PICTURES: JOURNEY LATIN AMERICA/THE ADVENTURE COMPANY
DESTINATIONS LATIN AMERICA
Have one
trek
Trudging up steep slopes
while struggling to breathe
in the thin mountain air is
just part of the fun of
trekking the Inca Trail.
The route – which leads the way to
Peru’s top sight, Machu Picchu – is in
such high demand that visitors are
advised to book up to six months in
advance. If you can’t get a space on
the Inca Trail or you want to do
something diff erent, there are many
treks to choose from which off er
similar scenery without the crowds.
The Weavers Trail (or
Lares Trek)
Starting in Cusco, this route is more
than a match for the Inca Trail in
terms of dramatic scenery, diffi culty
levels and duration. But rather than
46| Travel Weekly | November 21 2008
adventure
Inca Trail sold out?
Janine Kelso off ers some alternatives
of an
covering deserted Inca ruins, this
trail winds its way through remote
farming hamlets in the Lares valleys.
The Andean communities here still
speak Quechua, the language of the
Incas. As well as breeding llamas
and alpacas, the local tribes engage
in ancient weaving customs. The
landscape is rich with snow-capped
peaks, lakes that go on for miles and
verdant valleys. Along the way,
trekkers can nurse their aching
limbs in hot springs before ending
up at the hilltop Inca city of
Ollantaytambo.
Sample product: Journey Latin
America off ers the three-night
Weavers Trail for £243 per
person, including fl ights.
(020 8747 8315
8journeylatinamerica.co.uk
The Weavers
Trail (above left)
is named after
the weaving
customs of the
area’s tribes. The
High Inca Trail
(top right) is
a little-known
trekkers’
paradise
The Huayhuash Trek
Made famous by Joe Simpson in his
book and fi lm Touching the Void, this
high-Andean mountain range creates
the setting for a gruelling trek.
Recommended for the super-fi t,
the Cordillera Blanca, or White Range,
contains Peru’s highest mountain –
Huascarán – which tops a giant 6,798
metres. The trek passes through
sub-tropical valleys, turquoise lakes
and Inca sites, with sweeping views
of the surrounding snowy peaks.
Sample product: Exodus off ers
the 16-day Cordillera Blanca and
Huayhuash trek for £2,099 per person
in September 2009, with fl ights, 10
days’ trekking, nine days’ camping,
and fi ve nights in hostels and hotels.
(0845 863 9600
8exodus.co.uk
✈
FACTS
The summit of
the Huascarán
mountain is one
of the farthest
points on the
Earth’s surface
from its centre. It
usually takes fi ve
to seven days
to reach
www.travelweekly.co.uk
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