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PERU'S INCA TRAIL HAILED AS ONE OF WORLD'S GREATEST HIKES

By Andina

(11/03/2011)An article published by US weekly magazine 'Time' tells adventure lovers why the Inca Trail between Cusco and Machu Picchu in Peru is one of the world's greatest hikes.

Mark Adams, author of the New York Times best seller 'Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time', explains that Peru's Inca Trail is perhaps the world's greatest hike because it combines the best of two types of travel: reach a destination and the pleasure of the journey itself.

He describes the hike as "a four-to-five day walk to the spectacular lost city of Machu Picchu that winds through the zone where the snowcapped Andes Mountains crash into the lush Amazon jungle, creating some of the world's most dramatic and beautiful terrain."

In his article, Adams agrees with many experts who believe that the Incas, the advanced South American civilization, blazed this 27-mile trail five centuries ago as a holy pilgrimage that prepared visitors to enter Machu Picchu.

Adams also notes the fact that the Peruvian government now limits Inca Trail traffic to 500 persons per day, including the porters who must carry all food, tents and other necessities.

Moreover, he recommends would-be hikers to sign up through an authorized guiding service, usually months in advance since spots sell out quickly.