Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Porters passing by
see all photos »

To download the pictures took soooo long ' now I don´t have time right now to write ... next time! Just enjoy the pictures for now ;-)

OK, first of all: The Inca Trail was awesome, amazing, breathtaking (literally) and just great! Like Donna described it: It was amazing, tough, wouldn´t do it again and will recommend it to everybody! But let me give you one advise (Susanne and Christ, listen carefully!): If you ever plan to do the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, go to the Gym and just do the StairMaster over and over ... for at least 5 hours a day, seven times a week and a year long!!! We had to do at least 4000 steps (no kidding! - and I never liked the StairMaster and  always avoided it because of this!!!)

View from the top (4200m) - the only rainy moment
see all photos »

At 6:00 AM in the morning the agency picked me up. When I got on the bus all the other group members (13) were already there. They were already traveling as a group for two weeks, and first I wasn´t sure if I would have a chance to become a part of the group, but my worries were for nothing :-).

It was very mixed group - ages, nationality, fitness level. Five persons had the British Nationality (Donna, Suli, Tracey, Ali, and Guy), four had a New Zealand Passport (Tasha, Dave, Connell, and May), there were two Americans (Doug and Adam), Matt was Australian and Demertri came from South Africa. That made me the only person whose native tongue wasn´t English, but actually some of them first though I was American. The youngest (Ali) just celebrated his 21st Birthday on our second day and the oldest (Demertri) was 64 years old ... but nevertheless it was a great group and a good cohesion :-)

Our Group
see all photos »

Anyway, so the bus brought us to a little town somewhere between Cusco and Machu Picchu and we had breakfast there. In the next town we stopped for snacks (Susanne, if you ever do MAchu Picchu, they sell M&M´s there - they know, that you will show up eventually ;-) ...) and our porters joined us there as well. We were 14 tourists, two guides and 20 porters!! Can you imagine??? Crazy, there were more staff than actual customers. We were dropped of in the middle of nowhere and our adventure could begin!

Ruin on the way
see all photos »

One thing I have to mention: I was the only one who had to carry all her stuff. Everybody else "booked" some porter space and just carried a day back with water and the camera. Their clothes, extra shoes (which I didn´t even bring), wine, ect. were carried by porters - well, I have to be honest: we sneaked my sleeping back to the other 13 ones ... who would know?? ;-) ... but everything else I carried the whole way! Just want to mention how though it was for me ;-).

We received our trail pass for the hike and Machu Picchu and it was not aloud to loss it! We were told, that we will have several passport and trail pass controls on the way and sure enough, before we even hiked 20 feet we had to present our paper. The first day was really easy ... we hiked a nice and wide gravel road along the railroad and the river ... beautiful mountains surrounded us and interesting flowers were growing along the way. It was mostly flat, ans so when we arrived at our first stop (lunch) we all agreed, that that was nice and easy :-). We even arrived before our porters ... that was the only time for the entire time of our hike ... and it had nothing to do with us being so fit or they are so unfit: Porters have to go to a different check point in the beginning of the trip. It will be check how much they carry to make sure, that nothing will be left behind on the trail. At the end of the trail they will be checked again and the porters have to have a certain amount of trash, weight and so on ...

Third day - great views
see all photos »

So, after the porters served us a great meal, we hiked uphill for the first time (but not for the last time). We passed some old pre-Inca ruins and beautiful scenery. After 10km of hiking and 250m of altitude change we arrived at our first camp. The porters had set up the camp and the tents and everything - it amazed me the whole time what the porters did and carried - it is the hardest job ever and they were still friendly, very helpful and so thankful for everything. Our camp had an awesome view - snow caped mountains next to beautiful green ones ... they served us a very yummy dinner and since our guide told us that the second day is the hardest on we all went to bed early.

Our first view on Machu Picchu
see all photos »

Next morning after a great breakfast we started our second day - after another pass control it just went up ... and up, and up and up and up .... ect. It seemed like it never ended ... our guide told us we just need to keep going ... even if we are slower than a snail, just keep on going. For the first 5km I did, but than the steps came, and more steps, and more steps (the porters just flied up there) ... and with it the breaks ;-) ... we had 1200m of an altitude change!!! from 3000m to 4200m ... the air became thinner and thinner, the weather changed from nice and sunny to cloudy (believe me I didn´t mind at all, the sun wasn´t helping at all) and later it started to rain. When I arrived at the summit I was rewarding by a awesome view ... and it felt great to be up there :-) ... I am just saying "innerer Schweinehund" :-) ...

