South America - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 248

sight, not least - like Machu Picchu - because
of its incredible setting, high on a ridge above
the Apurimac River Valley and surrounded by
towering snow-capped peaks.
This is not a trek for the faint-hearted, but if
you choose your timing well and conditions are
right, your reward is a spectacular adventure.
Arduous it may be, but by the time you arrive
at this spectacular ruin, you know it has been
worth every ounce of unconventional effort.

Toacazo and Sigchos. Check with the owners
about local conditions before deciding which to
take, especially in the rainy season. Eventually
you'll reach the village of Chugchilán and the
remote setting of the inn itself, perched on a
hillside with magnificent views of patchwork
fields and cloud forest.
Over the last fifteen years, the inn's two
American owners have developed their property
into a showcase for small-scale ecotourism:
each room has recycling facilities and the lodge
harvests rainwater and has a permaculture
garden. Black Sheep Inn also has an excellent
relationship with the nearby villagers, striking
a comfortable balance between using their
products and services while not changing their
way of life for the sake of tourism. Volunteers
come here to learn how ecotourism works
and staying here is like being part of one big
family: everyone eats together around a large
table in the main lodge, tucking into delicious
vegetarian meals followed by a spot of communal
stargazing.
The pick of the many local hikes is the trek
to Laguna Quilotoa, which includes visiting
the indigenous village of Guayama, and
descends via several switchback trails down
to Río Toachi, known as the Grand Canyon of
Ecuador. But if you really want to experience
rural Andean life, take a bus to some of the
local villages - though note that you're likely
to share the ride with chickens, pigs and sheep.
The area is popular for horse-riding (a local
from Chugchilán runs trips across the páramo )
and for mountain biking along the canyon's
edge. The inn offers a ten percent discount if
you arrive by bike, but if you've managed to
cycle all this way, you should demand you get
first dibs on the home-made chocolate brownies
and banana bread, which are free for guests.
Sound like family life?

Need to know May to September is the dry season
in Peru (April & Oct are usually dry during the day
with some rain at night). Whichever route you take,
ensure you include at least three days at altitude
before starting the trek, to acclimatize. This should
be at a minimum of 3000m above sea level - most
people spend it in Cusco (3400m) or at Lake Titicaca
(3800m). For details of alternative treks to the Inca
Trail see W www.apus-peru.com; T [phone].
Details of porters' rights in Peru and elsewhere are at
W www.ippg.net.

327 Be one of tHe family at
tHe Black SHeeP inn, ecuador

Most visitors to Ecuador have to make a choice
between which side of the country they have
time to explore: either east into the Amazon
Rainforest or south and west to the Andes
and the Pacific Coast. The Black Sheep Inn
- perched on a hillside just outside the rural
Andean village of Chugchilán in central
Ecuador - is for those who choose to head for
the mountains.
Whether you come here by bike, bus or taxi, the
journey up to the inn is an adventure in itself
- negotiating wild backroads over mountain
passes, passing llamas along the way. On a
clear day you'll see the imposing peak of Mount
Cotopaxi (5897m), the highest active volcano in
the world. There are two routes to the inn from
Quito via the busy Pan-American Highway:
the southern route via Latacunga, Pujilí and
Zumbahua (past the emerald crater Laguna
Quilotoa) and the trickier northern route via

Need to know There are twice-daily buses from
Quito (4-5hr) or you could share a private 4WD
taxi for around US$100. For prices, activities and
details of local transport see W www.blacksheepinn.
com; T [phone].