DESTINATIONS PERU | ESCORTED TOURS top tip Follow @travelweeklyuk
on Instagram to see videos from this G for Good
charity trek in Peru
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Watching clouds drift across Choquequirao; the group enjoys a well-earned rest; cooling down in a cattle trough-turned-plunge pool; a tents moment RIGHT: Writer Joanna Booth PCTURES: Evie Harper
day’s heat and the fact we’re losing altitude. When we finally reach the bridge across the river by mid- afternoon, we’re dripping with sweat and coated in a fragrant mix of suncream and mosquito repellent. My knees are relieved to find there’s no more downhill, but my quads soon strain with the equally steep ascent, so that when we get to Santa Rosa campsite in the late afternoon, I’m more than ready for a sit-down and the slap-up dinner the G Adventures team conjures up.
OUTSIDE THE COMFORT ZONE In many ways we’re incredibly pampered: mules carry not only duffel bags with all our gear, but all the tents and paraphernalia too, and by the time we reach camp each day, the G Adventures staff are well ahead of us, our tents set up and refreshments at the ready. Yet I can’t say I find this aspect of the trip easy – I’m not a habitual camper, and the very basic toilets and showers are my biggest challenge. Lying awake in the tent that first night, I’m forced to remind myself why I’m doing this; not only because I want to explore, but also to raise money for two fantastic charities – Abta Lifeline and Planeterra – with a total that subsequently hits an impressive £27,000 across the group. Having met women from two communities supported by Planeterra at the G Adventures headquarters in
Having met women from two communities supported by Planeterra at the G Adventures HQ in Cusco, we are all spurred on to keep going
Cusco, we are all spurred on to keep going through the toughest moments, whether they come by way of the trails or the tents. We’re rewarded with a huge high on day two –
we reach Choquequirao and look back across the mountains, realising how far we’ve come. By the third day we’re old hands, used to the rhythm of early rising and hours on our feet, and we get an afternoon off at Chiquisca campsite, where we splash into an old cattle trough turned into a plunge pool and share beers in toast to our triumph. I’m even getting used to the tents. When we finally cross the line in bright sunshine on our last day, the rush is incredible. Far, far away across the Apurimac Canyon, a mere dot on the horizon of a mountain slope, we can just make out Choquequirao. I ask our guide Wachi why the Incas built their cities
in such remote, high-altitude spots. “To be closer to the gods,” he replies. In that moment, I think I understand.
TW
BOOK IT
G Adventures’ five-day Trek to Choquequirao starts from £499, including full-board camping accommodation with tents and sleeping bags provided, guiding and transport from Cusco. Flights not included.
gadventures.com
travelweekly.co.uk 31 JULY 2025 51
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
