New Machu Picchu trails are opening in 2020

[Judi Lynn]

1. Peru's secret trek

Peru’s Machu Picchu is on your bucket list but you’re not keen on the crowds walking the Inca Trail to get there. The solution? Tackle the more remote – and exciting – Inca Rivers Trek. There are no crowds, you will traverse spectacular mountain terrain, and you’ll get the chance to explore one of Peru’s ancient secrets: Choquequirao.
By Justin Walker • February 13, 2020 • Reading Time: 10 Minutes



Stepping off the bus after five hours of travel, my initial impression of the Inca Rivers Trek is underwhelming. The dirt road upon which our group of trekkers (a mix of Aussies, Canadians and Europeans) is deposited, outside the town of Cachora, is unremarkable, and certainly a contrast to the way in which World Expeditions touted this trek: a spectacular, remote, uncrowded, nine-day ramble across the Vilcabamba mountain range, that encompasses a traverse of two deep river valleys (the Apurimac and Urubamba) with a chance to see one of Peru’s less well-known, but equally remarkable, Incan ruins, before reaching Machu Picchu itself from “the other side”. That’s a hell of a promise to live up to…

First impressions don’t count
To get to this unremarkable dirt road, we’d spent five days acclimatising to the higher altitudes in the Andes via a series of cultural adventures in Cusco, the Chinchero Plateau, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and the historical site of Ollantaytambo. This had been nothing short of amazing, but I’m restless now to get moving; keen to step foot on the first part of the Inca Rivers Trek and make the most of what it promised.

Unsurprisingly, the Inca Rivers Trek only takes, oh, around 30 minutes to quash my foolishly pre-emptive negative opinion. The trek’s innocuous beginning is banished from my mind once we round the first long-arcing bend. In the distance, the immensity of the snow-capped Padreyoc mountain range looms high as we trundle along the dirt road, listening to our guide, Josmar ‘Chema’ Valer, as he regales us with stories of Peru’s amazing history.

More:
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/australian-geographic-adventure/2020/02/perus-secret-trek/