There is a beautiful feeling of serenity at the spectacular former Incan city of Machu Picchu. The long road through the Andes to this remote paradise is not so well acclaimed, but is also very special. This is a journey unlike any you will ever have undertaken before, and it will stay with you forever. Getting to the jewel of the Sacred Valley can be costly and time consuming, but it is a journey which is to be enjoyed rather than endured. This is my 6-part travelogue, revealing the highlights of the road to Machu Picchu, including Arequipa.

Machu Picchu – One of the most beautiful places in the world

Arequipa

From my home in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland, I had taken a bus to Dublin Airport, an Aer Lingus flight over the Atlantic Ocean to New York City, a subway train to rest up in central Queens (albeit for 2 months!), a taxi ride back to JFK Airport to board the overnight LAN flight to Lima, and a connecting LAN flight to the city of Arequipa in southern Peru.

Arequipa is a little bit off most people’s tourist trail, but is very well worth a visit. Other Peruvians joke that to live in Arequipa you need a different passport! This capital of the south, with an elevation of over 7,600 feet, has a proud reputation for some of the best cuisine, music, art and culture in all of Peru.

You completely forget that you are at such an altitude, but it is this elevation, latitude and the strategic position between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes which gives Arequipa a relatively constant climate. The days are comfortably warm and sunny, while the nights are much cooler, with wonderfully clear skies.

Where the terrain in this upland arid region allows, there is a superb year-round supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. As an Irishman who is somewhat critical of potato quality in other parts of the world I have to say the local produce in Arequipa is delicious!

The name Arequipa is thought to stem from either the Aymara Indian words ‘Ari’ (summit), and Quipa: (laying behind), or the immortal words of visiting Inca Mayta Capac, who upon discovering the settlement and admiring the beauty of the area and it’s prominence as a potential Inca city between the Pacific Ocean and Cusco, uttered the words ‘”Ari, quipay!” translated as “Yes, stay!”. Either or both possible sources of the current name seem quite apt.

There is less ambiguity regarding the origins of the nickname ‘The White City’. Arequipa’s impressive array of historic baroque buildings, most notably around La Plaza Mayor, which is also known as Plaza de Armas (as are all central plaza’s in Peru) are constructed from sillar; the unique type of whitish volcanic rock found in the area.

Having been almost completely destroyed by powerful earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in 1600, 1687 and 1868, the city has always re-emerged from the very rocks which both solidify and threaten its foundations, each time coming back stronger and more proudly determined. One such reincarnation, which was made official on August 15th 1540 is celebrated with great pride as the city’s anniversary. This includes a week long fiesta of song, dance, fireworks and general merriment.

Arequipa has served as a pre-Incan Native Indian settlement, an Incan city of great geographical significance, a Spanish colonial stronghold, capital of Peru (1835-1883) and always as both an administrative district for industry and trade and as a cultural center.

There is much to see in this beautiful city, and the extended region, with the shrine of The Virgin of Chapi, the splendid Andean gem of Colca Canyon with its famous hovering condors, Lake Titicaca, Pacific coastal town of Camana and geological highlights including Canters de Sillar, all within easy reach. Needless to say, you will not fail to notice the powerful influence of the three volcanoes; El Misti, Chachani and Picchu Picchu, which almost cradle Arequipa with a snow-capped crown.

Chachani, part of Arequipa’s snow-capped crown

You will also be affectionately drawn to the warm and friendly townspeople. The pride which is so often mentioned, and even revered by fellow Peruvians, is heart-warming. In no place that I have ever been have I ever met a people so happy or so proud of their city and culture; and with their life and place in the world in general. From scenery to song, cuisine to artistic culture and spirits to sport, you will regularly hear Los Arequipeños refer to their brand of just about anything as ‘La mejor del Mundo!’ (the best in the world!). It is hard to disagree, and certainly admirable that the local people have such pride and contentment in their great white city.

Arequipa is enchanting. The traditional culture and natural beauty leave you wanting to see more.  I will be back, and who knows, perhaps I will utter the immortal words: “Ari, quipay!”.

Have you read the other posts in this series?

Part 2: Arequipa to Cusco

Part 3: Cusco

Part 4: Cusco to Ollantaytambo

Part 5: Ollantaytambo to Aquas Calientes

Part 6: Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo)

There is a beautiful feeling of serenity at the spectacular former Incan city of Machu Picchu. The long road through the Andes to this remote paradise is not so well acclaimed, but is also very special. This is a journey unlike any you will ever have undertaken before, and it will stay with you forever. Getting to the jewel of the Sacred Valley can be costly and time consuming, but it is a journey which is to be enjoyed rather than endured. This is my 6-part travelogue, revealing the highlights of the road to Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu – One of the most beautiful places in the world

Arequipa to Cusco

It was time to leave Arequipa, so after nightfall we boarded the coach to Cusco, and set off northwards on the road to Machu Picchu shortly after 8pm. Dinner was quickly served and by 9.30pm many of the passengers were already settling down for the night. After spending some time contacting friends and family back home, I  eventually reclined my seat at around 11pm. I noticed that we were stopped, but as the engine was still running I presumed that we were going through the routine 2 hour driver change and safety checks which are mandatory in Peru. I awoke at 6.20am…almost 10 and a half hours after we had set off from Arequipa… to the news that we had made less than 2hrs headway before being stranded in a snowstorm at high altitude! In disbelief I pulled back the window curtain and the first glimmer of dawn was reflecting over a snow-covered landscape. This was not in the script.

An unexpected sight – Snowbound overnight at over 14,000 feet!

