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Thousands of years ago, a list of “7 Wonders of the World” was first complied, and included sites such as the pyramids in Giza, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Wonderful as they were, the fact that the cites were centered mainly around the Mediterranean rim, and that, except for one, they are now long gone from the face of the Earth, makes the list rather out of date and not so “worldly”.

Fast forward to 2007, when 100 million votes were collected by internet, SMS and phone, as part of the “New 7 Wonders of the World” campaign, culminating in a list of seven monuments valued for their significance to the globe’s diverse cultural heritage. The goal: bring awareness and appreciation to these treasures, in hopes of conserving them.  Among the “winners” are the awe-inspiring sites of of Machu Picchu in Peru, and the pyramids of Chichenitza in Mexico.

The same non-profit group is behind the current “New 7 Wonders of Nature” campaign. The world is now being called upon to nominate and vote on the most treasured natural, rather than man-made, sites of the globe. Hundreds of places, from the Amazon Basin to K2 Mountain to the Red Sea, have been nominated, and the voting will continue through mid 2009. (Yes, YOU can vote! Check out: http://www.new7wonders.com )

Meanwhile, in Costa Rica, the newspaper La Nacion, perhaps as a kind of marketing ploy and hopefully at least out of curiosity, has already conducted a similar project of it’s own, collecting almost 30,000 votes to arrive at what it calls the “Seven Wonders of Costa Rica”. With so many stunning natural sites to choose from, it wasn’t difficult to come up with an impressive list:

* Isla del Coco, a Unesco World Heritage site known for clear waters and abundant marine life
* Arenal Volcano , providing amazement with an almost daily pyroclastic show, at close-enough range.
* Cerro Chirripo, a 3820 meter peak containing incredible biodiversity, and even a bit of snow.
* Rio Celeste, a clear-turned-bright-blue river containing waterfalls and hot springs, winding through the rainforest
* Tortuguero, a network of dense waterways, including the coastal nesting grounds of several sea turtle species.
* Poas Volcano, the largest active crater in the world with molten sulfur bubbling under huge crater lakes.
* Monteverde,  a cloud forest and wildlife refuge, housing hundreds of species, including the colorful Quetzal

Consider that many of these diverse, breathtakingly gorgeous, and often remote places are still located within a day’s drive of Costa Rica’s international airport, and of each other, albeit on a sometimes rough and windy road. No need to buy an around the world ticket or take the summer off to see all seven of these “wonders”. Technically, one could see all seven of them in seven days, but to really do them justice it would be better to (at least) double that.

Regardless of exactly who voted, or whether these are all really “wonders” or just wonderful places, the value of these sites is hard to question. Bringing attention to them can serve as a source of inspiration to learn a bit more, perhaps enough more to warrant exploring them in person. Hopefully if we can all manange to do so responsibly, we can hope to keep them around for a while, and let them disappear like the ones from the first list.

So you find yourself in Cuzco, Peru, and for whatever reason you are not going to traverse the famed Inca Trail, be it because you didn’t reserve your space far enough in advance or you simply don’t want to battle the throngs that are already on it. Rest assured, there are alternatives, and great ones at that.

Maukallacta is a relatively newer find that is located close enough to Cuzco that it makes for an ideal day trip. Travel to the base of the site is about two hours in automobile along a dirt road most of the way, though they are in the process of paving it. From the base it is roughly a 1-2 hour intermediate hike through the rich red and green Andean countryside.

Mario Canessa and Rudi Winsberg, owners of Andean Origins, make it their job to be experts on the road less traveled, and they were kind enough to show me this marvelous and virtually untouched gem of Quechua history. One of the beauties of this excursion is that you will, most likely, be the only people there besides the locals. There is a sort of caretaker that works near a makeshift entrance that will most likely ask you to sign the guest book. He will not, however, ask you for any sort of entrance fee. Maukallacta at this point is free to any who visit, and those, according to the caretaker, number about 2-5 a week (unlike the 500 daily spaces allotted for entrance to the Inca Trail).

A visit to Maukallacta involves two parts: exploring the ruins themselves and also exploring Puma Orqo (Puma Mount in the regional Quechua dialect) which served as a place of ritual and worship and houses various caves, altars, and pumas carved into the stone. And if you are as lucky as we were, you may even catch the locals who still reside in the area on break from working the cornfields drinking their homemade chicha (a fermented type of corn beer), which they undoubtedly will be more than generous in offering you some. We drank ours out of a bull’s horn and then washed it down with some Anis that they distill themselves.

From Puma Orqo the ruins of Maukallacta are about a one-mile walk. As Puma Orqo was considered a sacred place the dwellings were constructed across the way on a separate hill facing it, an act demonstrating the great importance this geographic formation held. The ruins were constructed in a mixture of the imperial or ashlar style (rocks ground and shaped to fit together with each other perfectly without mortar) and the regular style where rocks were placed together and the cracks were filled with mortar. Many of the ‘regular style’ walls were then covered with a layer of mud a few inches thick, though very little of this mud covering still remains.

Maukallacta was unearthed in recent years and excavation efforts are still in the works, though funding has been cut so an enormous portion of this site still remains mostly covered. You may even see where archeologists have closed off certain sections and covered their work with blue tarps to keep it protected from the elements, while other sections, completely open to exploration, contain some magnificent relics of ceramic works painted in the local style. These sections have been left in a natural state, but thatched roofs have been built to keep the rain out.

