Peru may have Latin America’s most celebrated walk, but don’t overlook other treks. Janine Kelso suggests alternatives to the Inca Trail
The Inca Trail – which leads the way to Peru’s top sight, Machu Picchu – is in such high demand that visitors are advised to book up to six months in advance.
If you can’t get a space, or you want to do something different, there are many treks to choose from which offer similar scenery without the crowds.
The Weavers Trail (or Lares Trek)
Starting in Cusco, this route is more than a match for the Inca trail in terms of dramatic scenery, difficulty levels and duration.
But rather than covering deserted Inca ruins, the Weavers Trail winds its way through remote farming hamlets in the Lares valleys. The Andean communities here still speak Quechua, the language of the Incas. As well as breeding llamas and alpacas, the local tribes practice ancient weaving customs.
The landscape is rich with snow-capped peaks, lakes that go on for miles and verdant valleys. Along the way, trekkers can nurse their aching limbs in hot springs before ending up at the hilltop Inca city of Ollantaytambo.
Sample product: Journey Latin America offers the three-night Weavers Trail for £243 per person, including flights (020 8747 8315).
The Huayhuash Trek
The gruelling Huayhuash Trek is set in the high-Andean mountain range made famous by Joe Simpson in his hair-raising climbing book and movie Touching the Void.
Recommended for the super-fit, the Cordillera Blanca, or White Range, contains Peru’s highest mountain – Huascaran – which reaches 6,798 metres. The trek passes through sub-tropical valleys, turquoise lakes and Inca sites, with sweeping views of the surrounding snowy peaks.
Sample product: Exodus offers the 16-day Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash trek for £2,099 per person in September 2009, with 10 days’ trekking, nine days’ camping, three nights in hostels, two nights in hotels and flights (0845 863 9600).
The High Inca Trail
Wilder and more remote than the Inca Trail, this strenuous seven-day trek covers a higher altitude.
Starting in Mollepata, the trail moves in the shadow of Salkantay mountain and crosses the 5,000-metre Incachiriasca Pass before reaching Machu Picchu via the 4,200-metre Dead Woman’s Pass.
Sample product: The Adventure Company offers the 16-day High Inca Trail for £1,899 per person, plus $350 local payment, departing from May to September 2009, including flights (0845 609 0889).
The Moonstone Sun Temple Trek
This beautifully-named trail gets off the beaten track, making it possible to book closer to the dates of travel.
Lasting four days and three nights, the route begins at an Inca shrine set in a river valley at an elevation of 3,650m.
Reaching the dizzying heights of 4,500m, trekkers will see aqueducts, a pre-Inca fortress, a shrine overlooking glaciated peaks and the Sun Temple. Like the Inca Trail, the route ends with sunrise at Machu Picchu.
Sample product: Footloose offers the nine-day Moonstone Inca Trail for £569 per person, between May and July 16 2009, including a tour leader, a trekking guide with cooks and horse support, a flight from Lima to Cusco, five-hotel nights and a return train journey from Machu Picchu to Cusco. Price excludes flights (0845 330 6095).
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