Machu Picchu early in the morning
see all photos »

The way down was almost harder than the way up ... 700 steps (according to our guide, but I was never sure if his measuring (time, length, amount of steps, ...) were always correct - sometimes it really didn´t fit to the reality) down and rainy weather, so the steps were very slippery. Thanks God, that I rented some poles - they saved my knees and my bones more than one time - I only used them downhill, but it was worth every extra gram and cent :-). I was so glad, when I arrived at the camp. Tea was waiting for me - the lunch I better didn´t take - I "finally" got, what everybody gets eventually in South America - Diarrhea - I had short moments of ... before, but this time it really hit me - great timing! :-/

Great surroundings
see all photos »

After going to bed early again (there was nothing to do), we got up next morning, really believing, that the worst part was behind us - we had NO idea! It started by going uphill immediately - so we hiked up there and didn´t to complain ... wasn´t it suppose to go downhill?? We had no idea - be careful what you are wishing for :-) ... shortly after our climb it went downhill ... steps ... steps ... everyone unique and differently shaped and high ... 14km downhill and most of it had steps ... over 2000!!!! We started to hate steps :-) ... but, don´t get me wrong, it was still great!! And I had my poles! We visited some ruins and had great views - all work was worth the view and nature of this trail ... :-) ... it is hard to describe ... just do it by yourself ... everything else won´t be right! In between we had a lunch break and than: more steps were waiting ;-)

Just amazing!
see all photos »

The third camp was already very close to Machu Picchu. We could already see the back of the mountain. Also hot showers (YEAH) and a bar was waiting for us. We met a lot of people along the way (which makes sense, because everybody is hiking the same trail in the same amount of days) and we all had a beer and chitchat (which part of the body hurts the most, what an you do against blisters, how id your stomage, ect). I personal would say, that the third day is much harder than the second ... but at the end it was just great, and if it would be too easy it would be just half of the fun and adventure :-)

Machu Picchu later in the morning
see all photos »

The last morning we got up at 4:00 AM!! and started our last part of the hike at 5:00 AM ... a last control and everybody (not just our group, but all groups!) ran towards the famous site. Only 2,5km ... and according to our guide only 152 steps (well, apparently he had a different way of counting) ... easy piece of cake!!! And first it looked totally promising! It went more or less just straight and leveled ... but than it came: Unexpected!! Steps, but not just steps, no we had to crawl up these steps ... steep and big ... and we all didn´t slow down ... so for the first time I really sweat like a pig on this hike ... and so did everybody else ... actually it was kind of funny :-) ... and when we had the first peak of the site of Machu Picchu everything was forgotten ... there it was ... still in the clouds, but definitely there. I just took one picture and wanted to change my lens, and it was hidden behind the clouds ... oh well, so we went on for the last (and really easy) hike ...

And than it was there ... like a postcard, but just real: MACHU PICCHU!!! It is hard to describe ... just come and see it with your own eyes ... :-) ... All of us were just standing there and marveled and couldn´t believe it. All the pain and steps were forgotten!! We were here, we made it and that was all what counted! Since we arrived there really early in the morning we beat the crowd. We had the whole site almost for ourself! Just stunning! Unbelievable! GREAT!

If it wasn´t for our guide we would still stand there and look ... but he made sure that we moved on. We hiked down to the main entry and got a stamp into our passport :-) ... it says "Machu Picchu" and the date (4 Dic 2007) and has a gorgeous picture - I had no idea, that that would be possible, but apparently it is :-). Since it is not aloud to visit the site with a big backpack, I had to give my backpack to a storage (didn´t mind a bit ;-) ...). We got a drink and off we went. Our Guide showed us around and it was just so great to walk through this famous site ... there are really interesting details about the Incas I had no idea about! They had already the southern cross and its directions (N, E, S, W), had figured out the dates of the highest and lowest sun ... and proofed it very unique.

Later on we had time to explore the site by ourself ... we just walked around and couldn´t believe we actually were there! Even the steps (the site has a lot by itself) didn´t bothered us :-) ... Lamas are living at Machu Picchu and it seemed like all these people didn´t bother them ... bus loads of people were arriving and the site became full ... and the mosquitoes were biting me like crazy ... I mean, why do mosquitoes live up there in the first place ... it is still above 2000m!!! ... I still can feel the bites and that is three days later!!! ... so we decided to get down to the little village were our train back to Cusco will leave later that afternoon.

The bus ride was fun ... the street down to the village had hairpin curves :-). When we arrived we had Lunch and met some of our group  ... and than we treated ourself with a body massage (Swedish style)  ... it felt so good!!!

At 5:00 PM our train left ... and it was very clear, that we weren´t in Germany ... the train was slow!!! Unbelievable - no wonder, it would take us more than 4 hours back to Cusco! But I still enjoyed the ride ... wee passed wonderful scenarios ... after 4 1/2 hours the train arrived in Cusco and I was picked up by the agency ... what a service - they brought my to the hostel and there I got a nice, long, hot shower before I went out again ...

By the way, I wasn´t sore afterwards, had no blisters and if it wasn´t for my digestive problem I would be really fine :-).

The group was great, it is so sad, that they left to the jungle the next day. I honestly thought of joining them for their last couple days in Peru (they are leaving the upcoming weekend), but it was just too expensive and I also don´t have really the time. But I am sure I will keep in touch with some of them! :-)

Machu Picchu was a unique and great and I am sooooo glad, that I did it! I wouldn´t forget it at all - also the steps are part of it and at the end, I wouldn´t want to miss them :-)