Posts Tagged ‘Machu Picchu’

Hiking the Inca Trail

It happens every year, but 2012 seems even earlier than usual. Only 500 permits per day are issued for people to hike on the Inca trail into Machu Picchu, and already permits are sold out for almost the entire month of July. As of this writing in March, there is still good availability for August, but that is likely to change dramatically in the next few weeks.

Machu Picchu is undoubtedly the highlight of most travelers’ exploration of Peru, and hiking in on the Inca Trail, whether on our 5-day trek, or the so-called “Inca Trail Express” a one-day hike that culminates at the Gate of the Sun, is an unforgettable experience that will stay with you for years. If you’ve been thinking of joining us in Peru this summer, please don’t delay and risk disappointment – let us know now if you are considering a trip so we can keep you in the loop!

Peru: The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu

Still available for 2012…

with the Inca Trail Express: August 19-26; October 7-14, December 23-30

without the Inca Trail Express: July 8-15

Or, consider Boundless Journeys’ Private Collection departures, available on the dates that work for you:

Peru: Land of the Incas

Peru: Trekking the Hidden Inca Trail

Peru: Lima, Cusco, & Machu Picchu

Peru: Into the Amazon

Peru: Lake Titicaca

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

It is happy guests such as Samantha that help make this profession so gratifying. I feel very fortunate that I go to work every day with the goal being the creation and delivery of life changing experiences.

“I cannot thank you enough for another incredible experience. I really thought that nothing would ever compare to my Bhutan experience, we both know how special that country is, but the Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu tour was truly an incredible journey from beginning to end. It was a rich cultural experience and was filled with the most breathtaking views that made for the perfect backdrop to reconnect with oneself. It was truly another life changing experience. I have an inner peace and calm that I did not have before. I have been told on more than one occasion that my face lights up when I talk about my trip.

Francis did an amazing job making sure that we experienced everything on our wish list. He did not miss a beat and was so meticulous about everything. He was a fantastic tour guide with a wonderful sense of humor and made the experience that much more fun and exciting. He always encouraged us to challenge ourselves and every day felt like an adventure with new goals realized.

Mario was an excellent driver and made sure the van was always spotless. Mario and Francis made a great team and really took good care of us. They were both very thoughtful and even went as far as getting the CD player fixed in the van so that I could listen to the CD I bought from the musician performing at our hotel. They went to great lengths to make our experience the best ever. I will never forget their thoughtfulness and kindness.

This trip exceeded my expectations in every way and I feel like a richer person for having experienced it. Thank you again for another life changing experience. I highly recommend Boundless Journeys to everyone I share my stories with and I will always talk in high regard about the quality of your tours.

I look forward to my next journey.

With Sincerity,

Samantha”
Peru: The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu Tour, April 2011

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking in remote regions ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

Boundless Journeys’ Annual Charity Event, An Ideal Way to Help Those in Need

At a time when many avid travelers are scaling back due to guilt brought on by the impression that adventure travel is indulgent and insensitive to others who may be struggling to get by, Boundless Journeys’ annual charity event offers the ideal solution: incorporating meaningful community service into an amazing travel adventure.

Boundless Journeys is offering its August 2-9, 2009 Peru: The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu trip as a special charity event to benefit the Instituto Machu Picchu and a community school in the village of Huanca. This 2009 event follows our successful 2008 event, a Tanzanian safari benefitting the Foundation for African Medicine and Education (FAME). The 2008 charity event trip resulted in a donation of $6,000 to FAME and the participation of 10 Boundless Journeys clients in a well-child check at a Karatu, Tanzania orphanage.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people visit Peru and its iconic archeological site, Machu Picchu. Peru is truly one of the world’s great travel destinations, but very few visitors get off the beaten path and truly connect with the people and places they are there to experience. As Karen Cleary, Peru Trip Manager notes, “It is part of Boundless Journeys’ mission to plan an annual charity event trip as one aspect of our commitment to sustainable tourism. The Huanca community school is in need of renovation and restoration. Our donation to the project of approximately $4,900 USD, plus the time our guests will spend working, will allow the community to accomplish this important goal.”

Along with the popular walking and hiking tour including important sites in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, Boundless Journeys guests who participate in the August 2-9 charity event will have the opportunity to:

• Spend a day working side by side with Huanca villagers, assisting electricians, carpenters, painters, and masons to complete the community school renovation project (no construction experience is necessary, just a desire to help out and a willingness to get a little dirt under your nails).
• Spend the night camping in the Huanca community, giving participants time to get to know the villagers better, and enjoying a traditional party to celebrate the completion of the project.

Group size is limited to 16, and reservations are currently being taken for Boundless Journeys’ Peru: The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu charity event. The August 2-9, 2009 trip cost is $4295 per person (not including international airfare).

For more information please call toll-free 1-800-941-8010, or e-mail Peru destination manager Karen Cleary.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank

Those of you who joined Boundless Journeys in July 2008 on our Tanzania Migration Safari Charity Event already know well the story of FAME, the Foundation for African Medicine and Education, and how it was founded by the husband and wife team of Frank Artress and Susan Gustafson, a California doctor and a psychologist. During an ill-fated climb of Tanzania’s famed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Frank nearly succumbed to symptoms of altitude sickness. If it were not for the diligence of their guides, the outcome could have been much different. Ultimately, their experiences on Kilimanjaro and in Tanzania led them to uproot their lives and relocate to the village of Karatu, Tanzania, where they now run a non-profit medical clinic. Every so often, Frank and Susan update us on their current challenges, accomplishments, and moments that constantly remind us why giving back is so important. Here’s the latest news from FAME:

Spring U.S. fundraising drive:
Frank and Susan are looking forward to events in Boston, New York, California and possibly Chicago and Colorado in the coming months. Their calendar continues to take shape — if you are interested in hosting a large or small, formal or informal, FAME benefit, let us know so we can put you in touch!

