If you want to do the famous inca Trail in Peru, you need to know you have to book this between 2 – 4 month before arrival, according to the time of year. If you don’t, you are likely to discover that the Inca Trail Trek is completely sold out by the time you want to arrange the trek. Do NOT panic! Even though you cannot trek the Classic Inca Trail, there are still plenty of scenic and adventurous options for visiting Machu Picchu and doing some trekking. Here are the most popular alternatives to the Inca Trail Trek:

One option is to take the train to Machu Picchu! There are three different train services that run to Machu Picchu: the Backpacker Train, the Vistadome Train, and the Hiram Bingham Train. Each train service is priced differently to fit the budgets of different travelers. Train tours to Machu Picchu are usually one day tours, but can be combined with an extra night in Aguas Calientes if you want to spend more time visiting the ruins.

The Backpacker Train
This is the cheapest service but still a comfortable mode of travel to Machu Picchu.

The Vistadome Train
This is a faster and more comfortable way of getting to Machu Picchu. Each train carriage has enlarged side, front, and overhead windows providing panoramic views of the mountain terrain on all sides. This is also a more scenic way of getting to Machu Picchu.

The Hiram Bingham Train
This is a luxury train ride and is for those travelers who want to make the most out of their excursion to Machu Picchu.  Breakfast, snacks, cocktails, and a lovely dinner with live music are served onboard this exquisite train.  Enjoy an afternoon tea at the famous Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, located at the entrance to the ruins.  A professional guide will be with you during the whole trip, including the train journey. This is a luxurious, yet pricey way of getting to Machu Picchu.

The Choquequirao Trek is one of the most exciting alternatives to the Inca Trail. Getting well off the beaten track, trekkers journey toward the mystical allure of the ruins of Choquequirao.
Here follows the second instalment of our latest account of the unique adventure that is the Choquequirao Trek…

Day Three
Another early start and we headed off to the mysterious ruins of Choquequirao. After an hour and a half of walking we arrived at the "Cradle of Gold".

Although the early Spaniards were aware of its existence, Choquequirao was protected by its remoteness. Some speculate that the Incan Emperor Topa had it built as a personal spiritual retreat to rival his father Pachacuti’s magnificent estate at Machu Picchu.

Whoever built this place, it was undoubtedly an elite settlement, built for ceremonial purposes and occupied by Inca nobility.

The Choquequirao Trek in the Cusco area in Peru is one of the most exciting alternatives to the famous Inca Trail to the old Inca town Machu Picchu. Getting well off the beaten track, trekkers journey toward the mystical allure of the ruins of Choquequirao.

Experiencing Incan history in all its authenticity, this spectacular yet challenging hike crosses the Canyon of the Apurimac River and takes you to Choquequirao´s incredibly located ruins – perched high on a ledge above one of the deepest canyons in the world.

If the opportunity to partake in this trek presents itself to you it would be a crime not to take it. A truly unforgettable experience.

Day One
After a very early awakening I left Cusco to travel to Cachora, the village from which we would begin our Choquequirao adventure. The bus journey was an experience in itself, careering around sharp curves at a pace that did not do my stomach any favours… an entertaining escapade

After spending over three months in vibrant Buenos Aires, it was time to say goodbye to all the things that made me fall in love with this truly amazing city.  Goodbye to the lovely locals or Porteños that I met, the Plaza Serrano where I drank with friends, the fabulous parrilla barbeque restaurants, the fútbol matches, the beautiful Costanera Avenue where I had a choripan (bread with chorizo sausage) and the Recoleta market where I sat in the sun with a beer on Sundays.  Time went fast; but I was ready for a change.  Next destination: Salta, Northern Argentina.

Salta, established in 1852, attracts many visitors because of its splendid location in the Andes.  Salta is surrounded by vineyards and beautiful scenery from mountains to desert.  The city itself has beautiful colonial architecture from the 18th and 19th century.

The tiny little town Nazca, in southern Peru – famous for The Lineas de Nazca – has the highest sand dune of the world: “Cerro Blanc”  is around the 2080 meters and lies in the desert.  Sandboarding is one of the most popular things you can do here and it attracts a lot of people. The only part that you don´t expect is that you have to walk up the dune with your sand board because there are no elevators here. Therefore, tours leave really early in the morning,  to prevent the tourists from burning: Nazca is in the middle of the desert so temperatures can go up to 35 – 38 degrees. I left for my trip around 11 in the morning, which was quite late. However, even although I had to walk up the sand hill and it was terrible hot, it was definitely worth the effort! Up on the sand dune, the guide takes his time to explain you what do.

Day 2.

We start this second day of our river rafting tour in Peru, at 6.30am, getting up and packing away our tent before breakfast.  For breakfast we get bread, porridge, fresh fruit, cereal and yoghurt – and I make an effort to eat as much as I can to give me strength for the day ahead!  We get going at around 8am, running a few ‘friendly’ level III rapids before meeting our first level IV.  I feel a little nervous about running it, but the guide explains exactly what to expect and how we will maneuvre the raft through and after that I feel excited.  We stop for lunch around 12.30, the guides serve a buffet on a beach by the river.  After this we all take an hour to relax in the sunshine before continuing.  In the afternoon we run a level V rapid.  Peru is such a beautiful country, I am so happy to be here!

This rafting trip is one of the best experiences on offer in Peru. It is 3 days of rafting on rapids between levels II to V on the River Apurimac near Cusco. The Apurimac is one of the top 10 rivers for white water in the world, and the section we run flows through a huge canyon offering spectacular scenery. Each night we camp by the side of the river on beaches, these places within the canyon can only be accessed by the river – there are no signs of people anywhere.  It is a true wilderness, a rare thing in the world today.

Day 1.
We meet to leave Cusco at 8.30am. The journey to the ‘put in’ is around 4 hours, first by road then by dirt track, and we stop in the town of Izcuchaca on the way to pick up supplies. On the way we will also get some amazing views of the deep valley the river flows through, and the surrounding mountains.

The Inca Trail so far has been an incredible and wonderful experience (see other blog posts below).  On day 4, we woke up very early this morning!! After a quick breakfast and a quick stop at the washrooms, we were off on our last leg of the trek to Machu Picchu! During the hike up to the Intipunku archaeological site (also known as the Gateway of the Sun – Inti means “sun” in Quechua, the original Inca language) we were able to take a break and watch the sun rise over the mountains. The pinks, oranges and yellows were like nothing I’d seen before. Once we reached Intipunku, the weather was perfect to get tons of great photos of Machu Picchu from above. But our journey didn’t stop here: once we were done taking photos we began the last 30 minutes of the hike to Machu Picchu. The group decided we would like to see the Inca Bridge since we had opted out of climbing Huayna Picchu. The bridge was about a 10 minute walk through jungle-like landscapes on the very edge of the mountain. The bridge was built by the Incas and then later, one section destroyed to deter the conquistadors from following them. 

Today – the third day of the 4 day Inca Trail to the lost ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru – was supposed to be an easier day than yesterday. We started out early again this morning. Today we got to see a few more Inca archaeological sites than the last two days. In the morning we saw the Runkurakay site which is just below the Runkurakay pass. It is thought that this site was used as a resting point for the Inca messengers. Puma explained to us how the Inca messengers, called chasquis, would run through the Andes Mountains, forming a type of relay to send messages from one community to another. The chasquis would chew coca leaves to help give them the energy to run up the huge peaks. Puma taught us how to properly chew coca leaves too but most of us couldn’t keep them in our mouths more than a few minutes. As we continued our hike, we were able to pass through a couple Inca tunnels which were really neat to see! After climbing the pass we came to the second main archaeological site, Phuyupatamarca which has a series of intricate ceremonial baths.

Day 2 of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu started out with an early morning breakfast. Again, the food was delicious – fresh fruit, omelettes, toast, hot chocolate and porridge! After breakfast our guide introduced us to all the porters and we introduced ourselves to all of them and then got a great group photo. The porters are the men who carry all our food, tents and other provisions. As you hike the trail, you see them whiz past you to set up the next camp before your arrival. On the second day you have the option to hire an extra porter to carry your backpack since it is the toughest day. I definitely took advantage of this option!