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The Inca Trail Makes the Perfect Family Adventure Getaway

January, 2019

The Inca Trail is approximately 42 kilometres/26 miles in length. It winds its way from the Urubamba River, in the heart of the Sacred Valley, up through some of Peru’s most beautiful mountain scenery. Lush cloud forest and subtropical jungles are bisected by Incan roads paved with hand-cut stones. Don Forster, Goway’s Central & South America Product Manager, hit the trail for the first time back in the mid-90s when, as a first-time traveller to Peru and an up-and-coming tour leader. That trip would be the first of many.

Five years of tour leading with repeated visits back to Cusco and Machu Picchu, plus twenty odd years of selling Peru as a South America expert, with many returns to the country for business and pleasure added up to 26 completed Inca Trail treks and numerous visits to Machu Picchu. It was now time for him to take his family back to his literal ‘old stomping grounds.’

With his wife and three boys (12, 15, and 17) Don recently returned to tackle the 43 kilometre/26 mile-long up-and-down hike, reaching altitudes of 4,300 meters/14,000 feet. “Not much has changed on the trail,” says Forster with fondness that recalls each one of those prior treks. “It was as beautiful and tranquil as I remembered.” What had changed was Don’s recollection of some of the more challenging sections. “They say biology has built in a mechanism for women to forget the pain of childbirth, so as not be reluctant to give birth again. I’m not sure if that’s true, but my male mind did form some selective gaps in respect to how tough some sections of the Inca Trail can be. I had forgotten the steep descents and some of the lengthy uphill climbs. It came back to me in no uncertain terms when I was there, resulting in some sore knees and ankles. But, it’s no race. We took our time and completed the trail.”

“My greatest memory of the entire trip was waiting at Dead Women’s pass, the highest point on the Inca Trail at 4,100 meters/14,000 feet. It’s the apex of the climb, and was the toughest spot for my oldest boy to summit. When he reached the top where I waited, we hugged and I teared up, and although he’d never admit it, he did as well. My wife took a picture and was also in tears and we stood there, exhausted, but exhilarated. We had fulfilled a promise made twenty odd years ago. My dream of bringing my family to Peru and to the Inca Trail had finally come true and the reality went beyond all expectations.”

While not the most relaxing family holiday, walking the Inca Trail with your loved ones is a unique family vacation, both challenging and memorable. Don’s family itinerary was pulled straight from Goway.com with the private 4 day Inca Trail starting at CA$2505. A shared services option is also available starting at CA$1585.

If the trek is not your thing then Goway also offers many other family friendly options to visit Machu Picchu and the famed Sacred Valley of Peru.

The Inca Trail is approximately 42 kilometres/26 miles in length. It winds its way from the Urubamba River, in the heart of the Sacred Valley, up through some of Peru’s most beautiful mountain scenery. Lush cloud forest and subtropical jungles are bisected by Incan roads paved with hand-cut stones. Don Forster, Goway’s Central & South America Product Manager, hit the trail for the first time back in the mid-90s when, as a first-time traveler to Peru and an up-and-coming tour leader. That trip would be the first of many.

Five years of tour leading with repeated visits back to Cusco and Machu Picchu, plus twenty odd years of selling Peru as a South America expert, with many returns to the country for business and pleasure added up to 26 completed Inca Trail treks and numerous visits to Machu Picchu. It was now time for him to take his family back to his literal ‘old stomping grounds.’

With his wife and three boys (12, 15, and 17) Don recently returned to tackle the 43 kilometre/26 mile-long up-and-down hike, reaching altitudes of 4,300 meters/14,000 feet. “Not much has changed on the trail,” says Forster with fondness that recalls each one of those prior treks. “It was as beautiful and tranquil as I remembered.” What had changed was Don’s recollection of some of the more challenging sections. “They say biology has built in a mechanism for women to forget the pain of childbirth, so as not be reluctant to give birth again. I’m not sure if that’s true, but my male mind did form some selective gaps in respect to how tough some sections of the Inca Trail can be. I had forgotten the steep descents and some of the lengthy uphill climbs. It came back to me in no uncertain terms when I was there, resulting in some sore knees and ankles. But, it’s no race. We took our time and completed the trail.”

“My greatest memory of the entire trip was waiting at Dead Women’s pass, the highest point on the Inca Trail at 4,100 meters/14,000 feet. It’s the apex of the climb, and was the toughest spot for my oldest boy to summit. When he reached the top where I waited, we hugged and I teared up, and although he’d never admit it, he did as well. My wife took a picture and was also in tears and we stood there, exhausted, but exhilarated. We had fulfilled a promise made twenty odd years ago. My dream of bringing my family to Peru and to the Inca Trail had finally come true and the reality went beyond all expectations.”

While not the most relaxing family holiday, walking the Inca Trail with your loved ones is a unique family vacation, both challenging and memorable. Don’s family itinerary was pulled straight from Goway.com with the private 4 day Inca Trail starting at US$1876. A shared services option is also available starting at US$1186.

If the trek is not your thing then Goway also offers many other family friendly options to visit Machu Picchu and the famed Sacred Valley of Peru.

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