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The Typical Photo
This was taken near Puerta del Sol -- the gate of the sun.The allure of hiking the Inca Trail from Cusco to Machu Picchu is undeniable, but to dodge many of its inherent problems - the crowds, the commercialization, the months of planning, the steep steps, etc. - the Salkantay trek is a wonderful alternative. In fact, in talking to some who have done both, many consider this trek to be equal or even better, for well under half the price of the Inca Trail. The one thing that it lacks is the mystique of being on the Inca Trail, other than on the 4th day when you are on part of an Inca Trail. Some who actually did the typical trail do say that the night before Machu Picchu, sleeping near other ruins is actually better than the main event.
The hike is five days long and includes a 4,600-meter pass, beautiful rock formations, a cloud forest, and finally Machu Picchu. Through most companies, including www.amazontoursperu.com (which I highly recommend; ask when Juan Carlos will be the guide), located just off the NW side of Plaza de Armas, the first four nights are spent in tents and the last in a hostel in Aguas Calientes. You shouldn't pay more than 200
Terrace Farming
Our guide said that around 1,000 people likely lived in the city, but it seems like it coiuld accomodate more. USD for the whole trip, and you can probably get it for less. The full hike is around 80 KM, so you need to be in good shape and have the right clothing and gear to do this.
DAY 1 - DEFYING SWITCHBACKS
The first day of hiking is difficult, as instead of following a carretera (dirt road, as used around here) with a light grade, the group takes shortcuts straight up the hills. The camp is at around 3,900 meters, so you need to be acclimated in order to endure this night without altitude sickness. During the winter (I went in late June), it is also extremely cold at night - well below 0 Celsius. It is possible to rent all equipment through the tour company. The food and drinks were very good, but it became clear early on that it isn't enough - take some snacks with you to avoid paying very high prices at the little shops along the way.
DAY 2 - THE PASS
The guides hype up this day as a real challenge, but it really wasn't that difficult, probably since I´d already been at higher altitudes and had been at
Homes
One or two are reconstructed with roofs and all. high altitudes for over a week. It´s a steep 3-4 hours to the pass, but the view is quite nice (nothing as good as La Cordillera Blanca, though), and then the 4-5 hours down is pretty easy. The second camp is much warmer and is at the edge of a cloud forest. The food again was impressive, and there was a fire to sit around outside afterward. The night was chilly, but nothing like the first - I was comfortable in just my 0-degree C sleeping bag.
DAY 3 - THE EDGE OF THE EYEBROW
It rained much of the morning, but luckily this day is only a 4-5 hour walk. The beginning portion is a bit frightening (steep drop-offs from narrow, muddy trails) because of the recent floods, but it eventually turns into a pleasant jungle hike, with a few steep grades down. Expecting to rest once at the camp, we ended up starting a futbol match -- first with local children, and later with their fathers.
DAY 4 - EL MIRADOR Y AGUAS CALIENTES
This is perhaps the most difficult day, not because of the three hours uphill, which is gradual, but because of
Salcantay
No one has ever climbed this peak, probably. Our guide joked that two Japanese climbers claimed success, but that they failed to take any photos... not typical. the 3 hour, steep, muddy, downhill afterward. This part of the trek is on an Inca Trail, and the view from the top of the hill is well worth it if it is clear... we were able to see Machu Picchu and WaynaPicchu at around lunchtime. After the big up and down, the rest of the walk to Aguas Calientes is perfectly flat, as it goes along the railroad tracks.
Aguas Calientes is an awful place. If Simon Malls were asked to design a fake city in Peru, this is what it would look like. The main square is contrived, the buildings look like a Hollywood set, and there is a plethora of similar restaurants, all of which serve the same mediocre fare. Prices are at least 5 times more than most of the rest of the country and tourists are pulled in every direction when walking through the streets, with constant persuasion describing BS happy hour deals and reasons their food is less unpalatable than the next. Get in and get out.
DAY 5 - MACHU PICCHU
Those looking to ruin the only good night sleep on the trek begin at an arbitrary time from an
Llactapacta
About 5 hours before Aguas Calientes, along an Inca trail, those who choose the Salcantay hike can get a taste of Incan Ruins. At the top of a mountain, this was used as a resting place and signal center. arbitrary place (4 AM from the entrance near Aguas Calientes) and race up the thousand or so steps to the top, shining torches in each others' eyes. The reason for this theatre of the absurd is to be one of the first four hundred, ensuring a ticket to climb up hundreds of more steps to the top of Wayna Picchu. Then, many cut in line to stand next to friends anyway, inviting insults from a multitude of languages.
Admittedly, entering the site at dawn in the fog helps to paint the mystical mood that we all expect from Machu Picchu. After an hour-and-a-half tour with our guide, we were left to browse the site on our own and it actually exceeded expectations. I was thoroughly impressed with the overall grandeur and creativity, the terraced farms, the impeccable masonry, and above all the surrounding mountains and how the architects built with nature rather than against it. It gets very crowded at 11 or 12, though, when it becomes a bit of an amusement park.
If you go on this tour, insist that your train is at 5 or 7 PM, not at 9. For me, the trip home was
awful; train at 9:30 PM, a long line and then a shuttle bus at midnight (because some of the tracks are still closed from the rains), then another 2-hour bus back to Cusco. And someone stole my camera while I dozed on the train.
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