As some of you might already know, Machu Picchu has been closed since the mudslides in January. They hope to re-open the trail by April since it is the number one tourist attraction in the entire country. We have wanted to do this hike for a long time, we even bought a Peru guide book in 2002 to plan a trip. We’re finally here and have already paid money towards a hike that’s not available right now. Good thing the Incas built more than one trail (some estimates say they had 40,000km of roads), we just chose another one.

Choquequirao is sometimes called “the other Macchu Picchu”. It was built around the same time, is a similar size, but the Spanish never reached it. The original discoverer was French and the government of France invested a lot of money to start to uncover the site about 10 years ago. Most of it wrapped up in 2009 when the money ran out. The only way to get there is to walk so we thought we might as well do it now before they install railroad tracks or a gondola and avoid the crowds.

After spending four days in Cusco and drinking lots of mate de coca (tea from coca leaves), we were well adjusted to the altitude and ready for the hike. It started and ended at about the same altitude, 10,000 feet. The only problem was there was a river in the way, so we walked 5,000 feet down the hill to cross the river then back up the other side to get to the ruins. The way there was about 16 miles, and we took the same path back only we got to walk an extra 6 bonus miles because the guy picking us up didn’t want to drive on the muddy roads.

I’m sure that sounds like a lot of work, it was, but there is another side to the story. We didn’t realize it in advance, but this was luxury camping. There were a total of four paying customers, but we had quite the support staff. Two guides, two cooks, and two guys to look after the horse and four mules that also joined us on the hike. So that’s 6 support staff and 5 pack animals for 4 hikers. Does this seem a little strange to anyone else? It was certainly different than our normal hiking trips.

At our first stop along the trail, lunch at the bottom, we found out why we needed all these animals. We were served a three course meal at a folding table complete with 6 plastic stools. The animals were loaded up with our tents, propane tanks, all of the food, and most people’s (everyone but us) personal gear. Our fellow hikers were two guys from Australia who had never been in the mountains before. They had a package deal that included porters (mules) so all they had to carry was a few things they wanted during the day. In addition to the three course meals, we were served tea and some snacks in the afternoons, and got hot coca tea delivered to our tent each morning.

As we made our way up and down the mountains we passed several small farms. Most were just one family tending to their animals and crops, but a few were built up a little bit to support the hikers. One place had even hauled in some Coke and beer to sell to people passing by. Other than one sunny afternoon, we mostly had overcast skies and were always surrounded by the clouds that hovered around the tops of the mountains. They would constantly shift around, sometimes revealing snow-capped peaks in the distance, sometimes, creating a thick fog, and sometimes giving us some rain and muddy trails. We were usually just below the clouds and were treated to great views of the valley.

We got to the lost city in the afternoon and found it still partially covered by thick forests. There were only four other people there. It was a large city, complete with temples, terraces for growing food, many houses, warehouses, and a complex network of water channels that carried glacial melt water throughout the city. We explored the place for a few hours, and could see a lot of sections that were still buried. The city encompassed the entire hill. On one side of the hill, the people left a message integrated into the terraces. They depicted themselves, represented by llamas, fleeing into the mountains. It was very cool to be in such an ancient city that was only recently being uncovered.

There are certainly a lot more things to learn from that site. It would be interesting to come back in 20 years and see what else has been discovered.