Dementia Jersey Inca Trail Trek

Ben’s words…

Only a few weeks ago I took on the challenge to scale up to Machu Picchu over a 4-day mountain trek in Peru to support our chosen charity, Dementia Jersey.

Wow, it was tough, but also SO worth it.

One day while walking home from work, I saw a flyer in the window of the Dementia Jersey office that caught my attention. It said, "Join us for an upcoming trek on the Inca Trail!"

I registered that week and quickly prepared to leave.

I felt a bit nervous when I arrived at the airport on the day of departure, as I would be with a group of strangers for the entire trip. However, they turned out to be an amazing group of individuals, and by the end of the journey, we felt like a close-knit family. 🥲

After a tiring 36-hour journey from London to Peru in a cramped economy-class seat (extraordinarily uncomfortable and should be banned!), we finally arrived at our beautifully furnished hotel in the bustling city of Cusco.

After getting my room key, I happily ran up the stairs like I usually do at home and almost fainted when I reached the top! I was humbled as I realized that altitude sickness is serious. We got to lie down on a proper bed and adjust to the high altitude of 3,339 meters above sea level.

We got ready and hopped on a small bus to go to the trail's starting point. The bus was filled with a mix of nerves and excitement as we got closer.

Looking like a slick new-age Indiana Jones, I took my first steps on the ancient Inca trail used by the Incans themselves over 600+ years ago in order to take the holy pilgrimage from Machu Picchu to Cusco, the heart and centre of the Incan empire.

Machu Picchu in the traditional Incan language of Quechua literally translates to “Old Mountain”, and it served as a ceremonial and astrological centre, as well as a royal retreat for the Incan King and his family.

The Incan language of Quechua is still spoken to this very day by many of the local people in the area alongside Spanish.

Along the path we were all treated to spectacular views of the native wildlife. So many beautiful flowers and animals - I mean check out these cute little parrots that were just chilling out in the trees…

The whole way we were supported by expert local guides who knew every inch of the trail along with all of its history. The Incas were a truly remarkable civilization and my mind boggles as it wonders what their culture could have evolved into if it were not wiped out by the Spanish conquest of South America.

The most brutal challenge came on the second day as we had to ascend 1,500 meters straight up the mountain side.

But after reaching the summit and beginning our climb down the other side we came across marvellous ruins of ancient Incan temples and ritual sites, learning all about their special history.

After 3-nights of camping out of a small tent on the side of a mountain and fending off all the giant spiders and snakes (BIG ick!!!) we crossed the boundary of the Sun Gate, granting us our first view of one of the wonders of the world, the legendary Machu Picchu💫

Here’s me exhausted and a bit smelly but full of joy and wonder as I soaked in the views. My camera simply does not do it justice, you have to go and see if with your own eyes, because its truly a magical place!

The group spent the whole day roaming around Machu Picchu and caught a relaxing train ride back to Cusco. Thank God for that train, I was not prepared to walk all the way back 😅.

Taking out boots off and slipping into something a little more comfortable, we couldn’t think of anything better to do other than to celebrate our journey together at Paddy’s - the worlds highest Irish pub, cheers! 🍺

I was amazed by all of the support from others as I attempted to raise funds for Dementia Jersey. Thank you so much to everyone who donated to this amazing cause.

I’m proud to say that I raised over £2,000.

As a collective the whole group raised in surplus of £36,000, and every single penny of this will be spent locally in Jersey to give aid and care to those suffering with Dementia.

10 / 10 would recommend to a friend.

Thank you for a trip of a lifetime, Dementia Jersey!