Holiday to Peru's Machu Picchu "offers many surprises"

A holiday to Peru and a trek to Machu Picchu is a challenging and rewarding trip, if one correspondent's experiences are anything to go by.

Writing for the Canadian Press, Shannon Montgomery said her four-day hike held many surprises – including coming face-to-face with the local cattle in the middle of the night.

Her trip took her along steep paths and forced her to deal with the air at altitude, but also offered the opportunity to take once-in-a-lifetime photographs and visit vividly colourful rain forests.

Recounting the wonder of her trip, Ms Montgomery said: "As the sun began to rise … just for a moment it was easy to pretend that we were the first to set foot there in centuries, looking up and imagining what once had been."

Travellers looking to follow in the correspondent's footsteps could book onto one of Adventure Company's holidays to Peru.

The 15-day High Inca Trail trip allows tourists to take in the best of the Andes and marvel at sights such as Lake Titicaca, Salkantay and Huamantay, with an optional Amazon Jungle extension.

Meanwhile, a four-day sojourn includes a mix of mountain views and high-altitude moorland.

Other options are the Active in the Andes tour, Taste of Peru and Empire of the Inca holidays.

If this article sparks your imagination then have a look at our Machu Picchu tours or our holidays to Peru page.