Alternate Trail Routes to Machu Picchu

Taking the Back Roads to Machu Picchu (NY times, registration required): The "Peruvian government began enforcing strict limits on the number of people allowed on the trail. Right now, only 500 people a day may enter — about 200 tourists and 300 guides and porters.

And so, “alternative” Inca Trails are gaining popularity with travelers unable or unwilling to book a slot three to six months in advance. These treks can be booked a day or two in advance and can cost less than half as much as a hike on the Inca Trail."

The author recounts the alternative routes through the Lares Valley and the four-day trek past Nevado Salkantay, or from Choquequirao, "among the longest and hardest paths in the Peruvian Sacred Valley, looping travelers over steep and slick mountain switchbacks, across rivers and waterfalls."

The routes are becoming more popular but the destination is always the same: fabulous Machu Picchu - Lost City of the Incas Photo Gallery.

Photo of Machu Picchu in the mist displayed with the kind permission of Clarence Fisk.