Machu Picchu to re-open April 1st

Date posted: February 24, 2010

By Rachel Parkinson, Kuoda Travel

It has been announced that the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu will again be open to national and international tourism on April 1, 2010. The Peruvian Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Martin Perez said “We hope that from April 1^st to begin receiving again the millions of tourists who have always come.”

Yesterday, February 23^rd, FTSA (Ferrocarril Transandino S.A.) released information regarding the progress of the repairs on the railway. They stated that significant progress has already been made on the railway from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, and there are eight teams working simultaneously on all sections which have been damaged on the route. Among the repairs which are being made, there has been significant progress from Km 82 in Piscacucho and onwards to Aguas Calientes. The progress has been mainly in rebuilding the embankment from the railway to the river with fortified stone walls, and in many places the rail has been moved several feet towards the side of the hill to avoid damages in the future.

At this point there is a total of just 10 kilometers of rail which needs to be repaired and/or moved in the section between Piscacucho in the Sacred Valley, and Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu pueblo). Given the rate of current progress this stretch of rail will be completed before April 1^st. With this route completed, tourists will be able to reach Machu Picchu by taking a bus or car from Cusco or Ollantaytambo to Piscacucho, approximately 2 hours from Cusco, ½ hour from Ollantaytambo, and the regular train from there to Aguas Calientes. The route from the hydroelectric station (km 122) to Aguas Calientes (km 110) has already been completed and is currently under observation.

It should be noted that the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu itself has, in fact, not been affected by the extremely heavy rain fall this year, and is still in perfect condition thanks to the hydraulic ingenuity of the Incas. The other archaeological sites in Cusco have also not been damaged, including Sacsayhuaman, Pisac, Maras, Moray, Ollantaytambo, and many more. The Inca Trail as well has not suffered any major damages, but is closed annually in February for repairs and clean-up. The Inca Trail will re-open this year with Machu Picchu on April 1^st.

Along with the progress which has been made on the Cusco-Machu Picchu route, repairs have been also been completed on the Cusco-Puno route, and regular tourist service resumed on Monday February 22^nd. All repairs on both routes are being made as quickly as possible, with a focus on quality and more stringent safety standards.

Kuoda Travel will begin operating private tours to Machu Picchu on April 1^st again as usual, and clients with trips booked in April and later this year should not be concerned about the status of their vacation. In a number of weeks Cusco will return to normal, again as one of the top destinations for archaeology and ecology in South America.

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DONATIONS for those left homeless in Cusco and Apurimac

Date posted: February 2, 2010

By Rachel Parkinson, Kuoda Travel

This year’s unusually heavy rainfall resulting in severe flooding and

landslides has left tens of thousands of people homeless in the departments of Cusco and Apurimac. Entire towns built from adobe bricks have been literally washed away, and their people are desperate for whatever help they can get. Many organizations here are working hard to deliver safe drinking water, food, and other supplies, but there are still many people who have not yet received aid.

At Machu Picchu town (Aguas Calientes) nearly 2,000 tourists were stranded last week after the all land access ways were destroyed by mudslides and flooding. There was insufficient lodging, food, sanitation and other supplies for the thousands of people stranded – most did not even have a change of clothes, extra money, or blankets having only expected to stay for the day. Evacuations were gradually made by helicopters to safe-points in Ollantaytambo and Cusco city, while supplies were brought for those still stranded in the town. PeruRail also did their part to help, offering their train cars and station as dry places to sleep for some of the tourists in the town, as well as providing some food and water.

But in reality, those most severely affected have been the people of Peru who have lost everything. They have stepped up to help each other in this emergency situation, and even those who have little to give are giving as much as they can – but still much help is needed. One of the greater concerns is what will happen further in the future to these people who have lost their homes, their crops – everything. They must begin to rebuild their lives from nothing, and in this current situation while even finding clean drinking water is a struggle, things seem pretty hopeless.Lucre, formerly a popular place to eat duck, is one of the towns in Cusco which has been severely affected. The stream running through the town rose to previously un-recorded heights, flooding over its walls and rushing through the town – flattening all the adobe houses in its path. Huacarpay, a town built on the shores of a small lake, is now a part of the lake itself, with virtually no buildings still intact. The people from these villages have pitched tents and built make-shift shelters on the hills with their few rescued possessions. On the 26^th and 27^th of January, local river rafting guides and police forces helped with evacuations in Huacarpay, but the scene was pretty grim as the adobe houses crumbled one by one.

The Sacred Valley has also seen its share of disaster with the rising of the Urubamba River, entire fields of corn and potatoes, nearly ready for harvest, have been washed away by the raging river. Among other damages in the valley, Pisac, famous for its artisan’s market and archaeological complex, has lost its bridge, and the PNP police station has been washed out as well.

If you would like to make a donation directly to an account which has been set up to deliver aid to the tens of thousands of people in Apurimac and Cusco who so desperately need it, please refer to the account below.

Camara De Comercio Cusco-Damnificados

To: Banco de Credito del Peru,

Bank Address: Av. Sol 189, Cusco-Peru

Account number: 193-1853603-0-61

SWIFT code: BCPLPEPL

For more information about the emergency situation in Cusco and Apurimac please refer to the following web pages.

http://www.rpp.com.pe/2010-01-26-emergencia-en-cusco-y-apurimac-tema_237978.html (en Español)

http://www.livinginperu.com/news-11341-peru-peru-official-aid-for-cusco-puno-and-apurimac-still-slow-to-arrive

http://enperublog.com/2010/01/29/humanitarian-disaster-in-cusco-abandoned-communities-help-themselves/

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Emergency in Cusco and Apurimac

Date posted: February 1, 2010

By Rachel Parkinson, Kuoda Travel

A week ago the departments of Apurimac and Cusco were declared to be in a state of emergency for the next 60 days due to extremely heavy rainfall in these areas. The result has been severe flooding and landslides, severely damaging many areas including all of the land access ways to Machu Picchu town, Aguas Calientes, leaving nearly 2,000 tourists stranded. Peru Rail has been working hard to re-establish a connection with Machu Picchu, but the continuing rains have slowed this process. An air bridge was established by military helicopters on Monday, January 25^th in order to evacuate tourists to Ollantaytambo and Cusco city.

Among the fatalities, a Peruvian Inca Trail guide and a tourist from Argentina were killed by mudslides.

The rising of the Vilcanota River this rain-season has been more drastic than ever recorded, rising from the usual 850m3/second to an unbelievable 1100m3/second. The result has been that the railway from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu has been severely damaged in more than eight critical places, and it could take until mid-March to restore the railway and begin normal service once again.

Many people in the departments of Cusco and Apurimac have been displaced from their homes due to flooding. The town of Huacarpay, 40kms south from Cusco city, has suffered extensive damages, with estimated 175million dollars of property damage and the displacement of hundreds of families. In both departments, a total of 38,000 people have been displaced from their homes, with an additional 67,000 people affected by the flooding.

Tents, medicines, food and safe drinking water have been sent to the areas most affected in Apurimac and Cusco to help the families who have lost their homes.

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