treks into the wilds of the incredible Cerro Torre and Mount Fitz Roy. If you are on a limited time, from El Chalten you can head back to El Calafate and return to Buenos Aires from there.