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Exodus’ Imran Arshad and his 12-year-old son Hassan enjoyed an adventure they’ll never forget. “Machu Picchu was on my bucket list for many years. To do it with my son made the whole experience even more special…”
Here they talk about walking the Inca trail on this 14-day journey.
Family Trek on the Inca Trail
Trek Day 1
Imran and Hassan at the foot of the Inca Trail“After spending three fascinating days in the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, Cuzco, we were acclimatised and on our way to the starting point of our four-day trek.
Our group had three other couples and four teenagers so we were in really good company. The trail runs beneath the impressive snow-capped Nevado Veronica, to the enormous Inca ruins of Llactapata.
The views from our campsite were unbelievable, we were looking directly at the glistening, snowy peaks that lit up in the moonlight at night.” – Imran
Trek Day 2
Hassan climbing“This was the longest and most difficult day of the trek, no question! We hiked along the original Inca path, and saw some amazing plants and birds on the way, including colourful hummingbirds swerving from flower to flower.
As we were always gaining height, by the time we reached Dead Woman’s Pass, we were at 4215 metres, the highest point on the trek. I had to stop so my dad could catch up with me!” – Hassan
Trek Day 3
Llamas on the Inca Trail“We visited lots of atmospheric Inca ruins and enjoyed fantastic views over the Runquracay Pass (3930m).
Hassan spotted some llamas and just had to take photos of them. This was my favourite part of the trek, the pristine landscape looked as though the Incas had just left.
Soon, we found ourselves inside the heart of a rainforest, with the path literally wrapped around the mountainside. After dinner, the night sky was ablaze with thousands of stars and a full moon appearing from behind the mountains.” – Imran
Trek Day 4
Machu Picchu“From the ridge we climbed the stone staircase, with the peaks of the Vilcabamba range towering beyond, and the river thousands of metres below.
As we started making our way towards the Sun Gate and our first view of Machu Picchu, Hassan slowed down again for me and said
“Would you mind if we walk into it together?” I was an emotional wreck! As we took our final steps towards the Sun Gate to view the fabled city, the whole trek unfolded before my eyes; reaching Machu Picchu side by side with my son has to be the most memorable experience of all the travels I have ever done.” Imran
Take a look at our Inca & Amazon Family Adventure below and more trips to the Inca Trail.
