I know, I know – it’s been ages. But truth is, once work catches up with you, time is very limited. Better late than never, right? So, Peru – what can I say. I’ve heard so much good about this country and it really beat all of my expectations. Being able to walk part of the Inka trail, see Machu Picchu, experience Cusco and make it all the way up to Lima has been an amazing experience.

Inka Jungle Trail – Road to Machu Picchu

Our first day in Cusco, where we wanted to start our Inka Jungle Trail tour from, started out pretty bumpy. After a 10+ bus drive to Cusco we arrived at Wild Rover Cusco, exhausted but happy to have a room and a shower. We only wanted to go for a quick meal and booked our trip with Southern Peru Explorer in the hostel afterwards (just based on my personal experience with the travel agency – there are other options. The tour was amazing and so was our tour guide Leo, however dealing with the travel agency was extremely annoying). Unfortunately I felt very sick the entire night plus the next day and was scared that I wouldn’t be able to make it to the trip, which was suppose to be the next day. In addition, I felt terrible that my friend missed an entire day in Cusco because of it. Thank god, I felt a little better the next morning, huge thanks to Henni and her bag full of medicine. We packed our stuff, left it at the hostel and where ready to go.

Day 1

Our guide Leo picked us up around 7am and with a bunch of other backpackers we made our way up to Abra Malaga mountain. From there it was mountain biking downhill for approximately 45km. It was so much fun, even though my bicycle chain fell out three times and I lost one of my contacts on the way… (but hey, no risk no fun right). The scenery is beautiful and even though you are on a bike, you can actually enjoy the ride down, the silence and the landscape. The street is very curvy, however there were barely any cars when we drove down and you get an entire set of protection and your guide and the car is with you at all times.

Our destination for the day was Santa Maria, where we had our hostel and really nice lunch at the Only bar (yeah thats actually the name – food is really good and they have the cutest dog, just saying). Afterwards we were able to book wild water rafting and of course, all of us wanted to do it. We had two boats for our tour and got an introduction and safety advice. Afterwards we walked down a little hill to the water and off we went. I was a 100% sure to fall into the water, but we did a pretty good job and it was so much fun. The scenery was amazing and just sitting there on the boat in the water was very refreshing after a day full of biking and walking around. They had a photographer there, too, so for little money you get your picture taken and you have something to take home (thats obviously not a necessity but our group decided it would be a cool memory to have). After the water rafting, we went into the hostel and were able to chill and watch soccer before we head out to have dinner- again at the Only Bar because, well, its the only bar (haha). We had an early night as the next day would bring 8 hours of trekking in the heat, so we all went to bed early.

Day 2

We woke up really early to have breakfast during sunrise (at the Only Bar – really nice breakfast) and started trekking towards the Inka Jungle trail. There were only 5 of us left, because the Americas from the night before left out a day and went straight to the next stop (you can choose 3- or 4-day tours). Leo was a really good guide, walking with us and telling us all about the Jungle, fruits, Coca plants and much more.

The beginning was still pretty easy to walk, not especially steep, but that changed quickly and I got worried that I would not be able to make it all the way up, like ever. But after a while I got the hang of it and we walked higher and higher until we reached the original Inka trail. You take breaks in between of course where you can buy water and snacks. The view up there is just breathtaking. If you ever get the chance – do this tour, or another original Inka trail tour, it’s definitely worth it. Oh, and if you are afraid of heights – don’t worry, I made it, so you can too (the view is your reward).

For Lunch, we made our way down to a nice lunch place with hammocks and good food. We only had an hour to rest but it felt so good to just lay around for a little bit and relax after already trekking for almost 5 hours. Afterward we made our way down along the river, which was a nice change of scenery. Our destination for the day were the hot springs, which felt amazing after the day of running up and down the mountains. We enjoyed some beers and spend around 2 hours there until it was dark and then made our way to the hotel for the night. I wish i could have captured our walk to the hotel – it was dark and there were so, so, so many stars in the sky, mixed with the sound of the river – it was just breathtaking and we all walked in silence and enjoyed the moment just to be there (how romantic). Dinner was okay, but nothing special, which was because the hotel has just opened and only offered a touristy buffet. We played ping pong until later in the night and then all wandered off the our bungalows, which I shared with my friend Henni and Fraser, a guy from my group.