Karatu Volunteer Program:
FAME runs a small scale volunteer program at this time, and some of the most compassionate and talented doctors and nurses have come to help them over the last few months. They have worked side by side with FAME’s Tanzanian medical team, sharing and exchanging expertise on behalf of their patient community.

Mobile Medical Clinics:
This month FAME and Mwangaza, an NGO focused on helping people with disabilities, collaborated to bring support and medical care to the poorest of the poor in the region. With Mwangaza educating and coordinating support and rehab services, FAME Medical hosted a “drop-in” clinic for people with disabilities in their immediate area.

In January, again in collaboration with Mwangaza and community leaders, the FAME Mobile Medical Service held a 3 day drop-in clinic, where roughly 1000 patients were given medical care.

Growing a Clinic into a Hospital:
According to a WRA National Alliance Survey (2007), Tanzania loses one woman every hour to pregnancy, child birth and post delivery complications due to the lack of accessible and affordable health services among the poor majority.

Thanks to amazingly generous grants from the Chauncey & Marion Deering McCormick Foundation and the Izumi Foundation, as well as the donated time and expertise of architects Scott Paddon, Marcus Hibser, Jack Paddon, and their amazing teams, FAME’s expansion plans are taking shape. FAME looks forward to helping by bringing a desperately needed hospital and comprehensive laboratory to the District of Karatu, where they will be able to perform emergency surgeries.

How You Can Support FAME:
Make a donation! Operational expenses are ongoing and FAME has so much to accomplish in Tanzania. Make FAME’s work in Tanzania a long-term commitment. FAME IS A 501 (c)(3), so your donation is tax deductible! Go to the “Contribute” page on their web site: http://www.fameafrica.org.

Participate in FAME’s “Adopt a Healthcare Worker” Sponsorship Program! Host a fund raising event, small or large, spring 2009. Tell your friends and colleagues about their work in Tanzania and direct them to their website.

Boundless Journeys 2008 Charity Event, TANZANIA: Migration Safari:
Our 2008 Charity Event – a Tanzania Migration Safari, reulted in Boundless Journeys donating $6000 to the Foundation for African Medicine and Education, and participants assisted founders Dr. Frank Artress and Susan Gustafson with a day-long well-child check for the Shalom Orphanage in Karatu, Tanzania.

Boundless Journeys’ 2009 Charity Event:
Would you like to give back while discovering a new place on the map? Join Boundless Journeys on our 2009 Charity Event trip in Peru. Visit our web site and call Karen Cleary, Peru Destination Manager, at 1-800-941-8010 to learn more about this unique opportunity.

Inca Tail Trek to Machu Picchu

More and more, travelers who want to trek to Machu Picchu are seeking out alternative, less crowded and sustainably managed routes, where porters are more likely to be supported properly and the experience is an authentic wilderness trek away from the crowds of the ‘traditional’ Inca Trail.

Boundless Journeys’ 11-day/10-night Peru: Trekking the Hidden Inca Trail trip follows ancient footpaths through the Andes on a 5-day trek to Machu Picchu. Choosing this alternative, and no less stunning route, allows Boundless Journeys’ groups to use horses to carry packs, food, and camping equipment, rather than human porters (horses are not allowed on the traditional Inca Trail). The local arrieros (horse handlers) are gainfully employed, while working under humane conditions. Boundless Journeys’ trekkers benefit from the luxury of being able to bring a bit more along, without overworking the support staff. Of course, trekking on an exclusive route that rarely sees foreigners is a compelling reason in itself for choosing Boundless Journeys’ Hidden Inca Trail trek.

But as always, it’s important to plan ahead for a trekking adventure to Machu Picchu. The Peruvian government places strict limits on the amount of trekkers on the Inca Trail at any given time, and for our final day of hiking into Machu Picchu, we need to obtain trekking permits for our guests. These trekking permits may sell out several months ahead of time. Your best bet to be able to hike into Machu Picchu on foot is to plan your trip about 6 months ahead of time. Feel free to call Boundless Journeys Peru Manager, Karen Cleary, at 1-800-941-8010 at any time with questions.

Boundless Journeys President, Matt Holmes was recently interviewed for a travel radio program. Listen to Matt talk about why Boundless Journeys is a leader in the travel industry, and what makes their tours so unique.

For the radio interview please click here.

After talking to Matt Holmes, I was reminded of the words of the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau: “The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.” And somewhere beyond the endless reality checks we all make in our day to day lives, there is also a longing for a world of idealism in which the experience of “the other” figures prominently. Actually making contact with that other world or reality is often easier than you may think; especially when companies like Boundless Journeys prepare the way.

Adventure travel in all its forms (hard, soft, intrepid … and conceptual) is a growing and very specialized market in the world of travel and tourism. In an age when we seem to know so much — at least in terms of our almost unlimited access to information — we still have a need and desire to transcend what may in fact be only our perceived limitations; and thus interact with other realities. And as Boundless Journeys states very clearly on its website “When it comes to a memorable vacation, we know it’s not just where you travel, but how you travel that makes all the difference.”

So whether your next travel adventure is local, national, or international, Matt and his colleagues may just serve as role models for the engaged, reciprocal, and participant mode of travel.

About Travelosophy / Bob Fisher