Peru 2023

Two weeks above 3,000 metres, around the old Inca capital. Cusco first, time to acclimatise between the colonial streets and the fortress of Sacsayhuamán, then the Sacred Valley: the circular terraces of Moray, the salt pans of Maras, the markets of Pisac and Chinchero, the citadel of Ollantaytambo.

Two less frequented excursions complete the picture: the rainbow mountain of Vinicunca, above 5,000 metres, and the perched fortress of Waqra Pucara, reached after a long walk up from the Laguna Pomacanchi.

The trip ends on foot: three days on the Salcantay trek below the glacier, then the last stretch of the Inca Trail through Chachabamba and Wiñaywayna, up to the Sun Gate and the first sight of Machu Picchu in the early morning.