LATIN AMERICA PERU TREKKING DESTINATIONS H


iking may never be the same again. At the end of each


day of this week-long trek, a hot tub awaits. And a masseuse. Oh, and a three-course gourmet meal. Plus, faster Wi-Fi than I get in London. It’s surreal, given I’m in the middle of what feels like nowhere. “You can do it, just a few


minutes more,” our guide Wilfredo tells us, as we drag our now-heavy legs along the final stretch to the lodge, tantalisingly in sight. The staff, all smiles, hand us cold towels, while we peel off our layers. I don’t think this is how my friends hiked to Machu Picchu. It’s our second day on the Salkantay Trail and Peru’s


highlands look glorious as we hike up (and up, and up) for a view over bright-blue Lake Humantay, before descending towards the shores of this feat of nature at the foot of a glacier. This 46-mile trek is a lot less


well known than the Inca Trail but no less spectacular, passing through 15 ecosystems, from cloud forest to tropical jungle. Unlike the Inca Trail, it doesn’t end in Machu Picchu itself, but for many, the idea of lodge-to- lodge trekking will far outweigh that – and separate morning treks into the citadel can be organised. As things stand, Mountain Lodges of Peru is the only company that offers treks along the Salkantay


and Lares trails – in the Sacred Valley, around Cusco – with luxury lodge accommodation. Getting to the region has also become simpler; Colombian carrier Avianca flies from London to Cusco, via Bogotá, while customers taking a direct BA flight to Lima just need change to a regional carrier to reach Cusco.


◗ HIGHLAND BEAUTY: HIKING THE SALKANTAY These trails also provide a solution, of sorts, to the overcrowded Inca Trail and associated issues such as overflowing toilets and excess litter (although permit numbers have, at least, been curtailed).


Little chance of crowds here though – we barely see another hiker. “That’s the beauty of the Salkantay,” says Wilfredo. “You feel you’re in the highlands on your own.” While it’s a longer route than the Inca Trail, it’s hiked at a manageable pace over six days, with day seven at Machu Picchu. And if it ever doesn’t feel manageable, cue the emergency horse; always cantering behind the group, he’s water-carrier, safe space and safety net in one. He certainly proves useful on


day three, when a 20-minute trot is enough to revive me for the ascent to the trail’s highest point, the 4,600-metre Salkantay Pass.


6 December 2018travelweekly.co.uk65


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