TRAVEL

MACHU POINT

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shocked kids. As a reward, we enjoyed a dizzying culinary experience at Skylodge, a transparent 1310ft-high dining capsule.

Travellers can - if they have nerves of steel - sleep overnight, but lunch was enough for me.

And we still had the small matter of getting back down.

“Zip line or rappel?” asked the tour guide, as if he was offering tea or coffee.

Hmm, launch myself off the mountain at speed or descend backwards from a rope?

Abseiling down turned out to be another heart-stopping ordeal, but one I don't regret for a second... although I did kiss the ground at the end.

Having spent weeks examining my packing list, complete with deep critical analysis of water bottles and hiking socks, it's fair to say I was keen to be prepared for my three-day hike to Machu Picchu.

Rather than join the backpacking masses on the Inca Trail, G Adventures also offers an alternative, lesser-known Lares Trek option.

While it isn't the exact route of the Incas, the Lares Trek takes in spectacular scenery and weaves through remote Andean communities.

And this is the best bit - no one else was there...

Mostly alone in this incredible landscape - unless you count alpacas, llamas and the odd sheep - we barely saw another human, let alone a backpacker. And which tourist wants to see another tourist? Not me.

Hiking past misty mountains, lagoons, valleys, waterfalls and glaciers, with falcons and condors flying overhead, this spectacular 20.5-mile trek is a hidden gem.

Only me and Aussie traveller Biljana had chosen the Lares Trek, so for a few days it was just us and our guide Paulo - a man with the patience of a saint.

“How many miles to go, Paulo? Please can you adjust my walking poles? Can we stop for another photo? Is it lunch time yet...” Ad infinitum.