At the end of May 2008 I participated in a marvelous 16 day adventure in Peru, joining seven other trekkers on a Geographic Expeditions journey to little known Inca ruins at Choquequirao and on to Machu Picchu. We went over spectacular mountain passes, camped for eight nights, trekked up and down, and up and down repeatedly, passing only Quechua villagers (no tourists on this route) and one dazzling vista after another.
Our guides, Clark Kotula and Efrain Valles Morales and assistant Osvaldo Velasco, were excellent. Our arrieros (mule drivers/porters) and cooks, Pedro One and Pedro Two, and 24 animals were invaluable in the success of the trek. We had perfect weather, blue skys, white clouds, lupine in flower tumbling down the mountain sides along with countless other flowers.
Seeing Machu Picchu had been a longtime dream of mine, even better in tandem with Choquequirao. The challenge and difficulty of the trek made the accomplishment all the more rewarding. An absolutely stellar trip!
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