Group shot of all of us on the Inca Trail

At Runkuraqay on the Inca Trail

Masdevallia veitchiana orchid. Its Quechua name, “wakanki,” means “make you cry.” Fitting I think.

Phuyupatamarca from the distance

Snow melt lake on the Inca Trail

Along the Inca Trail

The Inca Trail is hands down the best travel adventures I have had to date.  It is everything you have ever read about and more.  It was almost like we ourselves had traveled back in time and were pilgrims making the trek to the sacred Machu Picchu.  The experience of making friends with total strangers just further added to the allure of the trek.  I’ve summarized the hike below.  For more information on how I actually planned and booked my trek, see my previous guide.

The Hike Itself

Day 1 of the Inca Trail

The day started with our trekking company picking us up from our hotel early in the morning and a bus ride to the head of the trail, stopping along the way for breakfast and last-minute supplies.

Once we got on the trail, it was relatively flat and easy.  We stopped several times along the trail for our guide to explain the history and significance of the Inca Trail.  The trail was used during the ancient times by pilgrims wanting to visit the sacred Machu Picchu (A more direct path was used for supplies).  Winding through the Andes Mountains the trail passes several ruins that were once used by the pilgrims to stay and worship.

One of the first ruin sites we visited was Llactapata which, in Quechua, means the town on hillside.

Llaqtapata are ruins constituted by a village and farming terraces and are located on the banks of the Cusichaca River.

Llaqtapata is located between the Cusco and Machu Picchu on a stone-paved Inca highway, part of the Royal Road that climbed and twisted more than 5,000 miles through the Andes. Llaqtapata was burned by Manco Inca Yupanqui, who destroyed a number of settlements along the Inca trail during his retreat from Cusco in 1536 to discourage Spanish pursuit. In part due to these efforts, the Spanish never discovered the Inca trail or any of its settlements.

The cook from Peru Treks was absolutely amazing. The food was always fresh and well prepared.

After our brief history lesson we continued on to lunch, which our porters had run ahead and set up during one of many stops.

Let me get this out-of-the-way for anyone thinking we would be eating simple, cook site type meals.  Our trekking company (and I’m sure all are like this) had our own chef.  The chef on Peru Treks was nothing short of phenomenal.  Lunch that day was a three course meal consisting of some of the best guacamole I’ve ever had, a hearty soup, and I think a chicken main meal.  Wow!  Is all I can say.  Our meals were different every day and all consisted of three courses.  Needless to say we ate well!

The view from our tent for the first night

We continued hiking after lunch and ended up at our campsite.  The campsite was, of course, already set up for us.  We stayed the night at the Wayllabamba campsite.  Dinner was served and, of course, it was great.  This was the first night we got to spend meeting the other people on our hike.

There were 14 people on our trek and ages ranged from the youngest at about 12 to the oldest at around 50.  Everyone got along and the experience of bonding over those 4 days with complete strangers was part of the allure of the trek.  You can easily take the train and see Machu Picchu, but hiking the Inca Trail and becoming great friends with total strangers gave me an experience I will never forget.

Day 2 of the Inca Trail

Lots of steps on our way up to Dead Woman’s Pass.

Day two become dramatically more difficult than the first day as we started to ascend into the mountains.  We were woken up early, around 7am, by our porters with some hot, steaming cocoa tea.As the morning was cold, the cocoa tea helped warm us for our oncoming hike.  Cocoa leaves also help counter the effects of altitude sickness so it was crucial we drink this every morning.  After breakfast we continued on to the trail.

As the morning was cold, the cocoa tea helped warm us for our oncoming hike.  Cocoa leaves also help counter the effects of altitude sickness so it was crucial we drink this every morning.  After breakfast we continued on to the trail.

4,215 meters is a perfect opportunity to cheers some beers!

