South America

Nowadays the Salkantay Trek - which is supposed to be an alternative to the popular Inca Trail - is getting crowded as well. So we decided to create our own trail, opting for the quieter but harder Choquequirao Trek (thanks Sandrien!) and then pushing on to Machu Picchu via the last leg of the Salkantay Trek ⛺.

Because we'd already booked our ticket to the famous Inca site and our time was limited, we took a colectivo in between where there was a road. This turned out to be more dangerous than the trek itself, since a 2-meter metal piece broke off the car yet the driver decided to push on, driving on a road that was basically built on previous landslides ☠️.

Exhausted (our daily hike usually included 1800m ascent ánd 1800m descent) but satisfied, we reached our goal. Although both were rediscovered by the same American (Bingham), show similar features and were constructed around the same time (probably even ordered by the same Sapa Inca), we noticed there's a world of difference.

Choquiquerao - 'the cradle of gold' - is visited by around 20 people daily. Since the site is bigger than MP, we basically had it to ourselves and could explore it as we wished. There were only 2 other people continuing afterwards (and none of them carried their own gear like we did). The citadel is more secluded and the trail is much harder, with less facilities on the way, but the interaction with the locals felt very authentic.

Machu Picchu on the other hand, sees 4500 visitors a day and even has its own tourist city. Still, it wasn't voted a (new) Wonder of the World for nothing, and beholding it and the backdrop was something truly special, even in the clouds. Overtourism is tangible here, and with the fixed route choice and check-out time pressure it's not really a relaxing experience.

One thing is for sure: these Incas were tough people 💪!Read more