Cloud Road

A journey through the Inca heartland

Winner of the 2011 Wales Book of the Year

In every atlas there is a country missing from the maps of South America: the Andean nation.  For five months John Harrison journeyed through this secret country, walking alone into remote villages where he was the first gringo they had ever seen, and life continues as if Columbus had never sailed.  He lived above 10,000 feet for almost the entire trip, following the great road of the Incas: the Camino Real, or Royal Road.  Hand-built over 500 years ago, it crosses the most difficult and dangerous mountains in all the Americas, diving into sweltering canyons, soaring up into the snows.  1500 miles, half of it on foot, took him from the Equator to Cuzco and the most magical city of all: Machu Picchu.  He is attacked, gets lost and trapped by floods, but only when he goes home, does he lose what he valued most.  

★★★★ 'Must read'
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