The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

Hola amigos!

We just finished an epic journey on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! It was an unforgettable experience. We did the 4-day / 3-night trek along the original trail used and built by the Incas.

The three of us (Shaina, Marshall and Barry) met the rest of our group at 5:30am Friday morning in Cuzco. There were 15 of us tourists, plus 2 guides. From there we took the bus to the Sacred Valley, back to the town of Ollantaytambo for breakfast, and then to the start of the Inca Trail. Here we met up with the rest of our team: 13 porters (they’re called chaskis or runners), a chef and assistant chef (his son), a waiter, and a coordinator! It was a big group, but very well organized.

The start of the trail was a bit too touristy and populated for our liking; however, once we were about halfway through the first day, we were more isolated and spaced out between other trekking groups. The scenery throughout the trek was absolutely stunning. The Andes in the Sacred Valley are so beautiful and mesmerizing, we could have walked forever! Our guide was outstanding. He had a real passion for his country and culture, and that made our whole experience so much richer. We stopped at 7 Inca archaeological sites along the way, where he taught us all about the Incas and their exceptional ways. This also gave us a nice break from hiking!

Every day we would wake up to a cup of hot tea at our tent and a bowl of hot water for washing. Then we ate a huge hot breakfast with everyone in the communal tent. We would do a small warm up and a few stretches and then we were off on the trail. We would hike all morning (sometimes stopping at ruins). The chaskis/runners would zoom past us on the trail, each carrying 25 kg on the backs! It was very humbling. The crew would have a huge family style lunch ready when we arrived at our lunch spot! Lunch was always a delicious soup, followed by at least 3 or 4 other dishes (and always a special gluten-free version for Shaina). It was incredible! We were definitely not roughing it! After lunch we would hike to our camp site, where again the chaskis would be waiting with our tents set up, and hot teas and a snack for ‘happy hour’ until dinner was ready. It was by far the best camping food we’ve ever had!

The hiking itself was a good mix of challenging sections and easier parts. It was also at a lower elevation than we’d been trekking at in Huaraz and Ecuador, so the altitude wasn't a problem. The trail is built of stones, with steep stairs in many sections (both up and down).

A brief overview of the trek: Day 1 was a fairly gradual ascent of 14 km. Day 2 was by far the hardest day, we climbed 16 km and 2 steep mountain passes. Day 3 was about 10 km, all downhill. Day 4 we got up at 3:45am (that’s right!) so that the chaskis could make the local train back to the start of the trail. We waited in line at a check point that opened at 5:30am; and then it was a short 6 km walk to the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu! Arriving at Machu Picchu the way the Incas built it – through the Sun Gate - was such a rewarding experience. We stepped through the rock walls of the Sun Gate with an outstanding view of (nearly empty) Machu Picchu. Our guide gave us a 2-hour tour of the archaeological site and then had about 2 hours afterwards on our own. From there we headed into the town of Aguas Calientes for a final farewell lunch and take the train+bus back to Cusco. This was definitely a highlight of our trip and an experience we’ll never forget!

Introductions of the group: the chaskis (runners or porters) in blue, the coordinator, the chefs, the guides and the tourists

Andean peaks in the clouds at our first camp

Our sweet rain ponchos about halfway up the second mountain pass on rainy Day 2

It may look like holes in a rock, but it's actually the Southern Cross constellation! Many of the archaeological sites we saw on the Inca Trail were used as astronomical observatories. The Incas would use a pool of water to look at the reflection of the stars and then carve the constellations into large rocks. So cool!

Us at the impressive ruins of Intipata on Day 3 with an amazing view of the Sacred Valley and Urubamba River. We had just seen a toucan in the jungle before arriving here, while three baby condors were soaring in this valley!

The Winay Wayna ruins (meaning 'Forever Young') - there is a palace in the lower section and a temple at the top (you can just see the corner of it in this picture). These terraces were used for gardens, as they are narrower than the agricultural terraces. This was the most spectacular place along the Inca Trail. From inside the ruins, you have a majestic view of the valley and the Veronica Glacier (below).

The moon rising over the Veronica Glacier at sunset on Day 3 at Winay Wayna ruins. We then had a special traditional ceremony offering thanks to Pachamama (mother earth) and making 3 wishes.

Our first glimpse of Machu Picchu as we entered the Sun Gate (Intipunku) just after sunrise on Day 4.

Marsh, Shaina and Barry at Machu Picchu

Looking up at the Sun Temple (the only curved tower and finest stonework) in Machu Picchu. The rocks are perfectly fit together like Lego - no mortar - in special and religious places (like Temples or for the royal Inca family). In the more common and urban areas, they used a mortar made from clay, hair of people and llamas, straw, etc. and then covered the walls with llama fat to protect from the rain.

A great view of Machu Picchu from the top terraces. This was taken from the trail to the Inca Bridge. The big peak behind the city is Wayna Picchu, which has a trail up but we didn't have tickets to climb up.

After a night of celebrating back in Cusco, we visited the gorgeous ruins of Sacsayhuaman (sounds likes ‘sexy woman’) and had to say bye to Barry as he headed back into the Sacred Valley for a few days before flying home.

The walls at Sacsayhuaman are some of the Incas most impressive stonework. The rocks are HUGE and carved with such perfection. There are even built in drainage tunnels within the walls. Although 80% of the site was destroyed by the Spaniards, you can still see parts of the 3 levels of zig-zagged walls. The city of Cuzco was built in the shape of a puma, with Sacsayhuaman as the head, and the zig-zag structures were the teeth.

A view of the three levels of zig-zagged walls

That is a big arse rock!

Before leaving Cuzco, we watched a heated Peru vs. Chile soccer game (a qualifying game for the 2014 world cup) at a restaurant, which they unfortunately lost. Then we took the night bus to Nazca where we're spending a couple days checking out the Nazca lines... but that's for the next post!

Hope everyone is doing well! Send us some updates J

xoxo

Marsh and Shaina