Trailblazer Guide Books

Practical guidebooks for the more adventurous traveller.
 - The Herald

INTRODUCTION

PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TRIP

    With a tour group or on your own?
    How to book 12 – Group service or private service 13
    Visiting the ruins without doing a trek 14
    Tour operators and trekking agencies 14
    (UK & Ireland 14, Continental Europe 16, USA 16, Canada 16,
    South Africa 17, Australia 17, New Zealand 17)
    Porters, guides and arrieros 17 – Porter welfare 18

    Getting to Peru
    By air 20 – Overland 21

    Budgeting
    Accommodation 22 – Food 23 – Transport 23

    When to go
    Climate charts 24 – For how long? 24

    Route options
    The classic Inca Trail 25 – Route Options map 27
    Variations on the classic trail 28 – Shorter trails 28
    (Km104 and the Purification Trail 28, Km88 Riverside Trail 28)
    Other treks to Machu Picchu 29 (Salkantay/Mollepata trek 29,
    Santa Teresa trek 29) – Vilcabamba Trail 30 – Choquequirao Trek 30
    Combining routes 30 (Huancacalle to Choquequirao Trek 31,
    Choquequirao to Machu Picchu Trek 31)

    What to take
    Footwear 32 – Clothes 33 – Equipment 34 (Rucksack 34,
    Sleeping bags and mats 34, Tent 34, Stoves, pans and crockery 35)
    Food 35 – Toiletries 35 – Medical kit 36 – Miscellaneous items 36
    Photographic equipment 37 – Maps 37 – Recommended reading 38
    Sources of further information 41

    Health precautions, inoculations and insurance
    Fitness 42 – Pre-departure fitness preparation 42 – Inoculations 43
    High-altitude travel 44 – Insurance 44

Part 2: PERU

    Facts about the country
    Geographical background 45 – Historical outline 48
    The people 62 – Politics and economics 64 – Culture 68

    Practical information for the visitor
    Documents and visas 72 – Money 72 – Getting around 74
    Accommodation 75 – Food 76 – Drink 79 – Electricity 80 – Time 80
    Post and communication 80 – Holidays and festivals 81 – Shopping 82
    Safety 83 – Drugs 84

Part 3: MINIMUM IMPACT

    Minimum impact trekking
    Environmental impact 85 – Economic impact 87 – Cultural impact 87

    Safe trekking
    Safety in the hills 89 – Health in the mountains 89

Part 4: FLORA & FAUNA

    Flora
    Trees 93 – Orchids 94 – Shrubs and flowers 95 – Other plants 96

    Fauna
    Mammals 97 – Insects 99 – Reptiles 99 – Birds 99

Part 5: THE INCAS

    The Imperial Landscape
    A reading of Inca history in the Sacred Valley (Hugh Thomson) 104

Part 6: LIMA

    A brief history 118 – What to see and do 118 – Arrival 129
    Orientation 130 – Getting around 131 – Banks 131 – Books 132
    Communications 132 – Emergencies 133 – Where to stay 133
    Where to eat 136 – Bars and nightlife 138 – Shopping 139 – Moving on 141

Part 7: CUSCO AND AROUND

    Cusco
    History 142 – What to see 145 – Arrival 152 – Getting Around 152
    Orientation 152 – Services 153 – Festivals 154 – Tour agencies 156
    Other activities 160 – Where to stay 164 – Where to eat 169
    Where to drink 173 – Clubs 174 – Shopping 175 – Moving on 176

    Around Cusco
    Ruins near Cusco (day hike: Tambo Machay 179, Puca Pucara 180
    Salapunco 180, Qenko 182, Sacsayhuaman 183)
    The Sacred Valley (Pisac 187, Chinchero 189, Urubamba 190,
    Salinas 194, Maras 194, Moray 194, Ollantaytambo 195)
    Cusichaca Valley 199, Aguas Calientes (Pueblo Machu Picchu) 199
    South and east of Cusco (Tipón 203, Pikillacta 203, Rumicolca 204)

Part 8: TRAIL GUIDE AND MAPS

    Using this guide                   
    Route descriptions 205 – Route map details 205 – Inca Trail regulations 206

    Getting to the trailheads 206

    The classic Inca Trail
    Km88 to Huayllabamba 209 – Huayllabamba to Pacamayo camp 212
    Pacamayo camp to the third pass 213 – The third pass to Machu Picchu 218

    Variations on the classic trail
    From Chilca 223 – From Km82 225

    The shorter trails
    Km104 to the Trekkers’ Hotel 227 – Km88 to Km104 Riverside Trail 229

    The Salkantay/Mollepata trek
    Mollepata 231 – Mollepata to Soray 231 – Soray to Paucarcancha 236
    Sisay Pampa to Paucarcancha 238

    The Santa Teresa trek
    Mollepata to Salkantay Pampa 242 – Salkantay Pampa to Rayampata 244
    Rayampata to Ccolpapampa 246 – Ccolpapampa to La Playa 246
    Llactapata (Paltallacta) 250 – La Playa to Aguas Calientes 253

    The Vilcabamba Trail
    Introduction 256 – Preparations 258 – Getting to the trailhead 259
    Quillabamba 260 – Quillabamba to Huancacalle 261 – Huancacalle 261
    Side trip to Vitcos 262 – Huancacalle to Ututo 265 – Ututo to
    Vista Alegre 268 – Vista Alegre to Consevidayoc 272
    Consevidayoc to Espíritu Pampa 276 – Espíritu Pampa to Chaunquiri 280

    The Choquequirao trek
    Introduction 283 – Background 285 – Preparations 286
    Timing and getting to the trailhead 287 – Cachora to Chiquisca 288
    Chiquisca to Choquequirao 292 – Choquequirao 294
    Options from Choquequirao 298

    Choquequirao to Machu Picchu
    Introduction 298 – Cachora to Choquequirao 300
    Choquequirao to Maizal 301 – Maizal to Yanama 304
    Yanama to Totora 306 – Totora to La Playa 310
    La Playa to Aguas Calientes 311

    Huancacalle to Cachora
    Introduction 311 – Getting to Huancacalle 312
    Huancacalle to Chupani 314 – Chupani to Chichicarayoc 316
    Chichicarayoc to Yanama 320 – Yanama to Maizal 322
    Maizal to Pincha Unuyoc 322 – Pincha Unuyoc to Choquequirao 323
    Choquequirao to Chiquisca 323 – Chiquisca to Cachora 324

PART 9: MACHU PICCHU

    Historical background 326 – Practical information 333
    Guide to Machu Picchu 337

APPENDICES

    A. Quechua and Spanish words and phrases 349
    B. Glossary 353
    C. Rail information and timetables 356
   
INDEX  359