According to the caretaker it is thought that Maukallacta was home to some 5,000-10,000 inhabitants, which would qualify it as one of the largest sites of Quechua civilization found to date. As it was built on the side of a mountain, climbing up to a higher vantage point, sitting back and imagining how life was here when it was a thriving community can be quite entertaining. Where did the children play? Where, besides the areas already discovered, was work done? Besides ceramics, what other products were created here? Where were the sleeping quarters? There are endless questions for a community that itself came to an end. Possibly though, those that still live and work in the area are direct descendants of those children who once ran through the fields of Maukallacta.

So put on your hiking boots, pack a lunch (or if you happen to befriend the locals they will most likely invite you to join them for their almuerzo), prepare to save money, avoid the hordes, and go visit history being exhumed.

Additional Pictures:

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Photos courtesy of Rudi Winsberg.

As of Monday, Nov. 17th, the international departure tax from Quito will increase from USD $40.30 to USD $44.30.  This fee must be paid in cash, in either US dollars or Euros.  All international travelers must pay the departure fee, so be sure to save some cash for the airport.

For domestic flights (including the Galapagos), the departure tax is included in the ticket price - no additional payments are needed at the airport.

Any family getaway can have its benefits. A week at the beach allows for some relaxation, and a dose of ever-elusive “quality time”.  An extended trip should at least expand the options of family touring activities, and ideally widen everyone’s horizons. So how about setting off on a path through multiple countries, choosing to count the trip in terms of multiple weeks or months? With the typical US family vacation barely lasting 2 weeks, a longer trip may sound rather ambitious, but every year thousands of people are finding ways to slip away from their daily routines and fulfill their own vision of a family sabbatical.

Besides giving families a chance to spend more time together and stay connected, a well-planned journey can offer other “wordly” benefits that a shorter trip may only give a small taste of. Consider how speaking Spanish or Portuguese several levels higher than before, and gaining an inkling of what it is like to truly live, and even work, in a different culture can boost confidence and competence when encountering future challenges.

An important part of planning, and yes, justifying, and extended trip abroad is staying aware of the needs and interests of each family member, ensuring there are enough fun activities that are also truly educational, and/or resume-building. Enrichment could start with something as basic as a child mastering the local metro system, or be as thrilling as learning about environmental sustainability while hiking through a remote Andean community, in the valley of a majestic volcano. The last book report may begin to pale in comparison.

It doesn’t hurt that daily living expenses in Latin America can often be lower than what a family might spend by staying at home. Those who may choose to avoid traveling to Europe, Hawaii or the Caribbean islands due to unfavorable exchange rates and higher travel costs, may still have the option go to Latin America, where the diversity and quality of cultural and outdoor activities continue to offer incredible value.

With some inspiration and preparation, what might start as a short trip to a popular beach town in Costa Rica could lead to a plan to skip bunking in a hotel, and instead settle in for a few weeks to live with a host family and take Spanish immersion courses. With a bit more time, it might be easier than expected to continue on to explore some of Ecuador or Peru, balancing time for sightseeing as well as making a contribution to a local volunteer project.

Where to start?  Learn a few things from those who have already done it. Check out how one family chose to take their plans for quality time on the road  in a book called “BYOC: South America! A Family Sabbatical Handbook” - where BYOC stands for “Bring Your Own Children”. Information is available online at:  http://www.rumskytravelworks.com.  There are also a myriad of websites that offer tips and directories of resources related to traveling abroad as a family. Try starting with Transitions Abroad or idealist.com.

While airfares are rising in several markets, there are still some great discount deals that are perfect for an extended getaway. For example: Round-trip travel from from New York to Ecuador, with stopovers in both Costa Rica and Peru for under $650 including tax, per person. There are hundreds of similar combinations available, traveling from various US cities into Central and South America.

These special airfare deals are only available through a specialist like Exito Travel. A Latin America Travel Specialist at Exito has years of experience in digging out discounted fares in order to create an itinerary that matches both the vision, and the budget of the trip. For details on how to afford a family trip of a lifetime, contact Exito by phone at 800 655 4053 , or fill in an extended stay, or  multi-stop flight request form online.

If you find yourself planning an extensive ‘trip of a lifetime’ to Mexico, Central America, or South America, or maybe even every country from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego; it will really pay off if you research out your flight options BEFORE you begin your trip.

Exito Travel gets calls every day from people requesting a one-way ticket. When our agents ask for more details about the traveler’s exact plans, we often learn that he/she is actually planning to visit a number of countries throughout Latin America. Some people manage to speak to one of our agents BEFORE buying their one-way ticket… but others end up calling us months later when they are at the end of their wits, still 3 countries away from the city that they plan to return from. There are some very important things to keep in mind before purchasing a one-way ticket:

1. One way tickets usually cost at least 75-80% of the cost of a round-trip ticket.
2. Many countries require proof of onward travel in order to board a one way flight. Airlines may deny boarding if travelers cannot show such proof
3. One-way tickets traveling back to the US are typically much higher than traveling from the US, southbound.

Many Latin American carriers (TACA, LACSA, COPA, MEXICANA, LAN, etc) offer stopovers en route for little/no extra charge: Example:

• Traveling from Los Angles to Buenos Aires.
• TACA offers stopovers in San Jose, Costa Rica, and Lima, Peru
• The first stopover is FREE and the second one costs only $50

In this example you could visit Costa Rica, Peru and Argentina for $50 more than the cost of a ticket to Argentina alone.

For further details please call us at 800-655-4053 (M-F 7AM-5PM Pacific) and ask to speak with one of our muli-stop flight eXperts.