Once again, we woke with our porters, Jaime and Fortunada, “knocking” on our tent and offering steaming hot coffee/tea. Breakfast consisted of delicious cheese and veggie omelets and sausage. (I kept thinking of how careful our porters had to be to hike the trail and not break any of the eggs that they must have carried!) We started the hike around 7am.
Day 3 started off extremely sunny. Day 3 consisted of several “ups” followed by several “downs.” All and all, we were scheduled to trek roughly 7 hours.
Unlike the other days, where the trail curved left and right, the trail initially started off pretty straight. We could see our first destination from camp. About an hour up, we passed the Incan ruin of Runkuraqay. Unlike the other ruins we saw from afar, this ruin we could actually go in and explore. After a brief pause and a few pictures (photography- another hidden talent of our great guide Teddy!) we continued on.
As we continued on and up, it was clear we had entered into another one of the microclimates Teddy had talked about. The vegetation went from being green to being brown and barren. We walked past a small lake. The water looked black due to the reflection from the cloudy sky. It grew colder and began to rain. We finally made it up to the top and looked down. The entire area was shrouded in clouds. I was apparently why day 3 was described as “a walk through the cloud forest.”
As soon as we began our decent down, the rain stopped. The trail once again twisted and turned. My mom had a hard time with the down portion of the hike. Occassionally, I'd look over to see Teddy, holding her hand, helping her along.
The landscape varied more than then prior two days. Pea-green moss hung from trees and tree ferns sprout from cracks. We’d see large and small hummingbirds buzzing about, colorful butterflies and orchids of every color (over 250 species along the trail!). Waterfalls were very common. Every so often, you’d see ancient Inca ruins peaking out through the mist. Even though the ruins had been discovered long along, I could not help but feel like I had discovered them. It was pretty amazing to think that we were out in the Andes, miles from civilization looking at these spectacular archaelogical sites.
We had lunch around 1pm; I was surprised how quickly the day (and my time on the trail) was passing. Lunch was superb as usual. And as usual, the porters remained behind to dismantle the lunch tents and then quickly passed us.
In addition to the ruins, we passed through two tunnels along the trail. We arrived at camp late in the afternoon. Camp was huge, and slightly civilized, boasting real toilets, a bar and showers!
Although Teddy told me that I'd be able to get cell/internet service at camp, I didn't even check! I did however pay 10 soles (5 for shower, 5 for towel rent) and took what can be described as one of the best showers of my life. (ok, maybe not, the best, but the water was warm!)
For our final night of camping, we had a small celebration for Augusto and our porters. These guys are truly amazing. One of our porters, Fortunada, was 55 years old. He was in better shape than most 18 years old and always had a smile on his face when ever I saw him.
Following our final dinner, everyone went to bed in high spirits. Machu Picchu was only a two hour hike away!
For our first trip to Costa Rica, Adventure Life designed a tour that meets the interests, ecological and adventure, of our party; but also takes into account our physical limitations sine we are all septuagenarian. We are looking forward to the trip.
John Zent
1 day ago
Adventure Life is my favorite travel company due to their genuine care for their customers. They make every effort to ensure a wonderful travel experience for you. Their personal touch really gives the customer a lot of confidence with their travel plans and the trip leaders are always outstanding. They are truly consistent and accountable with the great service they provide. I can't thank Adventure Life enough for the incredible trips I have enjoyed thanks to them and their attention to detail.
Tim Duffy
2 days ago
Kevin Moore working with me and providing very timely answers to all my questions.
Sharon Worsham
2 days ago
Adventure Life coordinated all our domestic air travel in Argentina as well as
Multiple tours in four cities. Every thing went perfectly smooth. All the local companies were on schedule and very professional. We will surely use Adventure Life on future travels.
customer
3 days ago
Franny helped us put together a great itinerary, was very responsive and so helpful. We ended up not being able to use Adventure Life for our trip, but would definitely use them in the future.