Layers of cake

Alice is starting to think of Peru as a strange scuplted layer cake. On the very top are rugged peaks and glaciers. Beneath that at about 4000m plus there is high wild plateau grassland with livestock grazing and isolated farms. Cows, sheep, horses, llama and alpaccca. Next comes the most populated portion and the more productive agricultural land. At the very bottom are deep steep-sided canyons.

From Pacocha, we are climbing and contouring once more around the steep terraced slopes that are perched high above the vertiginous canyon.

Then begins the descent. More than 2000m of it. First down through several more villages. We pause for lunch in the centre of Llippa. As we leave we are suddenly on the rim of another huge canyon. Its thrilling but also a bit daunting. Once we reach the bottom we will have 4 days and 3600m of climbing to get back out. Still, its a marvellous descent with irresistible stops for photos of multicoloured rocks, hairpins and cactii.Read more