Rio Apurimac & Inca Trail Expedition
Until very recently, the Rio Apurimac remained a scarcely known river through one of the deepest canyons in the world and the uppermost source of the Amazon River. Rising in Peru’s glaciated southwestern Cordilleras at 18,000’ in elevation, the Apurimac courses downstream through a distinctive narrow canyon sculpted over the millennia into smooth, overhanging walls of incredible shapes and of astonishing dimensions. Today, the Apurimac (translated as “divinity talker” in native dialect) remains one of the least explored canyons on Earth. The gorge features fantastic waterfalls and stunning scenery, awesome Class III-V whitewater, one portage at a point where the river constricts to less than one-tenth its size, and an unrivaled feeling of remoteness.
Stretching over a massive area throughout the Peruvian Himalaya, the Inca road system covered nearly 14,000 miles. Portions of the network remain today, providing trekkers with access to some of the most spectacular mountain passes and to a multitude of pre-Columbian ruins. Among the most impressive of the Incan ruins is the renowned Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas.” Situated within a stunning valley at 8,000 feet in elevation, the greatest of the Incan establishments beckons visitors from around the world, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. The site officially encompasses 325 square kilometers and features marvelous well-preserved stone structures, religious sites, gardens, and walkways.
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