Page 19 - AMA Summer 2023

On the 11th March 2023, the team of fifteen met at Beacon Barracks with a feeling of nervous excitement for the long journey and arduous trekking ahead. Last minute kit checks and a short transit to Aldershot led on to a long 13-hour flight from London Heathrow to Lima, the coastal capital of Peru. A brief overnight stop beckoned before continuing to the ancient Inca city of Cusco, high in Peruvian Andes. Situated at an elevation of 3400m, the group were now living at 2.5 times the height of the tallest mountain in the UK and a period of accli- matisation to the altitude and local culture were required before continuing with the main trek. Using the time to best effect, Gopal Saru had organised for the team to conduct acclimatisation whilst travelling around some of the local cultural sites with a tour guide. From local food to ancient architecture, nothing was missed, and the experience was amazing. Our tour guide gave particular appreciation to the years of skill and dedication of the Inca civilisa- tion to building structures that still stand today, high in the mountains of this heavily impacted earthquake region. The tour allowed the group time to learn to deal with the change in altitude and an appreciation for how the Inca civilisation eventually fell, retreating along the route we were about to trek.
After a couple of days recovering from the travelling and acclimatising to the local
environment, the team were ready to set off on their treks. The first would be a gruelling 5-day venture to Choquequirao, covering only 45km but ascending and descending 3500m. The second was a 2-day trek to Humantay Lake at an elevation of 4250m. Choquequirao is a lesser-known Inca settlement due to its location; much higher than Machu Picchu at 3050m and a further 2.5-day transit on foot or horseback. The settlement is similar in construction to Machu Picchu, with hundreds of stoned terraces carefully constructed on the hillside to allow the Incas to grow crops and survive. Accompanied by spectacular views, the trek started with some nervous excitement and a false sense of security as we descended rapidly into the valley below. Eventually, arriving at a local village under the cover of darkness, we camped our first night and awoke to a magnificent sunrise bathing the valley, and prepared for the day ahead. The feeling of dread hung over the team as we looked across the valley to where we needed to go. This day would take us to the bottom of the valley before a long 1500m climb up to Marampata on top of the mountain opposite. Day two was a long day as we continued to acclimatise to the altitude, heat and gradient. We were exhausted reaching the top but met with an amazing campsite overlooking the expansive mountain range.
MACHU PICCHU
Machu Picchu is Peru’s most famous Incan settlement and is described by Peru’s Culture Ministry as ‘a masterpiece of art, architec- ture, and engineering in perfect harmony with nature.’
Built around 1400 CE, it was later abandoned as the Incas withdrew from the mountains during the second half of the sixteenth century.
The most important archaeological site in the Shm-Panm region of Peru, it features on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the region boasts significant biodiversity accounting for 24 Andean and Amazonian ecosystems that provide homes for 75 species of mammals, 444 of birds, 14 of amphibians, 24 of reptiles and 377 of butterflies; in addition to 423 species of orchids and 332 of trees.
Access to Machu Picchu is regulated and visitors must purchase a ticket before going to the site. These can be bought online or from the sales office in Cusco.
Source: www.machupicchu.gob.pe
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