Wayracmachay - Ccollpapampa - La Loreta
- Distance: 18km
- Duration: (with breaks): 8h 30min
- Elevation gain/loss: 390m/1990m
Today we are descending from the tall mountains and progressing further on a ridge of Salkantay river (everything seems to be named after Salkantay here). The terrain is changing from rocky and harsh mountains to green and humid jungles.
We woke up to a beautiful sunny morning with a hot tea delivered to our tent (I told you it’s a glamping trip!). No signs of foul weather, we might be lucky today.
While heading down from the camping place, we heard a crack and saw an avalanche cloud on one of the nearby mountains. The guide told us that the avalanches are becoming more frequent each year, signalling how vulnerable this terrain is to climate changes. Now when I look back, this was the moment that triggered me to cut eating beef. I just felt so sad seeing this magnificent landscape so fragile.
Soon the white-capped mountains were behind us and we entered a lush jungle environment. On our way we passed a few small villages (or more exactly, a few houses) and got to see the day-to-day life of the local communities. Some of them have little shops with various refreshments and in one of them we got my currently favourite Peruvian fruits – granadillas. They don’t look that inviting when opened, but trust me, their taste is awesome.
After lunch a few members of the group decided to stop hiking for today and so the 5 Europeans and one of the guides went towards La Loreta, our destination for today.
Most of the path went on a narrow ridge along the Salkantay river. This is where we got introduced to a term I love using: Peruvian flat. What it means is constant ups and downs. I bet you experienced your own Peruvian flat without visiting Peru.
While Peruvian flat might seem like a healthy balance of elevation gains and losses, it’s actually quite tiring. So when we arrived to our campsite and found out that there’s a Jacuzzi, we all were up for it.
I even had a few beers (not a beer driker here) while sitting in the warm water and staring at the stars as it was getting dark. What a life.
Day 2 tips
- Try the granadillas sold on the way. It's really good and you'll support the local communities.
- La Loreta accommodation was under construction when we visited, hence camping. Nowadays they have so-called hobbit houses, not sure if you can camp there.