Peru - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 762

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for two to five hours by bus and/or train
before arriving at Aguas Calientes from
the end point of your trail.

meet the trains to Aguas Calientes (check
for the latest schedule), which then go on
to Machu Picchu.
If you're with a tour, on the first day
you'll go by private bus to Abra Málaga,
the high point between Ollantaytambo
and Santa María, before going on an
exhilarating four-hour downhill ride to
Santa María and then proceeding to
Santa Teresa the next day.

Espíritu Pampa/Vilcabamba
To visit the least frequented but most
rewarding of the alternative Inca Trails,
Espíritu Pampa or Vilcabamba , believed
to be the last stronghold of the Inca, deep
in the jungle and as remote as it gets, you
need ten to sixteen days. Only accessible
in the dry season, the trail begins at
Huancacalle, 60km east of Machu
Picchu, from where you can visit the sites
of Vitcos (a huge fortress) and Yurac
Rumi (the White Rock - a huge rock
with steps and seats carved into it,
thought to have been used for ceremonial
purposes). It usually takes around three
days to trek to the site of Vilcabamba,
which is mostly covered by jungle
vegetation. It is a further day's walk to
the village of Kiteni , from where there is
regular transport to Quillabamba (6hr);
regular buses from Quillabamba go to
Cusco (7-9hr). It is highly recommended
that you hire a local guide and arrieros
in Huancacalle.

Nazca and the
South Coast
The south has been populated as long
as anywhere in Peru and for at least nine
thousand years in some places. With
the discovery and subsequent study,
beginning in 1901, of ancient sites
throughout the coastal zone, it now
seems clear that this was home to at
least three major cultures: the Paracas
(500 BC-400 AD), the influential
Nazca (500-800 AD) and finally, the
Ica or Chincha Empire (1000-1450 AD),
which was overrun by and absorbed into
Pachacutec's mushrooming Inca Empire
in the fifteenth century.
The area has a lot to offer the modern
traveller: the enduring mystery of the
enigmatic Nazca Lines , the desert beauty
of the Paracas National Reserve and
wildlife haven of the Ballestas Islands , as
well as the tranquil oasis of Huacachina
- the essential stop on the gringo trail
around Peru for dune-buggying and
sandboarding trips on the immense
dunes that surround it.

THE INKA JUNGLE TRAIL
The Inka Jungle Trail lasts three to four
days, going south to Machu Picchu via
the peaceful jungle towns of Santa Teresa
and Santa María. The name is a
misnomer, as the trail runs through
cloudforest rather than jungle. Tours
consist of a mixture of walking and
mountain biking, and are ideal for people
who want activity but without spending
too much money.
A great way to save some extra soles is to
do the trail independently. From Cusco
you take a bus towards Quillabamba and
get off at Santa María (5-6hr; S15; S30 by
minivan); the town is pretty unattractive
and it is not advised to stay overnight.
Instead, you can easily hop onto a taxi
heading to Santa Teresa (1hr; S15), where
there is plenty of cheap accommodation
and some wonderful natural hot springs
(S10) outside town. Combis (30min; S2)
from Santa Teresa run daily to take
workers to the hydroelectric plant and

PISCO, PARACAS RESERVE AND
BALLESTAS ISLANDS
The town of PISCO , devastated by
a powerful earthquake in 2007, has little
to offer the visitor, as it is largely industrial.
It's possible to use it as a jumping-off point
for visiting the nearby Paracas Reserve
and Ballestas Islands , though it's more
convenient to stay in the seaside village
of El Chaco , the launching point for boat
tours to the islands, inside the reserve itself.