The target for the day was Abra de Huarmihuanusca which is Quechua for Dead Woman’s Pass.  Dead Woman’s Pass is the highest point on the Inca Trail at 4215 meters (or 13650 feet) above sea level.  It takes its name from the arrangement of the terrain which is said to represent a woman lying on her back.

On the hike up we stopped at one of the many “stations” where locals sells things like candy bars, toilet paper, and picked up some beers.  The hike itself was probably the most difficult part of the trek.  A steep grade combined with the weight of my pack caused me to question my ability to make it several times.  The views from the top provide excellent views of nearby mountains such as Salkantay and Veronika (See my photo from Saturday) and was the perfect place to drink our celebratory beers.  Needless to say that beer was amazing.

Day 3 of the Inca Trail

Approaching Sayacmarca on the Inca Trail.

Day three started early again with cocoa tea served in our tents.  Day three, while strenuous, proved to be my favorite day.  The terrain became much more pronounced and the views were breathtaking.

After the hike up to Runkuraqay, we made our way to one of my favorite ruins along the trail – Sayacmarca.  Sayacmarca, Quechua for Dominant Town, was originally built by the Qulla as a strategic fortress at the fork of two Inca roads.  It was later improved upon by the Incas where they incorporated an ingenious canal system to give the site running water.  While the area prevents farming, storehouses were used to keep fresh food for the occupants.

The view from the top of Wiñay Wayna (Quechua for Forever Young) along the Inca Trail.

After our history lesson, we continued on our trek to lunch and then to my all time favorite ruin along the Inca Trail: Wiñay Wayna (Quechua for Forever Young).

These ruins were only discovered in 1941 and are built into a steep hillside overlooking the Urubamba River and the Sacred Valley.  While not much is known for Wiñay Wayna’s exact purpose, the site’s lookout nature, its positioning near the important Inca access road, and the investment represented by it’s architecture suggests its a place of some importance during the Incas.  The views from here were breathtaking and probably one of my favorite moments on the trail.

We continued on after a brief moment of reflection.  This was our last full day of hiking – we were all excited for what Day 4 would bring: Machu Picchu!

Peru Treks Made Us a Machu Picchu Cake!

Our guides had one last surprise for us – the cooks made us a cake!  I’m still not 100% certain how they managed to bake a cake – but it was delicious.

This was our last night with our porters.  We enjoyed our cake and performed the tipping ceremony.  Our guides and porters were amazing and deserved every dollar they got.

We went to bed early that night as wake up for the following morning was going to be before dawn.  We had to make Inti Punku (The Sun Gate) by sunrise to catch the first glimmer of light striking Machu Picchu.  Needless to say it was hard to get to bed that night but well worth it.  The views we saw the next day were out of this world.

The Inca Trail was by far the best travel experience I have had to date.  It is everything you think it is and more.  Everything about the experience was amazing, the views (my site logo is just one of the pics from the trek), the group we were with, and the trekking company itself.

If you have any sort of shred of interest in going, the Inca Trail should be on the top of just about anyone’s bucket list.  I saw people of all ages and walks of life on the trail so there is little excuse for anyone not being able to make it.  You do need to be in relatively good shape, but porters will carry the tents, cooking equipment etc leaving you with only your personal gear with the option to hire a porter for that too!

Which Inca Trail Tour Company

There are several tour companies based out of Cuzco that gives tours like this. There are usually different tours to choose from (Jungle hikes, Mountain hikes, etc.), but the most popular (and I assume the best) is the Inca Trail trek that ends in Machu Picchu. We talked to people who waited until the last second to book something only to find all the Inca Trail treks were full.  The other ones did sound fun (and people returning said they had a blast) but ill leave those for next time (the jungle trek caught me eye in particular).

We ended up going with the tour company “Peru Treks,” specifically the Inca Trail 4 Day Trek.  It was a matter of comparing different trekking companies, reading reviews, what you get for your money and who seemed to be the most reliable. Everything held up for Peru Treks and were had no regrets. Their website also has a lot of good info on Cuzco and the area in general, as well as hotels and day activities. The website and description of what we booked was very accurate, so their website is a good resource.

