In comparison to Lima’s androgynous skyscrapers and concrete lumps, Cuzco has beautiful Spanish colonial buildings, cathedrals, squares, and cobbled streets. Where as our night in Lima gave us a glimpse of a city entering the age of globalisation, in Cuzco we saw a town which wears it’s heart on it’s sleeve with an extensive city centre that has been wonderfully preserved.
On the last stretch of the flight you have to look up to see the white crags and peaks crawling past, thin roads snaking through the tortured surface far below. The plane threads its way down a long valley before landing, on possibly the largest stretch of flat land for miles around, and you are greeted at the terminal with pan flute music playing continuously.
Where Lima was shrouded in cloud, Cuzco bakes in the sunlight. There are no skyscrapers here, just stretches of development surrounding a large city centre, protected and preserved. For all these reasons, Cuzco instantly seemed more welcoming. Bright, airy, surrounded by wonderful architecture, historic Incan ruins, and a more relaxed atmosphere. Cuzco is a city that caters well to the thousands who pass through every year to follow the Inca Trail.
Though the downside of tourism are apparent; with hundreds of people milling around trying to sell you cheap goods imported illegally from Bolivia, hawking their services as guides, trying to sign you up to excursions, and trying to draw you into their shops and restaurants. Small prices to pay for a stopover in one of Peru’s nicest cities.
We were lucky enough to spend two nights here before setting off on the trek. Checking into the Ecopackers hostel on Santa Teresa we were relieved to see we wouldn’t have a repeat of the shithole in Lima. This hostel occupies one of the many colonial buildings near the central square. With high, whitewashed walls, large windows and a huge set of timber doors, you’d have no idea that the building inside has two courtyards, one lined with colonnades, wall plants, and mahogany floors, the other with a transparent roof, balcony, and access to bar – crucial. We got settled into our dorm rooms – crowded with bunk beds but clean, comfortable, and bright, before meeting with our guides for the induction.
Our liaison, David, then took us out on a walking tour of the centre, naming important landmarks and giving us a brief history of Cuzco, before finally stopping for lunch at a small but fantastic restaurant who’s walls were covered in paintings and pictures and served amazing food. Cuzco was getting better by the minute! Seeing as our group still hardly knew each other by this point (despite bonding over the free wine served on the 11hour flight from Madrid), meals like this gave everyone a chance to relax and start building the connections which would prove vital later.
We spent the rest of the day exploring the city and enjoying ourselves. Though I’d warn anyone heading up there that there’s a fair difference in altitude to what many will be used to. There’s simply less air! I even got out of breath changing from trousers to shorts – and it’s not as if I’m that out of shape. In terms of altitude sickness, the shortness of breath wears off after a day or so as your body adjusts. Initially I had very dry eyes, slight pressure between the eyes, and a runny nose. The best way to combat the effects is to keep hydrated. Drink plenty of water and take it easy the first day and you’ll be fine.
Which was a relief because the next day we went hiking up the hills behind the town, towards a large statue of Jesus, very similar to Rio’s Christ the Redeemer. Now, if we thought we were out of breath the day before, we were in for horrible surprise on this climb! One flight of steps in and I just glanced at my mate Luke and we just burst out laughing, then immediately had to catch our breath again to recover. It was amazing how thin the air seemed! Of course by the time you’ve done the trek, the air in Cuzco will feel like soup filling your lungs.
Our afternoon trek took us past the ruins of a huge Incan citadel, pillaged for stone by the conquistadors, but still an impressive sight – with stones the size of a family car, you’re left wondering how on earth they built the bloody thing. The ascent runs alongside a ravine before crossing and sharply climbing to the domed summit of Saxywama with its effigy of Christ gazing down on the city. We had amazing views over the Cuzco valley, it’s surrounding hills, and the snow-capped mountains in the distance. The achievement was a nice boost that set us up for the days ahead.
Early the following morning, under the cover of darkness, we were smuggled into a minibus and set off on a four hour drive through the winding mountain roads to the trail’s starting point in Mollepata. The trek begins!
The Incan Empire was built on thousands of miles of paths and roads connecting their settlements in a vast network occupying the Andes from Quito in Ecuador, to Santiago in Chile. As a result there are a number of trails and routes which can be followed to Machu Picchu. The trail our team followed started West of Cuzco, heading North, then East to Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes, approximately 60km a 5 days worth of walking.
Time Away 