After over two months of repairs, Peruvian officials have announced that the Inca Trail will be reopened April 1st, and that train service to Aguas Calientes will be restored by May March 29th (thanks for the catch, mom)–good news for everyone who’s been waiting to get there. (Via Living in Peru and Peruvian Times).

While things seem to have gone surprisingly well for the reopening of Machu Picchu, it seems as though the rest of the population in the area has been sidelined in favor of Peru’s favorite tourist trap. Promised aid still hasn’t arrived in some areas, avalanches are still a continuing danger in the area (Spanish), new flooding has been reported, and I received an email from a friend in Pisac that the bridge still hasn’t been restored.

(photo of Pisac bridge from Carlos Callasi Molina)

That hasn’t stopped the tourist industry, as apparently tour buses now stop on the Cusco side of the bridge and people cross by foot into Pisac, where taxis wait to take them up to the ruins, and in to the market. Other communities that aren’t on the main tourist circuit will probably have to wait much longer for repairs to be made; after all, nearly three years after the earthquake in Pisco, people are still living in tents….

If you are going to Machu Picchu (or Pisco, for that matter) in the near future, please consider bringing donations of clothing and other supplies. For more information, check out Cusco Flood Relief, and South American Explorers’ Cusco Clubhouse page for a list of organizations to donate to.

Related Posts

1. Traveling to Machu Picchu? Not quite yet…. | by Jessie Kwak
2. Photo Essay: Machu Picchu | by Robert Kittilson
3. Peru: beyond Machu Picchu [blog] | by Jessie Kwak
4. Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes, and the whole shebang | by Jessie Kwak
5. Machu Picchu reopening tomorrow | by Jessie Kwak

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