The total price, per person, for the Inca trail Trek was around $500 USD (As of July 2014 it seems to be $595). You pay a partial deposit when you book it (like $220) and the rest upon arriving in Cuzco. 500 dollars may sound like a lot at first, but I thought it was very reasonable considering you get private coach bus ride to the start of the hike, the 4 day guided hike, food/ drinks for 4 days, basically 3 nights of lodging (of course its camping in tents, but staying at hotels would be much more money), porters to carry the heavy stuff, entrance into Machu Picchu, and a combo bus and train ride to get you back to Cuzco.

The guides take a lot of the headache out of things for you too, since they know what they are doing. Basically there are a lot of costs that would add up if they weren’t included, so its a pretty good deal, and having a person explaining the significance of everything was just an added bonus.

Read their website in full to answer any questions, especially the itinerary and FAQ.  Book early (as in at least 4~6 months in advance) – dates fill up months in advance, so it’s not really a spur of the moment thing while you are there.

What to Bring

Packs from our group on the Inca Trail

Packing for the Inca Trail can be a little tricky. For starters, look at my guide for packing for international travel and add things from there.  While it’s not necessary, a lightweight and small internal frame pack would be a great purchase.  A person in our group got by with a drawstring pack and some shopping bags, but I would not recommend it.  He seemed to struggle with his contraption on some of the steep stair climbs.

Something on the smaller side, 35~45 liters is ideal.  Purchasing a backpack for this trip has proven beneficial to me – I used it on my most recent trip to Europe and will be using it again for my trip to Japan.  I bought an Osprey pack, but anything will do.  Go to your local outdoors store and try a few on and see what you like best.

The last thing you want to do is bring to much on the trail itself.  Unless you are hiring an extra porter, the weight can be a struggle on day 2 during the accent to Dead Woman’s pass.   Make sure you bring layers, the mornings start cold and then get warmer as the day goes on, so being able to shed layers is beneficial.  It’s very sunny out at times so you will want light colored fabric to cover yourself with to prevent burns.  To help prevent burns wearing a big dorky safari type hat or over-sized bandana and visor system to cover your ears and neck is also helpful.   A headlamp is also a must have item for searching for the bathroom late at night.  A water bladder helped me tremendously too – staying hydrated is key!

Fitness for the Inca Trail

While you don’t have to be a marathon runner, you should be in decent physical shape before undertaking any trip to a high altitude area.  Don’t let this discourage you though, we saw people of all ages and walks of life on the trail.  Undertake an exercise program, and get a few good hikes in long before your trip (at least a few of these with a weighted pack).  You can always hire a porter if you feel the need, but you’ll be surprised what you can accomplish if you have a goal in mind.

The hardest part for me was not going up but coming down.  The trail is rocky and I have weak knees – so renting trekking poles probably saved my life.  A good, cheap add on I’d recommend and saves you the hassle of packing them yourself.

How We Got to the Inca Trail

Steep hill at the steps of our hostel in Cusco.

The closest city to the Inca Trail is Cusco.  Ideally you will want a few days before the trek to acclimate to the altitude and a day or two after the trek to rest.  There is a lot of stuff to do in Cusco so your downtime can be spent doing things.  Erik and I did some day hikes to better help us acclimate.

Flying to Cusco is relatively easy.  We flew into Lima and then stayed overnight in the airport to catch a early morning flight into Cusco.  I was a bit worried about sleeping in an airport in Peru, but it turned out to be a non-issue with dozens of travelers doing the same thing, we felt completely safe.  Don’t plan on sleeping on the flight from Lima to Cuzco.  Its only a few hours and you get to fly over the Andes mountains during sunrise, a view I didn’t want to miss.

I hope you find this guide useful.  As I mentioned this trip, while short (We were in Peru for only 10 days), was one of the best trips I have ever taken.  In the coming days I’ll share more about my trip to Peru!