The challenge starts with long indirect flights into firstly Lima in Peru and then Cuzco, the ancient Inca city and nearest siginificant to Machu Picchu. This will take over a day. The city of Cuzco sits at 10,800 ft and we will spend two days acclimatising before the trek proper begins.

The trek starts with transportation to KM.82 where the main trail begins. Over 4 days and 3 nights we will follow the classic Inca Trail through numerous ancient ruins, over several mountain passes including 'Dead Woman Pass' at 13,800ft and up and down many flights of ancient rock staircases.

Along the way we will be supported by a team of porters, a guide and a doctor as the hazards of altitude sickness and poor weather are considerable. We will carry our own daily kit and sleep in rudimentary campsites with little in the way of creature comforts.

On the final day we will set off well before dawn in order to reach the 'Sun Gate' high above Machu Picchu and hopefully, weather permitting, see the sun rise over the lost city.

Machu Picchu was built around 1460 AD but was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a hundred years later, at the time of the spanish conquest of the Inca empire. Although known locally, it was said to have been forgotten for centuries when the site was brought to worldwide attention in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American historian. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction. ]

Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Since it was not plundered by the Spanish when they conquered the Incas, it is especially important as a cultural site and is considered a sacred place.

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry stone walls. Its primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu.

Training

This trek requires significant physical exersion and will be a real test of stamina and motivation. Each of the trekkers have differing levels of fitness and the training started in early 2009. This has taken many forms from keep-fit to walking in different terrains and conditions.