Due to lack of research, Jane and I were not able to get on the official Inca Trail. Evidently, it books well iin advance and we should have done it back in March. However, there are many alternative treks and we decided to do the Inca Jungle Trek which was four days in total. The first day consisted of a long downhill mountain biking tour. The bikes were crap and at least 50% of the folks had issues with their equipment on the way down. Jane was having some stomach issues again which really slowed her down. I stayed with her to make sure she didn´t get lost. The tour was down one guide and a couple Israeli girls got lost and caught a cab to the hostel . They were VERY unhappy. We were able to avoid any major problems and the views down through the valley were nice.
Our group started the march on the second day. About six hours of trekking to Santa Teresa. the route was a bit sketchy at times, but everyone managed. It became obvious that Jane and I were the fittest in the group. We had done a lot of treking and climbing before this excursion, so we were in good shape compared to most.
The third day was the trek to Aguas Calientes where we would start the final trip to Machu Picchu the next day. The short trek ( three hours) was along the railroad tracks, so there wasn´t much to see. Some of us hiked up to the top of Putucusi (sp?) in the afternoon. The hikle was steep and some of it was on these scary ladders which rose well over 15 meters. At the top, we saw our prize. Machu Picchu was waiting for us, and for a momment, we all grinned with anticipation.
There is a system for seeing Machu Picchu when you are with a tour group. Honestly, I´d rather do it on my own where you are not pressed for time. For our group the itinerary went like this.
1. Wake up at 4 AM to be at the bus stop at 4:30 to wait until 5:30 AM
2. Get on the first bus at 5:30 AM and arrive at Machu Picchu at 5:50 AM where you wait until the site opens.
3. When the site opens, scramble to the other side of Machu Picchu to the entrance to Waynapicchu to wait for the mountain to open at 7:00 AM.
4. At 7:10 AM climb to the top of Waynapicchu (takes an hour) and enjoy the views for about 20 minutes, then work your way down.
5. Once down, scramble back to the entrance and wait for your guided tour at 10:00 AM.
Yup. there is a lot of waiting, but the climb was worth every thigh burning step. I won´t go into details regarding the trip back to Cusco, but it was not nice. There are some crazy Peruvian bus drivers here. Jane and I didn´t return with the rest of the group. We stayed two more days in the Sacred Valley visiting the rest of the sites along the way back to Cusco.
Our group started the march on the second day. About six hours of trekking to Santa Teresa. the route was a bit sketchy at times, but everyone managed. It became obvious that Jane and I were the fittest in the group. We had done a lot of treking and climbing before this excursion, so we were in good shape compared to most.
The third day was the trek to Aguas Calientes where we would start the final trip to Machu Picchu the next day. The short trek ( three hours) was along the railroad tracks, so there wasn´t much to see. Some of us hiked up to the top of Putucusi (sp?) in the afternoon. The hikle was steep and some of it was on these scary ladders which rose well over 15 meters. At the top, we saw our prize. Machu Picchu was waiting for us, and for a momment, we all grinned with anticipation.
There is a system for seeing Machu Picchu when you are with a tour group. Honestly, I´d rather do it on my own where you are not pressed for time. For our group the itinerary went like this.
1. Wake up at 4 AM to be at the bus stop at 4:30 to wait until 5:30 AM
2. Get on the first bus at 5:30 AM and arrive at Machu Picchu at 5:50 AM where you wait until the site opens.
3. When the site opens, scramble to the other side of Machu Picchu to the entrance to Waynapicchu to wait for the mountain to open at 7:00 AM.
4. At 7:10 AM climb to the top of Waynapicchu (takes an hour) and enjoy the views for about 20 minutes, then work your way down.
5. Once down, scramble back to the entrance and wait for your guided tour at 10:00 AM.
Yup. there is a lot of waiting, but the climb was worth every thigh burning step. I won´t go into details regarding the trip back to Cusco, but it was not nice. There are some crazy Peruvian bus drivers here. Jane and I didn´t return with the rest of the group. We stayed two more days in the Sacred Valley visiting the rest of the sites along the way back to Cusco.
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