HIGH-ALTITUDE TREKKING

INCA TRAIL TO INGAPIRCA
(4 DAYS)

Day 01: This adventure begins in Riobamba where we will catch the 7:00 A.M. train to Sibambe. This is the famous "Devil's Nose" train ride where you can ride on the roof of the train as it passes through native indigenous farms and the remote Allot Indian villages of the Province of Chimborazo. After arriving at the village of Alausí, the train continues on towards the Devil's Nose section, which is a switchback system of tracks built on a steep hillside of andicite volcanic rock. This is the highlight of the train ride and the point where your adrenaline really starts pumping. Finally, we arrive in Sibambe, where we'll disembark. This is a great place to take some more photos of the train as it returns to Alausí. After lunch, we'll drive to La Moya and the Achupallas village (3300 m/10,824 ft.) and on to our campsite where we'll arrive at 3:00 P.M. Here, we'll eat dinner and camp overnight.

Day 02: We'll eat breakfast at 8:00 A.M., break down our campsite at 10:00 A.M., and begin hiking on a road that was, over 500 years ago, an important commercial connection that the Incas used between Colombia and Peru. After five hours of hiking, we'll arrive at our next campsite located in the middle of a nice valley below a hill named Tres Cruces (4100 m / 13,448 ft.). Dinner and overnight in the tents.

Day 03: We'll eat breakfast at 8:00 A.M., break down our campsite at 10:00 A.M., and continue walking up the wild paramo countryside. After an hour we'll cross over the Tres Cruces (4200 m / 13,776 ft.) and pass a small lake. Quite often this area is covered with snow and is usually quite cold.

We continue with an easy traverse that takes us to the high point of the trail situated at 4200 mts (13,776 ft.). From here, we'll enjoy a spectacular view of the numerous mountain peaks before heading down to Culebrillas lake. After lunch, we'll continue our walk, crossing a swampy valley floor and arriving at our next campsite in Paredanoes (3700 m/12,136 ft.) at 3:00 P.M. Here, we'll eat dinner and camp overnight in the tents.

Day 04: We'll eat breakfast at 8:00 A.M. and then continue our hike along the Inca trail which drops down to a fertile, agricultural valley where we'll pass several farmers and campesino houses before arriving at the famous Ingapirca ruins. After a 2-hour tour of the ruins, we'll have private transportation take us to our hotel in Cuenca, where we'll arrive around 6:00 P.M.

HIGH-ALTITUDE TREKKING PROGRAMS:

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ZUMBAHUA TO ANGAMARCA