Day One (Monday)
It was an early start on day one as the bus picked us up at 4am for the drive to the starting point called kilometer 81. After a stop for breakfast along the way we arrived at the start at about 8am. We carried all of our own equipment on the trek apart from tents and food which were taken by our three porters. The picture below is of me at the start of the trek:
Eric our guide for the trek gives us a briefing before we set off
Days one and two of the trek are the hardest with some steep climbs. We made good progress and reached the start of the climb to "Dead Woman's Pass" just after lunch. Dead Woman's Pass is the highest point on the trek at over 4000m. Our plan was to reach the first camp site which is about 500m before the pass and then complete it day two. Along the trail we also visited some of the Inca ruins. These included temples, rest points and agricultural research stations.
Walking the trail - the scenery and ruins are stunning
The last shop before the climb!!
Being overtaken by porters on the climb
The boys reach the first camp site
It was a tough first day, particularly the climb with steps that seemed to go on forever. It was a great achievement to reach the campsite especially as we were carrying our own packs unlike most of the groups on the trail. The weather on the first day was fine with only light rain in the evening, it was quite cold however. After the usual dinner of pasta and tomato sauce we went to bed and prepared for day two.
Day Two (Tuesday)
We woke up at 6am and set off climbing to the pass at 7:30am. It was pretty tough going straight into a steep climb after breakfast but we managed to complete it in about an hour. It was a great feeling to reach the pass. The weather wasn't very good but it didn't dampen spirits:
9am at the top of "Dead Woman's Pass"
Eric brought out the rum and after a toast to Pacha Mama (mother earth) we all tucked in before setting off for the descent to the lunch stop.
Enjoying rum on the pass
For me I found the descents harder than the climbing, due to the constant jarring on the knees. The steps are very uneven and often slippery in places so it requires a lot of concentration on the way down. The picture below is of the climb down after the pass to our lunch stop:
After lunch we began the climb to the second pass on the trail. The weather had improved by now and I found the climb much easier. We stopped halfway to visit the ruins of Runkuraqay believed to be a rest point for the Incas on the trail. It was then another hour or so to the top of the second pass. After the second pass most of the trail is downhill to Machu Picchu so it felt good to know that the worst of the climbing was over.
Me a Kieron at the second pass
We descended the second pass and made for our camp site for the second night. Along the way we stopped at the ruins of Sayacmarca believed to be either an Inca agricultural research station or defense point. The picture below shows the trail below and the ruins just above me:
Our camp site was located in the flat area in the top right of the photo - amazing views.
Relaxing at the camp site on day two
Day Three (Wednesday)
We left camp at 7:30 am in the poring rain. Today was our final big trek to the last camp site before Machu Picchu. We were much lower now (about 3500m) and in an environment called "Cloud Forest". The picture below was taken along the trail and shows how this environment gets its name:
The walk today took all morning along some of the best scenery so far. By mid morning we had reached the ruins of Puyupatamarca after which we began the descent to the third campsite, only an hour from Machu Picchu. The steps down were very steep and great care was needed to avoid ending up in a heap at the valley floor!!
Walking the Inca Trail to Puyupatamarca
Negotiating the steep steps
By midday the descent had leveled out and we saw our first views of Machu Picchu Mountain. The ruins are located the other side of the mountain about an hours walk from the third camp site. The picture below shows the mountain over my left shoulder:
Views of the Sacred Valley from the trail
We arrived at the third campsite at lunchtime which was pretty good timing. The third camp site had more facilities so we all headed for the restaurant for beer and chips and I even treated myself to a hot shower! The third campsite is also located at the ruins of Winaywayna, so we took a short walk and explored these in the afternoon. They are located on the side the mountain and a quite small in size:
After an evening meal in the restaurant we all headed to bed to prepare for the very early start. It was to be a 4am start in order to be at "Sun Gate" at Machu Picchu to catch the sunrise, I couldn't wait.
Day Four (Thursday) - Machu Picchu
Wow what a day! Up at 4am and we were the first group to be at the entrance to the park. The gate was opened at 5:30am by which time a large queue had formed. It was a bit of a mad rush to walk the last 3km or so to the Sun Gate but incredibly rewarding. It was a beautiful morning and I arrived at 6am to see Machu Picchu appearing in and out of the mist. We also saw an amazing phenomenon of a circular rainbow created by the sun hitting the morning mist. Even our guide Eric had never seen this before so we felt very lucky. After the Sun Gate we walked the 20mins down to the ruins.
6am at the Sun Gate - the end of the Inca Trail!!!
The circular rainbow with my shadow - amazing
Looking back at the Sun Gate
At the ruins for the classic Machu Picchu picture
After dropping our bags off we spent the morning with Eric having a tour of the ruins and being told the history. After that we were free to explore on our own. A group of us decided to climb the mountain at the back of the ruins. It took abour 30 mins up very steep inclines but the view was well worth the sweat and gave a different perspective to Machu Picchu:
After a slightly unplanned detour to the Temple of the Moon (it took much longer than expected!!!) we headed down to the valley floor and on to the town of Aguas Calientes where we caught the train back to Cusco.
Catching the train back to Cusco.
The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu far exceeded my expectations and were a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience - something I will never forget. I finished the trail exhausted but with a huge sense of achievement. We leave Cusco on Saturday morning to make our way to Lake Titicaca and then on to Bolivia. My next report will be from La Paz in about a week so stay tuned for more............
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