TRAV 015
Saturday, May 31, 2008 THEAGE 15
ASIAQUEST TOURS
ABN 8074 5382 672 Lic 2TA5715
TOUR INCLUSIONS• Return international flights in Economy class• Australian airport departure taxes• Fuel levy surcharge• All domestic flights & airport taxes• All meals in India• All accommodation in India in good quality 3-4
star hotels • English speaking National escort & local guides• Visa fees for India• Sightseeing tours to all major attractions &
monuments, including entrance fees• All transportation in air-conditioned coaches
and A/C soft sleepers.• Puppet show, elephant and camel rides in
Rajasthan only• All gratuities on tour
Group sizesMinimum 10 Maximum 18
Palaces & Castles21 Days $5680pp T/S Fully Inclusive
New Delhi - Shekhawati - Alsisar - Bikaner - Jaiselmer - Jodhpur - RanakpurKumbhalgarh - Udaipur - Bijaipur - Pushkar - Jaipur - Agra
Majestic India28 Days $7080pp T/S Fully Inclusive
New Delhi - Shekhawati - Alsisar - Bikaner - Jaiselmer - Jodhpur - Ranakpur - Kumbhalgarh Udaipur - Bijaipur - Pushkar - Jaipur - Agra - Orchha - Khajuraho - Varanasi - Mumbai
For brochure call 9299 1838 outside Sydney 1800 144 738Visit website: www.asiaquesttours.com.au Email: [email protected]
ASIAQUEST TOURSSMALL GROUP TOURS FULLY INCLUSIVE
FAST FACTS
Getting thereThe nearest international airport is Lima.LAN Airlines flies there from Sydney viaAuckland and a change of aircraft inSantiago (Melbourne passengers fly toSydney and back with Qantas). Fares startfrom $1975 from Sydney and $2075 fromMelbourne. Aerolineas Argentinas fliesfrom Sydney for $1665 via Auckland witha change in Buenos Aires with Melbournepassengers having to pay a separate fareto Sydney. LAN Peru flies from Lima toCuzco from $81.
Touring thereThe Gecko’s Adventures’ 20-day PeruEncompassed tour includes a four-daytrek, Ballestas Islands, Nazca Lines, ColcaCanyon, Arequipa and the Amazon jungle.It departs monthly and costs $1915, plusinternal flight ($290) and a local paymentof $260.
0 200km
PERU
ECUADOR
BRAZIL
COLOMBIA
VENEZUELA
PacificOcean
Equator
Lake Titicaca
ColcaCanyon
Arequipa
Bogota
La Paz
Machu PicchuCuzco
Lima
Amazon R.
Breathtaking ... the ancient city of MachuPicchu (top); hikers on the Inca Trail (above);porters wait for work (left).Photos: Getty Images, Lonely Planet Images
(4189m), Runkuraqay (3950m) and Phuyupata-marka (3700m). If you are not acclimatised, alti-tude sickness (symptoms include nausea, nose-bleeds and breathing problems) sneaks up onyou like a pushy poncho seller in a market. Trek-kers are advised to spend a day or two acclimatis-ing in nearby Cuzco beforehand.
The trail unravels like a ribbon: up steepclimbs, down vertiginous steps, across moun-taintops and through woodlands. It is surprising-ly diverse terrain with varied flora. From theriver flats near the railway line it continues, ris-ing steadily, through grassy plains and undulat-ing valleys to the tiny village Huallambamba.
On the first night we camp on the bare side ofsteep hill. Our two-person tents are pitched a fewmetres from a ravine separating us from moun-tains shrouded in mist, a scene that promises acold night. We are left to admire the view whilethe crew cooks a hearty dinner. My only wish isfor a cold ale. It materialises in the form of a vil-lager carrying a bucket tinkling with beer bottles.
But the party ends there. The second day trek-king is infamous for its difficulty. From thecampsite we are immediately climbing thigh-burning steps through humid woodlands, wheretree roots have turned the rock paths into anankle-breaking minefield. The tree canopy is ouronly respite but soon that too ends when thepath opens onto bare hillside.
From here, the steep ascent to Warmiwanu-sqa, ominously known as Dead Woman’s Pass, isdaunting for the inexperienced. Once at the top,
the view of the river Pacamayo and the ruins ofRunkuraqay would be reward enough, if onlythe second pass, to be traversed the same day,weren’t also in view.
For the rest of us relief comes with the amaz-ing archaeological sites dotting the trail. Someare at least as impressive architecturally asMachu Picchu, and perhaps more interesting fortheir unkempt appearance and isolation.
Just before the second pass is Runkuraqay, asmall circular building with an inner ring ofrooms. It was the Inca version of a roadhouse, atrackside stop known as a tambo where travel-lers sought lodgings or supplies. Similar ruinshave been found in Bolivia, Chile and Colombia.
On the other side of the second pass, Sayaq-marka sits atop a mountain promontory. Theslight detour – up short steps carved into therocky hillside – is enough to deter weary walkers.
It is their loss. The engineering of this set ofstone chambers, tiered down the hillside, is saidto be related to the worship of water and rain.But the Incas surely built this edifice with athought for the view, which stretches over thevalley to the snow-capped distant mountains ofSalcantay (6180m) and Veronica (5750m).
Further along we will pass the ruins of Inti-pata, testament to the Incas’ advanced agricul-tural methods, which meant they could live onfood grown in difficult terrain. Its 48 agriculturalterraces are divided by stairways so steep andnarrow we have to lever ourselves down, feetfirst, then hands, then backsides.
From here we follow the so-called Inca Cause-way to the third pass, discovering different terrainalong the way. The Causeway is a level mountainridge path, with valleys dropping away on eitherside. It is dotted with rare orchids and fairytalefungus native to the colder highlands and takes ina narrow 20-metre tunnel, carved through therock by the Incas. At the top of the third pass weare rewarded with a direct line-of-sight to tomor-row’s destination, Machu Picchu.
In the evening the thunderclouds bring anearly end to the daylight. As the rain starts topour, fellow campers, wearing flimsy yellow plas-tic ponchos, run between tent and bathroom. Lit-tle do I know that the distance to the toilet duringthe night will seem greater than the morning dashto the Sunset Gate, where we will catch the sunrising over that once-in-a-lifetime view.
Penny Watson travelled courtesy of Gecko’sAdventures.
