In this incredible expedition you will experience both spectacular rafting and trekking. We will start with rafting on the Apurimac River , a world class exciting whitewater experience deep within a 6,600 ft . canyon, rated as one of the best rafting trips in South America . We depart on our trip from the city of Cusco ( 12,000 ft .), which was the heart of the Inca Empire . Apurimac is a Quechua word meaning "Speaker of the Gods." This river is the most direct source of the Amazon, making it one of the longest rivers in the world. The wildlife we might encounter in this remote canyon includes river otters, bob cats, foxes, condors, torrent ducks and cormorants.
After drying out from rafting and re-energizing in Cusco we begin our trek to the famous lost city of the Inca– Machu Picchu . This journey is widely considered to be the most spectacular trekking experience on the continent. Its route passes through a 13,000-foot Andean pass beyond which lie some of the most astounding artifacts of the Inca civilization. Most of these attractions, unlike the majority of large pre- Columbian structures, lay completely undisturbed for hundreds of years, and much of the trek's fascination is imparted by the sensation of trekking into a region sealed off from time. Starting with the sentry post of Runkuraqay, hikers pass through increasingly splendid ruins, surrounded all the while by ice- capped mountains and forests. The trail ends at the astonishingly well-preserved sacred city of Machu Picchu , having retraced the route by which the Incas themselves ascended to this ceremonial centre. Gazing across the ruins, with its perfectly set stairways, dwellings, fountains and still functional aqueducts, is a haunting experience; so intact is the city that at times it seems its residents has only recently walked away. How Machu Picchu 's legacy ended is a great mystery. It was once filled with priests, artisans, and the mamacunas, a group of select virgins who dedicated their lives to the sun god. The Spanish have no records of the city, and when it was rediscovered in 1911, its walls overrun by the nearby jungle, only 173 skeletons were found on the site.
To read more about the Inca and Machu Picchu see the folwing links:
Machu Picchu The Dicovery | Machu Picchu description of the ruins | The Ancient Inca
