Super Hermanas

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What an experience! We arrived back in Cusco last night at around 10pm from our Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu. It was absolutely incredible! We were pushed to our limits during this trek... we were sweaty, freezing, dirty, deprived of oxygen and aching but it was all worth it! During the trek, we were dreaming about clean clothes, a toilet, and a shower but now that it' over, we miss hiking and camping in the Andes. Yes that's right, we miss waking up at 6am and hiking from 7am - 530pm.

It was quite an amazing 5 days. We were able to hike along snow capped mountains (highest point @ 4500m above sea level), visit villages, and hike in the high jungles. Keep in mind that it was our first time hiking... but we were lucky b/c our experience was actually quite luxurious (in comparison with what it could have been like). We went with Llama Path which hired porters, a chef, and horsemen who prepared each meal for us and carried the equipment... they even brought us coca tea in the morning to give us energy and help with the altitude! The food was so delicious, I think we've been spoiled. We've been comparing all of our meals since the trek and they just don't measure up. Don't get me wrong, we still had jello legs midway through the trek.

Our group of trekkers and our guides were fun and encouraging... they were quite the super hikers. We tried to move our little legs fast enough to keep up but we would still lag behind. We saw vicunas, llamas, sheep, and a lot of plantations. We even had some fresh fruit from the trees 😉 We have discovered a new love for their passion fruit... muy delicioso!

After the trek each night, we did random things. One night we played bullsh**, another night we attempted a bon fire which didn't end up so successful... it was super smokey and the lady living close by was not too fond of it. We might not understand a lot of Spanish but we knew what was going on... good times.

This diverse trek led us to our final destination of Machu Picchu! On the 3rd night, there was actually a fire around the trail we were supposed to take and by morning of the 4th day, there was stilll a lot of smoke. Our guide was advised to take an alternative route so he ended up taking us to the hot springs in Santa Teresa. YAY, What a treat after a few long days of hiking! Needless to say, it was relaxing but unfortunately, we got a lot of mosquito bites 😞 It's been an itchy week.

We stayed in Aguas Caliantes that night.... a small town which is pretty much the starting point for most tourists to Machu Picchu. We got up at 4am that morning to try and catch the 530am bus to Machu Picchu but by the time we started to line up at 430am, there was already quite a long line up! We got inside MP around 630am and our tour started. This sacred valley was astounding! It's amazing how developed the Inca's were for their time. We climbed up Waynapicchu at around 10am. We thought we could handle Waynapicchu after our challenging trek but I think we might have had too much confidence. haha. By the end of our Waynapicchu climb, we were sweating and trying to catch our breath. But of course, it was worth it... Waynapicchu gave us amazing views of Machu Picchu and its' surroundings. We tried to capture it on camera but I'm not sure if we did it any justice. We were their for hours just watching the view and examining the valley. After all, we did walk 4 days to get there!

Our experience wasn't just good food and beautiful scenery, we were also fortunate to learn about the culture and history of Cusco, the Spanish, and the Inca's. I must applaud our guide for describing it so vividly, it's amazing how much love and pride they have in it... a lot of of culture to soak in. WE LOVE IT!

- Myra

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Photos

trek
first day of our trek

salkantay
yay we made it to the top of salkantay pampa

super hikers
taking a break on day 4

Inca Ruins
The original - no restoration

Comments

[Mackenzie]

Hi - I'm going to be in Peru in May and want to do the Salkantay trail. Thanks for the great travel report. It sounds like you had a good experience and were with a good tour group. I'm wondering if you could tell me who you went with?? Thanks! -Mackenzie

[Kat]

advice!
I am going on the salkantay trail this May 27 and am wondering if you have any tips for things to bring, things to leave at home, and what kind of shape we should be in before arriving?? I am wondering how fit you need to be to do this trek? Were you an avid hiker before the trip? any words of wisdom are appreciated!!!