The Andean destination is on nearly everyone's bucket list, even if they don't know it. Macchu Picchu and the Inca Trail has made is the backpacker and traveller rite of passage.
However, you need to get by in the rest of Peru in order to get there. Here are my top 5 tips for your travels to go without a hitch.
1. Don't listen to the websites and travel guides - it's really easy to get to Macchu Picchu with limited planning. If you want to do the big mountain, you might need a bit more planning, but not that much.
2. If you're a woman, everyone calls you lady. And if you're like me, you think it sounds like they're being rude, but they're not. So when someone shouts, "hey, lady", they're angling for a fight, they genuinely want your attention.
3. There's a lot of uphill climbing. I'm as unfit at they come and a total wuss. However, I managed to walk to Sacsayhuaman from my hotel opposite the Temple of Sun in Cusco. And I walked to Rainbow mountain, which is about a 3km walk 5,300 metres above sea level. I also didn't have the right shoes, clothes or equipment. So if I can do it, anyone can.
4. They love WhatsApp. I find using dark social really intrusive for some reason, so communicated to a stranger via a tool I use to talk to my friends, family and lovers, is a strange one to get your head around.
5. It's perfectly safe and friendly. And without doing anything about it, the Peruvians make it known that they've clocked you're a lady on your own, which is reassuring.
Published on 28/06/2019 15:19