Arequipa is surrounded by 3 volcanoes. the most distinguished of which is El Misti, or ‘Señor Misti’ as he is known by the locals. Towering at over five thousand meters above the city, ‘He’ stands guard over the adoring people below. We had made it passed El Misti and the adjacent Chachani Volcano, but we were less fortunate when we had ventured deeper into the Reserva National Salinas Aguada on the Peruvian Altiplano.

Reserva National Salinas and Aguada Blanco. Image Credit: Paolo Tomaz on Flikr

Although the mountains here are not as high as El Misti or Chachani, the road weaves further up onto their slopes. To compound the problem, the hour at which we arrived on this stretch of road meant that the temperatures had dropped, and so it came to pass that we would spend 11 and a half hours sitting snowbound at almost 14,000 feet. From the moment I pulled back the window curtain and surveyed our plight, I used The Paris Method to remind myself that this was an adventure not an ordeal. I had come to South America for adventure and this was certainly going to be an adventure!

As more passengers awoke and got updated about our plight, chit chat started in various forms of broken Spanish, English, French and German. I found myself in conversation with the occupant of the coolest waistcoat and scarf I have ever seen – a German called Olaf, who was traveling through the Andes with his wife and 4 children. After having negotiated that the bus door be opened for fresh air, we continued our chat on the snow-covered roadside.  Among the first sights we saw was a Japanese tourist walking past our coach in an attempt to find out when the road would reopen. She was ankle-deep in a very high pair of bright red stilettos! It was such a surreal sight; a Japanese woman in bright red stilettos on a snow-covered Peruvian mountain at dawn.

Olaf and I laughed and traded stories about the highest altitudes we had been to. 14,000 feet on the road to Machu Picchu was a first for both of us. Had the bus kept moving the previous night, we would probably never even have known that we had been to such a height.

Yet more passengers had now woken up and joined the conversation. Annie, a French Canadian intensive care nurse who was on six month solo backpacking trek through South America, shared her biscuits and peanuts. She was the only passenger who had any sort of snacks with her. She even had oatmeal, and a pot and spork and had managed to make porridge for her breakfast. I later had a longer conversation with Annie, and she is such an inspiration. Not only did she have the wanderlust to imagine such an epic journey, but she had the determination and bravery to make her dream become a reality. You can read all about Annie’s South American odyssey here.

Annie making porridge and keeping us entertained

Not surprisingly, the conversation turned to climate change. A Peruvian onboard, who was due to be at work that morning in Cusco told us that there had been some recent similar occurrences of snow blockages on roads such as this, but that up until a few years previous, such a phenomena was unheard of. He ventured that climate change is hardly surprising considering the rate of globalization and mass tourism. Given that his soapbox audience were a German, a Norwegian, a Canadian, 2 Americans, an Australian, and an Irishman, it was hardly surprising that silence greeted the end of his offering.

In an attempt to break the silence and change the course of the conversation, someone jokingly speculated about who would eat who if we were stuck up here for much longer. Cue nervous laughter. Olaf was growing restless due to his responsibilities for the safety and comfort of his children. A passenger was by now suffering from altitude sickness. Two more were thinking about hitching a ride back to Arequipa – just how was anyones guess. There was a general mood of impatience and worry setting in. Our road to Machu Picchu was getting complicated.

I was relatively content. In fact, I was actually enjoying the randomness of this unexpected adventure. I was concentrating on keeping the current perspective in mind, and keeping my attitude right. The Paris Method was working!

By now Olaf’s teenage daughter was awake and joined us on the roadside. A pick up truck approached from the opposite direction. The young German girl recalled the basic Spanish she was learning at school, and sought an update from the pick-up driver. In a commendable multilingual display, she first gave her father the report in German before telling everyone else in English that the blockage had been caused by a road accident up ahead. Thankfully no one had been seriously injured.

The good news was that the sun had now begun to melt the snow and the road had partially reopened. An hour later, we were finally moving once again, albeit very slowly as the blockage had caused a tailback of several miles, and conditions were still difficult.

Many passengers on the coach, myself included, had by now lost a day from their Cusco and Machu Picchu itinerary. As we slowly began the slippery descent from our overnight mountain experience, I had at that time been due to take a tour of The Sacred Valley. I would still get to see the Sacred Valley, but now only partially while en route to Machu Picchu. Every cloud has a silver lining though. As we had been originally due to travel to Cusco through the night, we would not have seen the landscapes along the way. Now though, we had the pleasure of admiring the breathtaking antiplano panoramas. After an unscheduled but very welcome pitstop in the Espinar District, we all sat back and relaxed as the beautiful scenery passed by our windows. It was breathtaking, comparable to a 3d journey through a National Geographic magazine. It was the most spectacular coach journey I have ever taken, and I constantly reminded myself that I was only seeing this due to the snow storm. This proves to me that something good can always come out of something bad.

Beautiful Andean scenery in the Espinar District of Peru

Peruvian kids playing soccer in the Andes

Agriculture in the Peruvian altiplano, on the road to Cusco.

Darkness had fallen by the time we finally reached our destination; a grand total of 23 hours after we had set out from Arequipa. Although we were tired, and had lost a day from our Inca Trail itinerary, we were thankful for the fact that we had made it off the mountain unscathed, and that we had experienced such an amazing landscape on the road to Machu Picchu, from Arequipa to Cusco.

Have you read the other posts in this series?

Part 1: Arequipa

Part 3: Cusco

Part 4: Cusco to Ollantaytambo

Part 5: Ollantaytambo to Aquas Calientes

Part 6: Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo)