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The Inka Trail
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- Category: Adventure Treks
- Published on Friday, 18 May 2012 00:43
- Written by Super User
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Why Peru's Inca Trail Is One of the World's Greatest Hikes
Some trips we take to reach a destination, others we take for the pleasure of the journey itself. Peru's Inca Trail is perhaps the world's greatest hike because it combines the best of both types of travel: a four-to-five day walk to the spectacular lost city of Machu Picchu that winds through the zone where the snowcapped Andes Mountains crash into the lush Amazon jungle, creating some of the world's most dramatic and beautiful terrain. Many experts believe that the Incas, the advanced South American civilization blazed this 27-mile trail five centuries ago as a holy pilgrimage that prepared visitors to enter Machu Picchu
Twenty years ago, it was possible to roll into the sleepy provincial capital of Cusco and depart the same day on a self-guided Inca Trail trip. Visits to Machu Picchu (most people opt to arrive via train from Cusco) have increased tenfold since then, and the Peruvian government now limits Inca Trail traffic to 500 persons per day, including the porters who must carry all food, tents and other necessities