Nasca runwayWe enjoyed a very good continental breakfast complete with scrambled eggs and “real” coffee. The way they serve it is in thick espresso syrup, to which you have to add hot water in order to dilute it down to your taste. After breakfast we climbed into our van and were off on our tour of the fertile Sacred Valley, a U-shaped glacial valley. We stopped at a view point along the way to see the Willcamayu, one of the Sacred Valley rivers that flow into the Urubamba, the main river running through the Sacred Valley. The town of Urubamba-50,000 population- is fast becoming a popular tourist site in the Sacred Valley. Along the road we saw Aguave cactus growing 20 feet tall. It was spring in October; corn was knee high and trees and flowers were in bloom. There were more cattle than llamas in the Sacred Valley, and we saw a few tractors and evidence of farm machinery in the fields. As we viewed the mountains, we saw that snow-covered glaciers exist only in highest mountains, 23,000 feet above the Sacred Valley. Marco said that this is because the Sacred Valley is so close to the equator.
We traveled up the twisting roads to Pisaq, stopping at the Pisaq market. Harold bought a Peruvian flute and a llama bell at the Pisaq market, and Karen bought silver jewelry. We enjoyed a very good lunch provided by Adventure Life before moving on to the Pisaq Ruins where we walked 3.5 miles of steep demanding trails with precipitous drops that would take your breath away. This was a truly challenging task for us. The ruins were emotionally uplifting and inspiring. We had our first opportunity to be truly amazed at the intricate stonework produced by the Incas. Marco told us that the terraces to Pisaq Ruins are called Andes. This made a lot of sense to us. After we had negotiated the steep trail and were inside the ruins, Marco explained the meaning of the Intiwasi-Temple of the Sun, explaining that the Temple had two windows to mark the seasonal equinoxes. Marco told us that the Incas were astronomers and scientists who understood magnetic forces and knew how to apply them.
After touring the Pisaq Ruins, we hiked back to our van enjoying the local flute player who was performing ancient melodies on the nearby trail. We traveled farther up the valley to the city of Ollantaytambo, a fantastic Inca colonial town with tremendous history. A hard rain fell on the way, but it was short-lived and quickly dried. At Ollantaytambo, we checked in to the El Sauce Hotel and discovered that we had a fantastic window view of the Ollantaytambo Ruins. After a short rest, we then made another difficult climb up many steps to the ruins, and enjoyed another wonderful lecture from our guide Marco about the significance of these ruins and the stonework in them. Peruvian kids followed us up the steps of the ruins wanting to sing for us for a few Soles. Karen and I were really beginning to feel the spirit of these ruins even though we were dead tired. After returning from the hard climb up and down the ruins, we sat by a nice fire in El Sauce, and relaxed over cups of coca tea and enjoyed a late supper. It was a very early bedtime for us.
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
1 month 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
2 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.