El trek

Now, I wanted to visit Machu Picchu.

Getting to there is not completely straightforward, however, and it took me some time to find out about all the options.

Aguas Calientes, the little tourist town near Machu Picchu, is located some 120 km from Cusco. The most obvious way is to reach it by the quaint local train, but the trip is very expensive. A cheaper option is to take a bus to a place called Hidroelectrica and walk the last 11 kilometres next to the train track. In any case it makes sense to spend one night in Aguas Calientes in order to climb up to Machu Picchu in the morning. (Again, there is also the option of taking a pricey bus up to the top.) Additionally, you'll have to pay the entrance fee to Machu Picchu.

As it looked like the journey would gobble up quite a big part of my budget anyway, I decided to invest in a four-day trek that promised a lot – hiking, biking, rafting, hostels and all meals included –for a comparably small amount of money. 

Here are some photos from those four days.

You might be thinking, like I was, Well that's going a bit far, don't you think? You really don't need to cycle down 60 kilometres of empty hairpin roads with Peruvian mountains surrounding you on all sides, do you? but let me assure you: you do. You really do need to.

A great river for white-water rafting. If you're into that sort of thing.

Political sides are taken on the walls of the houses everywhere.

An area for drying coffee and cacao beans. (Before roasting, they have to be dried for days.)

The trail.

I might be showing a brave face, but in fact I found the fact that every fifth plank was missing or rotten somewhat unnerving.