Day 3

Zip lining, zip lining, zip lining – when I woke up that morning this was all I could think about. I am scared of many things, but especially of heights. The hours before are especially awful, because I image all the things that could happen to me or my fellow zip liners (is this even a word?). Am I gonna drop and fall down in the gorge? Should I tell my parents before I die? My inner drama queen was having a field day. Just as a side note – I’ve been sky diving before, I mean really Anna, get it together?! By the end of the day I did it anyways, of course. And, of course, it was a blast. We had five zip lines, going from shortest to longest. The guides ensured that we were all secured before going and showed us how to use the break and how to communicate right before you arrive on the other side. After zip lining, we were able to walk over a hanging bridge, which was kinda like in a high climbing garden, with obstacles along the way.

After zip lining, we drove to Hydroelectric and had lunch. Afterwards, we trekked along the train tracks up to Agua Calientes, the town from where all the tourists leave to Machu Picchu. We could already feel that we were getting closer and closer. The trek was pretty chill and idyllic, but be aware and watch the trains, they are actually running. After trekking for approximately 4/5 hours, we made our second to last stop – Agua Calientes. I think we were all pretty exhausted from the last couple of days, but happy that we have made it that far. We checked into our hostel and went to have dinner afterwards. As we had to make our way to the Machu Picchu checkpoint in order to walk up, we had to start walking around 3:30 am. Therefore, we all called it a night and went to bed very early – ready for Machu Picchu!

 

Day 4

The day had finally arrived. Early in the morning, or should I call it night, we got ready and made our way to the the check point at a bridge, which opened at 5 am. Leo told us we had an hour to get up Machu Picchu and meet him in front of the gate. Pressure was on, for sure. Once the door opened, humans and dogs (I just love all the stray dogs there, wanted to keep them all) made their way up the many stairs. I thought it would be harder, but once the morning rose and the sun came out, it got easier and easier bei the minute. I just really wanted to get up there and see it for myself. And then we made it. We went through the gates and I didn’t even realize that I walked right up the incredible view of Machu Picchu.

Leo told us that he would be with us for another 1,5 hours to tell us more about how Machu Picchu was discovered and show us the different buildings. Then we had to leave to catch his train, his next group was waiting (busy man). Thank you, Leo for four amazing days. I feel like the guides are often not enough appreciated, even though they do an outstanding job, keeping everything together and entertaining at the same time. Once Leo was gone, we walked around, took lots of pictures and enjoyed the day up there. Our train was early in the evening, around 6pm, so we had enough time to discover. We decided not to climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain but to just walk up the the sundeck from where we had an even better view of the landscape.

When it was time, we walked back down all the many stairs (believe it or not, down is harder than up) and all the way back to Aguas Calientes. From there, we took the train to Ollantaytambo where we got picked up to go back to Cusco. And again, the train was so super comfy. You get a snack and a drink and can just chill for an hour before you arrive at the station. The drive from Ollantaytambo was not that comfy, we were all squeezed in a van and drove for about 45 minutes, before we arrived at the main square in Cusco. Thank god some people from our tour were with us in the van, i don’t know if we would have found our way back to the Wild Rover, considering that we didn’t see anything from Cusco yet, thanks to me. Back at the hostel, we were assigned to an all girls 10-bed dorm with bathroom. We were exhausted and went to bed so that we were ready to explore Cusco the next day.

To conclude the tour from Cusco to Machu Picchu – do it. When i first heard that this was a guided tour (and I think I felt the same in Bolivia), I was scared that it would be super touristy. It’s not. I mean, yes you are a tourist, backpacker, whatever, and you hang out with other internationals, but its still very authentic and you get a good feel on what Peru is all about. Therefore, I can only recommend this tour and Leo. As I said, there are many different agencies that organize this trip, so just walk around and check which tour is for you.

More about Cusco and our way to Lima in the next post – stay tuned.