AMY INGHAMSARAH BEARDPeru is perfect for leisure walking ?anything from a stroll in pretty countryside to a full-blooded high-altitude trek of several days. There are routes to suit all tastes and abilities. Weather-wise, the best time to trek is between May and October, with July and August considered high season.Hiking around CuscoThroughout the Cusco region a network of Inca footpaths winds past icy mountains, across fertile valleys and through tropical cloud forest. In addition to striking scenery, hikers will pass through isolated villages and explore enigmatic Inca ruins. For overnight treks, tent camping is the norm, albeit fully supported with English-speaking guides, porters, cooks andportable toilets. The 4-5 day Classic Inca Trail has become very popular over the past decade. For busy times of the year it must be booked well in advance. From the banks of the raging Urubamba River it climbs steeply through narrow valleys and across the flanks of mountains to high-altitude passes. There are panoramic views of snow-splashed peaks while you follow the Inca paved pathway through a string of ancient settlements and temples. Finally, a vertiginous Inca staircase descends into cloud forest and up again to the Sun Gate and a first sight of the walls and terraces of Machu Picchu (below), where the trail ends.Hiking in Peru 118 Peru

how about?» Continuing your exploration of Peru's secret civilisations with visits to Chachapoyas and the cloud forest fortress of Kuelap (pp122-123).sarah beardmountain lodges of peruRAUL MEDINACuscoLimaMachu Picchu...Chinchero..MarasPERUThere are alternative, less crowded treks in the area where the scenery is just as spectacular and you can add on a visit to Machu Picchu at the end. These are the Weavers' Trail; the challenging trek to the Inca city of Choquequirao, a huge site perched on a spur in dense foliage; and the Salkantay Trail, taking you around the skirts of snow-smothered Mount Salkantay and into Machu Picchu by the back door. Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera HuayhuashAn 8-hour drive north of Lima is a snow-crested range of rugged mountains, the Cordillera Blanca. It's an area of plunging glacial valleys, minty green lagoons and tiny pockets of agriculture surrounding isolated indian villages.Here are some of Peru's most visually striking and physically demanding routes. The Cordillera Huayhuash has six peaks over 6,000m including Mount Siula, backdrop for one of the most scenic treks (Huayhuash), and the Santa Cruz Trek. History is exposed in the vestiges of ancient cultures, such as the fortress-temple at Chavín del Huántar. The Llama Trek, which has you hiking with llamas, ends here.The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 11 days, 9 nightsLima 1 night, Cusco 2n, Ollantaytambo 1n, Inca Trail 3n, Aguas Calientes 1n, Cusco 1n.Day 1 Fly to Lima, arriving same evening. Transfer to hotel in Miraflores. Day 2 Fly to Cusco. Accommodation for 2 nights is in a centrally located, colonial-style hotel. Day 3 Half-day walking tour of the city, with visits to some of the baroque churches and museums of Inca treasures. Day 4 Drive to Chinchero, highland market town where the colonial church sits astride the walls of an Inca palace. Continue to the remarkable agricultural terraces at Moray and on to Maras, a colonial village renowned for its carved doors. With a purple range of mountains ahead of you, walk down through dazzling white salt pans (left) to the Urubamba River valley in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Continue by car to Ollantaytambo, where a temple-fortress guards the gateway to the jungle lowlands. Days 5-8 There's a half-hour scenic journey to the start of the Classic Inca Trail at 82km. Walk the trail aided by your guide and porters (below), camping out for 3 nights at designated sites. Arrive at and explore the hilltop ruins of Machu Picchu and overnight in the village of Aguas Calientes nearby. Day 9 Return to Cusco by train and bus. Day 10 Fly to Lima; day-use of the airport hotel. Fly to the UK, arriving day 11. Prices from £1,285pp based on two sharing, excluding transatlantic flights. Daily departures from the UK mountain lodges of peru Fancy rounding off your days' trekking under a soft duvet in a cosy heated bedroom? There's now a more luxurious way to do the Salkantay Trail. Walking at a leisurely pace you will arrive each afternoon at one of a series of charming, warm, very well-appointed mountain lodges where you can take a hot shower and relax in the Jacuzzi or beside a wood-burning stove. Recharge your batteries over hot, three-course meals and wine. This version of the trail arrives at Machu Picchu through the back door with cinemascope views of the citadel in its craggy mountain context. 020 8747 8315 / journeylatinamerica.co.uk bookings, consultant advice and additional information 119