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A Follow the Leader Trip with Sergio Fitch-Watkins-New for 2008!

Longtime MTS mountain guide Sergio Fitch-Watkins proposed this “Follow the Leader” trip to us because after all his 30-plus years of guiding for us in the Andes, he’s still enchanted by the legendary Carabaya. Rising just north of Lake Titicaca and merging into the dramatic Cordillera Vilcanota, the Carabaya is an Andean dreamscape of golden pampas, turquoise lakes, and large herds of llamas and alpacas, all framed by a spectacular backdrop of knife-edged, 18,000-foot ice peaks. While the Carabaya is incredibly scenic, it’s still far enough off the beaten path to be unfrequented by mountaineers and trekkers. With Sergio, you’ll hike for 10 high-altitude days, crossing passes with panoramas of the Andean ice cap and a sea of glaciated peaks, meeting traditional Quechua herders, and appreciating that there are still such wild, wild places in the world.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy high-altitude trekking in a wild Andean dreamscape with veteran MTS mountain guide Sergio Fitch-Watkins
• Visit remote island villages on sublime Lake Titicaca at 12,500'
• Explore the ruins of Sillustani and other Inca sites, we well as Andean villages of the altiplano

I like remote places. And the Carabaya is about as wild and remote as it gets. There are huge valleys that run south to north through the cordillera, filled with herds of vicunas and locals who have never seen outsiders. Back in the ‘80s, this was considered the best trip in the catalog. I think it still is! - Sergio Fitch-Watkins

Day 1 - Arrive in Lima, Peru, and ly to Arequipa, one of the most beautiful cities of Peru. Enjoy an afternoon tour of the city, including the Santa Catalina Convent.

Day 2 - Fly to Juliaca and transfer to Puno on the shores of vast Lake Titicaca at 12,500 feet. En route you’ll visit the Sillustani ruins, a ceremonial site of the Wari period.

Day 3 - Explore Taquile Island, a community of weavers and spinners, and the “floating island” of the Uros people, famous for their totora reed rafts.

Days 4-5 - Drive to the trailhead near the town of Corani (13,074'), passing small villages and Inca sites along the way. Layover day to acclimatize to the heady altitude.

Days 6-14 - Strenuous but exhilarating high-altitude trek across the Carabaya, crossing many passes over 16,000 feet (about 12 in total!) and skirting beneath the ramparts of many glaciated giants to exit via the mountains of the Cordillera Vilcanota. The alpine beauty of this region is hard to match anywhere in the world, and you’ll enjoy encounters with the hardy Quechua folk of this isolated land.

Day 15 - End trek and drive to Cuzco (11,200'), the splendid highland capital of the Incas.

Day 16 - Tour Cuzco and the nearby Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Kenko, and Tambo Machay.

Day 17 - Fly to Lima. Evening flight home. (Or stay in Cuzco and take an optional tour to Machu Picchu!)

Photo Credits
©Douglas Steakley