Cusco, March 8th 2010
Dear guest,
We are glad to report that our first group departed on the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu as originally scheduled, via the Mountain Lodges of Peru program, this past Friday March 5th 2010. Today this group is on their 4th day of travel with Mountain Lodges of Peru and is currently at our Colpa Lodge (3rd lodge in the Salkantay lodge series), in the community of Collpapampa, at approximately 9,200 feet (2,800m) of altitude.
This group of 08 guests has enjoyed rare (for this time of year), but spectacular weather conditions with sunny, blue-sky days. This is a fabulous time of the year for seeing orchids, having seen a fair share of them along the way already. They also spotted a condor yesterday! No kidding!
Our lodges are open and ready to host our guests. Our staff is eager to greet you and contribute towards creating a memorable experience. Our guides have just completed our MLP Annual Training Course and are ready to lead you on your journey.
The access roads to our first lodge in the Salkantay series, as well as the trails between all of our lodges are in good conditions. As it happens every year as a joint effort, we got together with our local neighbors to conduct trail maintenance. This maintenance work has been ongoing for the past 3 weeks and the trails are now back to normal conditions. They are muddy and wet in certain sections – mind you, it is the rainy season – but safe and very fun. Remember to bring good rain gear and waterproof trekking boots; it will make a difference in your experience to have these with you.
Please note that due to maintenance and repair work of a section on the road between Cusco and our first lodge, the work crew needs to close transit on this section during certain hours. Thus, we have had to move departure times forward for all March and April groups. Your departure time from Cusco on Day 1 of the itinerary (from Cusco to the 1st Lodge) is now 6:30am. Though your guide will coordinate specific pick-up times during the pre-trip briefing the night before, please make sure you are set to go at 06:30am.
As you know, Machu Picchu remains closed to the public and the re-opening date continues to officially be April 1st 2010. The train track repairs have progressed well and the train track operator has issued a new conclusion date of March 29th 2010. We assume that if this is the case (train tracks repaired by March 29th 2010), Machu Picchu will reopen by this date as well.
There are a series of rumors regarding possibilities of Machu Picchu opening even sooner. We strongly suggest not taking these into consideration until, or if, they are somehow officialized by one of the following governmental bodies: INC (Instituto Nacional de Cultura), DIRCETUR (Dirección Central de Turismo) or MINCETUR (Ministerio de Comercio Exterior y Turismo), and/or PROMPERU (MINCETUR’s promotional division). We promise to continue monitoring the situation closely and keep you apprised of any progress.
On a humanitarian note, here is an extract from a recent bulletin we sent out, regarding a series of local families that have lost their homes due to the recent flooding. We greatly appreciate any support you can provide to these efforts and we send a big THANK YOU to those who have already participated.
During the recent floods that occurred in January 2010 in Cusco, Peru, close to 40 families lost their homes in the small, rural town of Mollepata, located 60 miles (100km) from Cusco. This town, despite being the entry point to the tourism-famed Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu, rests under conditions of poverty and the impossibility of providing strong relief efforts to the affected families on its own.
Through the efforts of Yanapana Peru, a non-profit organization dedicated to social responsibility in the area (sponsored by Mountain Lodges of Peru), we have identified the cost of building new homes for these affected families.
Did you know that with only US$1,800 you can provide a family of 4-6 members a new and safe home? We can help you make this a reality.
If you are interested in donating a home, or making a contribution for one or more homes, please contact us for more information. Any other gestures of contribution are also gratefully accepted.
We look forward to your visit with hopes of providing you with a trip of a lifetime.
Warm regards,
The MLP Family
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Peru is such a beautiful destination for tourists to travel. It is famous for its historical nature with good friendly kind peoples. I visited Peru with my family in December 2018. Machu Picchu trip was one of the greatest experience we ever explored. There, we stayed at Mountain Lodge that is Llanganuco Mountain Lodge.
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