Trekking From Lodge to Lodge in the Mountains of Peru

As I sat in the spa sipping a pisco sour, I looked down the valley to the huge, snow covered monolith at the end. Mt. Salkantay, the highest peak in the region, would loom over us for the next two days as we worked our way up and over the pass that bears its name. I could barely make out the trail as it snaked down the valley. It didn't look so tough, I thought, then reminded myself that was only the beginning.

At 15,213 feet, Salkantay Pass would be the highest I had ever been without the aid of an airplane or mind-altering substances. That we would start from an elevation of 12,690 feet and head steadily up from there didn't make me feel any better. But that was tomorrow. Right now I had a hot, churning spa to melt into and a pisco sour to drink.

About 175,000 travelers arrived via Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in 2014

Nearly 175,000 tourists, national and foreign, made their way to the grounds of Machu Picchu by taking the Inca Trail, according to the National Service of Protected Natural Areas by the State (SERNANP).

Out of a total of 2.6 million tourists who visited Cusco in 2014, 175,000 decided to take the ancient path weaving through jungle and Andes ecosystems, paved by the Incas themselves.