Gallavanting around PeruToday we have two more passes to cross, but compared to Dead Woman's Pass they seem minor bumps indeed. I continue to be awed by the beauty of this country, as well as its spiritual richness. The clouds shift above us, below us, around us, constantly changing the face of the land. The sky beyond the clouds is a high, bright blue, and the land is every shade of green imaginable. We continue to see varied bird life: scarlet-breasted parakeets, black and white falcons, scarlet-breasted tanagers, sapphire-winged hummingbirds. Two white-tailed deer appear just to the edge of the trail. Kaleidoscopically-colored flowers surround us on all sides, too many for me to remember all their names. A flora and fauna book would have come in handy . . .
We hike through more cloudforest, pause at more Incan ruins. Marco takes us off the trail to a hidden ruin he knows about. We bushwhack through the underbrush, almost on hands and knees at times, and come to a small cave of mossy Incan stones. Tree roots are wrapping around some of them, forcing cracks into others. I feel like an explorer discovering an ancient ruin; looking at the faces of Diane and Brenda and Brenda and Bill, I know they feel the same. Diane is giddy with the delight of standing in this sunlit, mossy ruin. Back on the trail, Marco points out where the ruin is on the hillside. It is completely invisible; all I can see is a green tangle of leaves and branches, trees and bushes. I wonder how many more ruins are hidden in this fiercely alive jungle. Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands?
This afternoon we reach our highest campsite, Phuyapatamarca, at 12,000 feet. Phuyapatamarca: 'the city above the clouds.' It is aptly named. Before dinner I hike down the ridge to sit on a high point of land that falls steeply down to the valley below. Clouds wrap their ethereal shawls around the mountains below as well as floating in the sky high above. Between the layers of cloud, I sit on a rock outcrop that is looking over the edge of heaven. The clouds shift and stir, offering new sights with each passing second. Veronica appears for a moment, then disappears in a cloak of grey-white. Machu Picchu peak appears and disappears below me. Sunlight shafts through the shifting cloudscape. I am torn away from my perch only when my stomach reminds me that it's time for tea, and I devour the popcorn, fried cheese, and crackers and jam. I can't believe this is our last night on the trail, that tomorrow we'll arrive at Machu Picchu.
We've used Adventure Life for several trips in the past and have always been very pleased with them. The staff is personable and professional at the same time. Erin put this trip together for us in just a few days, and it has everything we were looking for! I recommend them without hesitation.
benn
1 month ago
I served as the person responsible for planning a trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu for a group of 14 people. Jane with Adventure Life was very helpful throughout the process. Making suggestions, offering insight, and in the end helped me overhaul an initial plan into something even better. Also, Jane makes all the plans including the flights within and between Peru and Ecuador. Thanks to her this is going to be a stress-free adventure. After making the final decision about the trip, Jane gathered the contact information for all the travelers and sent out the details to each traveler individually with links to pay deposits, upload passport info, and personal preferences. She also ensured a group email was sent out to the entire group welcoming us to the trip preparation process. Our trip is a year from now and we are excited to make this once in a life time trek. I am happy to have organized things through Adventure Life. However, two small issues came up that were a little off putting. First, Adventure Life adds $50 per person to the cost for each traveler as a donation to a Galapagos conservation fund. I think this should he offered as something that can be added at each traveler’s discretion. Instead, it is automatically added, and each person must ask to have it removed if they do not want it included. Second, although the trip deposit may be paid with a credit card without incurring an additional fee, the balance must be paid in another way to avoid a 3% credit card fee. Maybe this is standard with all travel agencies. In the end I would definitely go through Adventure Life for the next big trip.
Brenda Nielsen
2 months ago
I think it was very helpful that Franny and I spoke on the phone. I think she had a better idea of what we were looking for, and she planned a great itinerary for us!
Elizabeth
3 months ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
3 months ago
Easy.
Great work on the follow up and details by Waru.