The Inca Trail

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The Camino Inca Trail is a 50km, 4 day hike through the Andes, ultimately leading to Machu Picchu, one of the new 7 wonders of the world. And its damn tough let me tell you, at least for us non-athletes. And cold. Temperatures in the mornings and evenings where always around 2/4 degrees, so I was thankful for the Alpaca sweater I had bought in Cusco the previous day, even though it made me look a little like Moses, especially in combo with my walking stick.

Day 1: The first day started with meeting the group I would be doing the trek with (luckily my group was quite cool: a Dutch couple, two Aussie couples, and 6 Americans) at 5.45am in Cusco, and hopping on the bus to take us to kilometer 82, the official start of the Comino Inca Trail (altitude 2380m). This proved to be the easist part of the trek. The first day was fairly easy for the most part, starting off on a generally flat stretch, walking was easy, with spectacular views of the surrounding Andes and Urubama River. It was only the last few hours of day that proved tougher, when the going went uphill. And more uphill. When we finally arrived at our campsite (3000m alt) I was pretty knackered, and had somehow managed to pull a muscle. Not good news when facing another 3 days of hiking through the mountains, with the toughest day yet to come. So after a great dinner, everyone retired to their tents at 8pm, grateful for a warm sleeping bag.

Day 2: the second day is the toughest day, starting off with a steep1200m climb to Dead Womans Pass. I limped up the mountain slowly, and had to remind myself to enjoy the spectacular views every once in a while. And the views were varied from forest to river to fields to snow tipped mountain peaks. Thankfully I wasn't the only one struggling up the mountain, so with the moral support of other hikers we all managed to reach Dead Womans Pass (4200m alt), after which we had a nice, long descent ahead of us. Then more uphill, before getting to rest our weary legs for another night.

Day 3: the third day was the longest (16km), but a piece of cake after day 2, and we saw quite a few inca ruins along the way. Best of all, the lure of a hot shower and cold beer at the last campsite spurned us on. We spent the evening feeling somewhat clean again, relaxing, playing cards and looking forward to the final leg taking us to Machu Picchu.

Day 4: The last day of the trail is the shortest and easiest - a 2hr hike covering 7 km. We did have to get up at 4am though, to pack up our tents, have breakfast, and then hike to Machu Picchu in time to see the sun rise. The weather had other plans. The day started off drizzling, though only briefly, and we hiked through thick fog and overcast skies. When we got to Machu Piccu we could see... absolutely nothing. Though it was spectacular moment when the fog lifted briefly to reveal the full splendour of the city of Machu Picchu for a few seconds, before covering it again. Thankfully the sun soon started doing its job of burning away the fog, and we enjoyed the full view of the ruins and the surrounding mountains. The ruins are amazingly impressive. The stonework, the farming terraces, the houses, the temples, the sun dial, the quarry and the location and layout (in the shape of a condor), all impressive on their own, combine to complete a picture that is spectacular.

P.S.: after all that camping the hostels now seem like luxury accomodation.

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Photos

Kilometer 82
the official start of the inca trail

Moses
Follow me my children, for I am Moses

Machu Picchu
...without the view