The morning started early with a bus collecting me from my hotel in Cusco at 4:00 am. We had to be in Ollantaytambo for the train which departs at 6:30 am. The entire drive was in the dark until we were arriving at the train station. The train trip would be about 90 minutes and we would be disembarking at an unofficial stop to begin our hike on the Inca Trail. The train ride was very scenic. I enjoyed it very much. I was ready to start the hike though. 2 years of training and planning and I was finally here!
The first two miles are the hardest. The morning sun is shining on the trail, and at that altitude it is intense. This is also the steepest part of the trail gaining over 1700 feet in elevation. It will still increase another 1225 ft, but will not be as sharply inclined and will be in the shade. The Sun made the day feel much warmer than what it actually was. That made the hike on the second mile a bit harder for me. I do not like hiking in the heat. I just slowed my pace down a bit and paused to take pictures frequently. I paced myself between the lead group and the last stragglers. That worked well in my favor as I often had the trail to myself. I do love hiking in solitude. At about the 2.5 mile mark is where we stop for a lunch break. It is also near the Waywayna ruins. We hiked up to it and spent about an hour exploring that area before heading back to our lunch spot. The ruins are in a beautiful scenic area with a waterfall and steep hillsides. I can imagine what a beautiful place it was to live for the Incas.
I did this trek with Alpaca Expeditions (I highly recommend). They bring chefs on the trek, dining tents, and real dishes and cutlery. They are great at cooking for special dietary requests, we had a few vegans in the group and gluten free eaters. It was not a problem and there were many options to chose from, all freshly prepared. A very enjoyable meal. Our break was over all too soon and we were back on the trail. The next stop would be the Sun Gate where we would get our first sight of Machu Picchu.
The portion heading down to the Sun Gate was and up and down hike. I found it to be quite easy, it was mostly in the shade which helped. I stayed with the lead group the whole way. I think I surprised a few people after being a bit slow that morning. The group guide kept checking on me to make sure I was okay. I guess he thought maybe I was pushing myself too hard, but I kept reassuring him that I was doing great and really was enjoying myself. The altitude on this hike has a total gain of 3038 feet. But stays below the 9000 foot elevation. It was around 7 miles in length with the side hikes and exploring we did a long the way.
I loved the hike and I am really happy with my decision to limit myself to doing this instead of the 4 day 26 mile trek. If you are in good physical shape and want to do a bit more than just see Machu Picchu without taking on the full Inca trail I highly recommend you to do the 2 day excursion.
Now for those pictures!
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