Salkantay - Day 3: Jungle walking

We woke up sore, cold, and filthy on the third day of our trek. Today would be a relatively easy day with 6 hours of hiking through up and down terrain on a horsepath. We were now firmly in the tropical forest, which means the conditions become hot, muggy, and mosquito infested. It is fascinating to experience the drastic changes in climate in only a few days, and I feel like Peru is one of the few places that can offer such and quick transition.

Today's trek followed a path alongside the base of mountains and a river. We crossed many bridges and even a few waterfalls. We got a chance to see some interesting wildlife too - different kinds of birds and insects, plus a Lizard and some ferret-like thing. We passed by a passionfruit grove and the fruit-pickers dropped us fresh passionfruits from the trees above. Very tasty. We finally reached our destination in the village of Lucacamba. Since the Salkantay route has increased in popularity (over the last 5-10 yrs) villagers along the route have set up kiosks catering to trekkers needs like water, Gatorade, and candy. At our campsite at Lucacamba, they also had a bathroom with shower! I've never appreciated soap and water! Another nice thing about this campsite was that there was an actual toilet. For the past two nights our toilets consisted of holes dug in the ground with a small privacy tent surrounding them. Let's just say late night trips to the great dung hole in 20 degree weather were not so fun! After taking the best cold water shower I've ever taken, we capped off the night with a great meal prepared by the tour's cook and a few beers.

For the first time it was a pleasant night out weather-wise, due to being at a relatively low altitude and I finally got a decent night of sleep.

written by

bhkann on August 10, 2010 from Aguas Calientes, Peru

from the travel blog: Peru 2010

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