Trekking the inca trail - Peru - page 82

For a luxury approach, Mountain Lodges of Peru ( 84-26-2640; mountain-
lodgesofperu.com ; per person US$2390-2990) offers high-quality guiding with accom-
modations in comfortable lodges with outdoor Jacuzzis. Prices vary according to high and
low seasons.
Inca Jungle Trail: Back Door to Machu Picchu
Dreamed up by outfitters and guides, this multisport route between Cuzco and Machu Pic-
chu travels via Santa Teresa with options to bike, hike and raft your way in two to five
days. The number of days and activities vary, but the backbone of tours on offer is the
same.
The trip starts with a long, four- to five-hour drive from Cuzco to Abra Málaga - the
high (4350m) pass between Ollantaytambo and the Amazon Basin. Somewhere on the
Amazon side you'll board mountain bikes for the long ride down to Santa María. Starting
on a paved road that turns to dirt after about 20km, it's an incredibly scenic descent from
the glacial to the tropical, up to 71km total.
Some operators walk the 23km from Santa María to Santa Teresa; others send you by
vehicle (one hour), arguing that it's not a particularly interesting hike, though there is a
short section of preconquest camino de hierro (iron road) - the Inca version of a super-
highway.
Either way you'll arrive in Santa Teresa to the welcome spectacle of the Cocalmayo hot
springs. Some companies include rafting near Santa Teresa; Click here .
From Santa Teresa, you can walk the 20km to Machu Picchu, 12km of it along train
tracks. There's nice river scenery but no particular attraction and it's usually dusty and
hot. Alternatively, you can catch a bus and a train. You may reverse this route to get back
to Cuzco, but it's much quicker to catch the train via the Sacred Valley.
Many varieties of this trip exist, and bare-bones versions may not include hotels or
entry fees, so read the fine print. Whether you stay in a tent or a hostel, key factors in the
trip price are bike quality, professional English-speaking guides and whether you walk or
catch the train to Aguas Calientes. A three-day/two-night trip costs around US$379, and
usually includes a guided tour of Machu Picchu and return train ticket to Ollantaytambo.
Gravity Peru ( 84-22-8032; www.gravityperu.com ; Santa Catalina Ancha 398,
Cuzco) offers the best-quality bikes. Other respected operators include Reserv Cusco (
84-26-1548; www.reserv-cusco-peru.com ; Plateros 326, Cuzco) and X-treme Tourbu-
lencia ( 84-22-4362; www.x-tremetourbulencia.com ; Plateros 358, Cuzco) .