Day 3 @ altitude 3600m-2650m- Having day number two (the hardest day) out of the way was a great relief, however, a bit of a challenge would still be good and I can vouch that were definitely not left twiddling thumbs or skipping around horizontal switch-backs. My favourite day of the trail, the sun was out, the hike very varied, steep on-going ups, daunting down tracks, caves to squeeze through with the odd summit to climb up and sneak a breath taking view...

DAY TWO @ altitude 3000m-4200m- Why oh why would the Incas make a trail like this?!! Again, superhuman crazy people only way to explain it. What a nutcracker day! Day two is known to be the hardest day of the trail and good grief, I sincerely hope this is true! The trail went up, up, up a bit more, up again, get the idea??...IT WAS NEVER ENDING!!! Pain to the butt, hips, knees, legs, calves and still, the porters are running past us in their sandals. A bonus...

The day we had both been quietly dreading for the last three months was upon us....INCA TRAIL DAY ONE!!! Picked up from at our hostel at 5:30am we were in for a long day, being the first to be collected we had time for a mini nap in the back of our bus while the others joined us. Thankfully we met our group last night for an introduction meeting at the Cusco office, only a nice number nine of us in the group and from just that meeting I could tell we had- than...

We have four whole days to explore the Peruvian tourism epicentre of Cusco and we were immediately caught up in the whirlwind of its cobblestone charm. This sky-high city, sitting at 11,200 feet, has a 'high' possibility to leave you breathless from both altitude and awe — it is undoubtedly the most picturesque part of Peru I think we have seen. We are told Cusco was once the heart of the Inca empire and today is the gateway to Machu Picchu. With Cusco as ou...

Couldn't potentially leave South America without being in a slight traffic dink! We treated ourselves to another all day bus journey on the cheapest company could find; 8 hour journey for £4 each. The bus driver liked to erratically use his breaks at every opportunity and so after just twenty minutes into our journey he decided to drive into the back off a lorry smashing the driver's windscreen. Sat there for a good hour and then drove on regardless switchi...