[Music]
One of the most incredible things about this trip is that you don't just get the
Inca ruins and the culture and the history of Peru but you also get the chance to see such
incredible rugged landscapes and interact with the locals and just really
experience the day-to-day life [Music]
First day of the the tour is spent acclimatising to the altitude in Cusco and getting
ready for the trek which is gonna be about 4,800 meters in its highest point.
Cusco itself is this incredible city there's a real magical vibe to actually
and you've got the the houses rising all the way up the mountain. On day 2
it's an early start and the first stop with the G Adventures tour
after that is to one of the G Adventures supported community project.
G Adventures has many projects around the world they've got two specifically on
this tour as well as the camp sites, which are there to support the locals and to
bring people off the main kind of tourist part give them the chance to
spend their money and interact with people in a way you might not normally
get to on a tour where you're rushing around. After that we head to Pisac
which is the first Inca ruin site of the trip.
Pisac is one of those popular places to stop in the region, you've got these
incredible agricultural terraces have been built up the side. Driving through
the Sacred Valley is just magical. You've got snow-capped mountains, you've got crystal
clear Lake's running through. Between the Sacred Valley, Cusco and Machu Picchu you
have the home of the Inca Empire which was one of the biggest, if not the
biggest in the world 15th century so it's a it's a real slice of history mixed
with this natural beauty. Lunch was served on day 2 at another one of the great
community projects run by G Adventures. The last stop on day 2 is
Ollantaytambo which is this incredible village and it's full of cobbled streets
and it's truly charming, but one of the main reasons to go there is to the
archeological site and the ruins there where you've got another fortress
there's houses built into the towering cliffs on one side the cobbled streets
and the red rooftop below and then you've got these archeological stairs
going up. Day three to five is all about doing the Lares Trek.
You start off at elevation of about 3300 metres and the highest point is
4800, so hiking through that is challenging on is own, especially with the
altitude but the views are mind-blowing. [Music]
You're walking through valleys, you're walking through passed, you've got snow-capped mountains
clear blue lakes. One of the best things is the locals, you will pass more
locals I'm sure than tourists. I can count maybe
on one hand the amount of tourists I passed but the chance to interact with
the local kids who are running to school, and running miles to school or the
adults who are herding their llamas and alpacas and and one of the most magical
things about this whole tour for me was, especially as the Sun would set and the
incredible Stars would come out over the tent is just how in the middle of
nowhere you are your, you're truly surrounded by nature and anyone that you're meeting
actually lives, they live in the mountains, local people which still speak in
their native language. It's pretty tough on day 2 of the hike, this is the point
where you are going to hit the highest point of 4800 metres
and it's struggle to get up but when you do the views looking all around you, 360
panoramic views of the valleys are just mind-blowing. When you just stay
still and you've got your breath back it's silent it's absolutely incredible
just how silent it is.
Honestly one of the most humbling moments I have had by mother nature.
Machu Picchu is obviously the star of the show and the main reason most people
come to this region. Because it wasn't discovered and damaged by the Spanish in
the same way a lot of other Inca sites wee it's really been well preserved restored.
Although no one's 100% sure what it's for I promise you one thing, it is
worth the hype and it blew me away. I've seen so many millions of photos on
Instagram Facebook the internet of Machu Picchu, but to see it in real life it's
mind-blowing [Music]