Comments on: Vilcabamba, in the Valley of Longevity http://www.stefandmatt.com/2009/10/17/vilcabamba-in-the-valley-of-longevity/ Backpacking Latin America 2009-2010 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:48:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Matt http://www.stefandmatt.com/2009/10/17/vilcabamba-in-the-valley-of-longevity/comment-page-1/#comment-139 Matt Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:30:16 +0000 http://www.stefandmatt.com/?p=463#comment-139 @Brett, thanks! We haven't seen too many more ridgeline hikes like this. However, there certainly are a lot of villages in the mountains, and there are a few ways you can have some experiences like that: 1. The easiest - ride a local bus between villages. Speed limits and lane markers are really just suggestions, not rules, and the drivers are all protected by Dios (at least according to the signs on their buses), so they take all kinds of risks. 2. Moderate difficulty - do a mountain bike ride down a volcano; fun and exciting! 3. The most involved - go to a trekking town like huaraz, cuzco, or Arequipa Peru, mendoza argentina, or anywhere in chilean or argentinian Patagonia and do a multi-day trek. Some of them go across mountain ranges, and some into canyons (we trekked into colca canyon in Arequipa; we'll be publishing a post on it in a couple of weeks). These are great, and you get some amazing views and experiences. @Brett, thanks! We haven’t seen too many more ridgeline hikes like this. However, there certainly are a lot of villages in the mountains, and there are a few ways you can have some experiences like that:
1. The easiest – ride a local bus between villages. Speed limits and lane markers are really just suggestions, not rules, and the drivers are all protected by Dios (at least according to the signs on their buses), so they take all kinds of risks.
2. Moderate difficulty – do a mountain bike ride down a volcano; fun and exciting!
3. The most involved – go to a trekking town like huaraz, cuzco, or Arequipa Peru, mendoza argentina, or anywhere in chilean or argentinian Patagonia and do a multi-day trek. Some of them go across mountain ranges, and some into canyons (we trekked into colca canyon in Arequipa; we’ll be publishing a post on it in a couple of weeks). These are great, and you get some amazing views and experiences.

]]> By: Brett http://www.stefandmatt.com/2009/10/17/vilcabamba-in-the-valley-of-longevity/comment-page-1/#comment-137 Brett Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:42:06 +0000 http://www.stefandmatt.com/?p=463#comment-137 Great stuff! I've been thinking about South American Altitude a lot lately, and that photo on the ridgeline made me GRIN. You mention that the Mandango hike is the area's marquee event. Have you found a lot of ridgeline tightropes like this...as in, too many to keep track of? I'd like to guess that there must be countless such trails from village to village. Maybe? Great stuff! I’ve been thinking about South American Altitude a lot lately, and that photo on the ridgeline made me GRIN.

You mention that the Mandango hike is the area’s marquee event. Have you found a lot of ridgeline tightropes like this…as in, too many to keep track of? I’d like to guess that there must be countless such trails from village to village. Maybe?

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