The next day I was indeed feeling slightly better, still not eating much but less congested and I had a better attitude. We hiked from 9,000 feet to 11,000 feet up to the rock quarry on the opposite side of the valley from Ollantaytambo. The quarry was where we planned to have lunch as well. Again we had about 40 minutes to relax before lunch. I staggered over to a large stone shaped in the 1500's, sat down, gulped a juice box, ate a chocolate bar, stretched out on the ground, and passed out. When I came to, it was lunch time and I was able to eat a bit more than just soup. Feeling refreshed, Juan took us to explore the quarry a bit more. We saw various stones in different states of being split, shaped, and processed. Once the stones were prepared the people would push and pull these 80 ton mammoths down the road to the edge of the mountain and push them over the edge. They would tumble to the valley floor where they would again be hauled (using human power only) across the valley to Ollantaytambo. For a long time experts believed that the Inca people had not discovered the wheel, that is until they found this quarry. Here in the rock quarry there were two! One was a rough shape and the other was finished including the hub. Next Juan pointed out a tomb that had only been discovered (and raided) about 3 years ago. He casually pointed it out and said we should look inside. As we got to the entrance our jaws dropped. There was a mummy in there! The Inca people used to position their dead in the fetal position and wrap them like mummies. This skeleton had the wrapping removed but was undamaged and in the fetal position. WOW! Inside were 5 more skulls and a pile of miscellaneous bones. It was an amazing experience and made the tough hike totally worth it!
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.