Inca trail hike (2 days/1 night)
The purpose of our trip to Peru was to visit Machu Picchu (for me) and to eat Peruvian food (for my hubby). There are many ways that visitors can go to Machu Picchu. If you don't like to walk (much), you can take a bus from Aguas Caliente (about 20 minutes) to Machu Picchu. However, I have heard from many people about the beauty of the Inca trail and thought it would be nice to hike part of the trail. For hikers, there were several options depending on how far you wanted to hike the trail. We opted for the 2-day tour option because we did not want to spend too much time in our trip on the Inca trail. We stayed in Cusco for a couple of days to adjust for the altitude.
We bought the tour package, which included the guides, meals, and the one-night hotel in Aguas Caliente. In the morning of the 1st day, we took the bus to Ollantaytambo to board the train to the starting point (KM 104). The bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo was about 2 hours and the train was about 1 hr and 15 minutes.
Since the hike was too short, we did not have the option to hire a porter. We had to carry the backpack ourselves, which contained lunch on that day, our clothes and stuff to stay overnight in Aguas Caliente. Below is the picture of our lunch. Very heavy. I knew immediately that I would still be hungry after I ate my lunch. The sandwich was something I would eat for a pre-run snack!
Luckily, we traveled light. So, our packs were not too heavy during the hike. Starting from KM 104, we hiked to the first stop (Winay Wayna), which was an inca ruin on the trail to Machu Picchu.
The inca trail was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. The trail was technical with a lot of steps (up and down). Elevation was insane. We spent probably the whole morning hiking just 3 miles to Winay Wayna. Had a few stops along the way to regroup and recharge.
The tour leader explained to us the histry of the Inca trail, Inca ruins, and culture. The picture below was when the guide told us the history of Winay Wayna. Usually, only the Inca nobles and scholars lived in such a high altitude place like this.
We stopped for lunch about 30 minutes after we left Winay Wayna and headed to Sun Gate. Lunch was as expected (not enough) and I was still hungry despite eating all the food.
We got back to the hotel around 6pm. Showered and walked to a restaurant to have dinner. I was tired but very happy. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I was glad I had done it. We passed out around 9pm that night.
The next morning everyone woke up at 4am to wait in line for the bus to Machu Picchu. We got to see Machu Picchu at sunrise and I could not explain in words how beautiful it was. Amazing...
Then, I bought a pass to climb Montana MachuPicchu mountain. The tickets to climb Wayna picchu was sold out because they limited the number of people on the trail. It took the 3 of us 3 hours to climb up and down the mountain. Very exhausting yet very cool. Some parts of the trail were really scary.
Below is the picture of the top of the mountain. Also spotted a black bear near the summit.
I got back to Machu Picchu around 1pm and took the bus back to meet the hubby in Aguas Caliente (He did not climb Montana Picchu with me). Walked around and had lunch before we boarded the train at 4pm to go back to Cusco.
Overall, I had a good time on the Inca trail. I wish I could go back to run the Inca trail marathon. That would be so much fun!
Sydney
We bought the tour package, which included the guides, meals, and the one-night hotel in Aguas Caliente. In the morning of the 1st day, we took the bus to Ollantaytambo to board the train to the starting point (KM 104). The bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo was about 2 hours and the train was about 1 hr and 15 minutes.
Since the hike was too short, we did not have the option to hire a porter. We had to carry the backpack ourselves, which contained lunch on that day, our clothes and stuff to stay overnight in Aguas Caliente. Below is the picture of our lunch. Very heavy. I knew immediately that I would still be hungry after I ate my lunch. The sandwich was something I would eat for a pre-run snack!
Luckily, we traveled light. So, our packs were not too heavy during the hike. Starting from KM 104, we hiked to the first stop (Winay Wayna), which was an inca ruin on the trail to Machu Picchu.
The inca trail was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. The trail was technical with a lot of steps (up and down). Elevation was insane. We spent probably the whole morning hiking just 3 miles to Winay Wayna. Had a few stops along the way to regroup and recharge.
The tour leader explained to us the histry of the Inca trail, Inca ruins, and culture. The picture below was when the guide told us the history of Winay Wayna. Usually, only the Inca nobles and scholars lived in such a high altitude place like this.
We stopped for lunch about 30 minutes after we left Winay Wayna and headed to Sun Gate. Lunch was as expected (not enough) and I was still hungry despite eating all the food.
We arrived at Sun Gate not so long after. The trail from Winay Wayna to Sun Gate was relatively flat (no more climb, yay). Stopped to take some pictures and we could see Machu Picchu from there. It was incredible.
We arrived at Machu Picchu around 4pm. That place was well worth the effort to go. It was incredible and I was speechless when I saw Machu Picchu.
The guide gave us an option to take the bus back to the hotel. The cost for the bus ticket was 12 dollars. Some people including my hubby were "done" by the time we arrived at Machu Picchu. They decided to take the bus back to the hotel. I was still fine since we only hiked for 6 miles (despite the elevation changes). So, I told the guide that I wanted to hike back to the hotel. So, another Dutch girl and I hiked 4 more miles back to the hotel.
The next morning everyone woke up at 4am to wait in line for the bus to Machu Picchu. We got to see Machu Picchu at sunrise and I could not explain in words how beautiful it was. Amazing...
Then, I bought a pass to climb Montana MachuPicchu mountain. The tickets to climb Wayna picchu was sold out because they limited the number of people on the trail. It took the 3 of us 3 hours to climb up and down the mountain. Very exhausting yet very cool. Some parts of the trail were really scary.
Below is the picture of the top of the mountain. Also spotted a black bear near the summit.
I got back to Machu Picchu around 1pm and took the bus back to meet the hubby in Aguas Caliente (He did not climb Montana Picchu with me). Walked around and had lunch before we boarded the train at 4pm to go back to Cusco.
Overall, I had a good time on the Inca trail. I wish I could go back to run the Inca trail marathon. That would be so much fun!
Sydney
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