Inca Jungle

DESCRIPTION:

This is not only an alternative Inca Trail, it is the most original and exclusive, following paths only recently discovered. The Inca Jungle trail can be done in either three or four days and is a mixture of both biking and hiking to Machu Picchu. It is suitable for anyone with a sense of adventure and curiosity.

ITINERARY:

DAY 1 : CUSCO TO SANTA MARIA

Adventurers will be picked up early morning and driven through the stunning Sacred Valley, cradle of the Inca civilization and dropped off at the 4,316m high Abra Malaga. Here bikers will change in to the kit provided by us (gloves, elbow pads, knee pads, helmets and goggles) following a 20 minute briefing by our experienced tour guide. Then the fun commences…freewheeling down quiet but challenging roads, past changing landscapes and ice capped mountains, you will not want to catch your breath until the first pit stop in Alfamayo, some 30 km. from your starting point. Here you can enjoy your box lunch provided by us, while taking in the endless panoramas.

After a quick change and a dab of insect repellant, it is onwards and downwards towards Huamanmarca, site of a recently discovered archaeological Inca finding. Your tour guide will provide the historical background and the rest you can fill in for yourselves! Carry on descending to 1500 meters, while the jungle´s edge rears up and the small but charming town of Santa Maria looms on the horizon. Browse the Internet, buy provisions or just rest your legs and enjoy a cold beer before dinner, traditional Peruvian food, served hot. This night you can have a hot shower at a family run hostel and sleep in either single, double or three bed rooms.

Optional activity: Rafting 2 hours from Santa Maria (cost $40).

Availability dependent on season and number of people in group.

DAY 2 : SANTA MARIA TO SANTA TERESA

Rise at 5.30am, shake off your weary limbs and enjoy the finest indigenous coffee prepared by your landlady for breakfast which is at 6am. Under dawn skies you will begin your walk, which gets progressively steeper, until arriving at the welcoming family restaurant in Santa Rosa, where you can relax in hammocks, admiring the coca plantations and take on refreshments while being entertained by the family monkey. After a short while you will reach the real Inca Trail, which winds around precipitous slopes and sheer drops for approximately half a mile. Be warned this is not for people who suffer from vertigo! The descent continues for just over two hours until you reach Qellomayo, a pueblito, where you will have lunch. Make sure you have saved enough energy for the final stretch, a riverside walk beside the Rio Vilcanota until reaching the charming lodge of Santa Teresa. Here you should sleep well after a good dinner.

Tip - Ask your guide about the gorgeous hot springs in Santa Teresa!

Optional Activity - Canopy - South America`s highest Zip Lines. Just 15 minutes from Santa Teresa. Duration roughly 2 hours. Price $40. If you wish to do this please reserve when buying tour.

DAY 3 : SANTA TERESA TO AGUAS CALIENTES

We will wake at 7:30 am aproximately and have a delitious breakfast we will Cross hanging bridges and we will move in a barrage on the River Vilcanota, noting along the way wide variety of wildlife. We will find waterfalls from glaciers see also coca and coffee plantations we test our adventure and adrenaline. Staying overnight in Aguas Calientes in a hostal.

DAY 4: MACHU PICCHU TO CUSCO

An early rise today, as you will take the first bus to MachuPicchu at 5.30am, reaching Machu Picchu at 6am, which with luck will coincide with a beautiful sunrise! Your guide will leave no stones unturned but feel free to challenge their knowledge of Inca history. Afterwards you have free time to dally with the llamas and show off your photographic skills. Those who still have the will can tackle Wayna Picchu, which actually looks down on Machu Picchu. A frequent bus service takes visitors back to Aguas Calientes, where you will catch the train to Ollantaytambo and then the bus to Cusco.

INCLUDED:

Professional, bilingual guide for the whole tour

First Aid kit

3 breakfasts,3 lunches, 3 diners

3 nights accommodation in hostels

Pick up from your hotel on day 1

Transport from Cusco to Abra Malaga

Mountain bikes full suspension, gloves, helmets

Entrance to Machu Picchu

Train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo

Transport from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.

NOT INCLUDED:

Breakfast on the first day

Final lunch in Aguas Calientes

Bus from Aguas Calientes to Machupicchu (optional US$8 each way)

Entrance to the hot springs of Aguas Calientes.

WHAT TO BRING :

Small backpack (we can store your large backpacks securely in locked room free of charge)

Rain gear - jacket & trousers or rain poncho (can be purchased in Cusco)

Hiking boots

Sandals or flip flops (comfortable for the evenings)

Wind jacket

Fleece

Camera, films & batteries (can be charged in hostels on the way - don´t forget your adaptor)

Hat to protect from the sun, rain and cold

Sun block

Sunglasses

Water bottle

Swimming suit & towel (for the hot springs in Santa Teresa or Aguas Calientes)

Personal medical kit

Change of clothing

Insect repellent – minimum recommended 20% DEET – no malaria risk has been reported

Toilet paper

Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits

Cash in Soles and/ or US$  min.150 Soles

Original Passport for Machu Picchu

Original International Student Identity card (if you have applied for a student discount).

For more information visit: www.incajungleexpeditions.com