I arrived in Cusco and didn't know how I was going to get to Machupicchu. After a bit of research I realized that the best way to do it was to go on an organized trek and that's exactly what I did. I booked it with Condor Travelers and I'm really glad I did.
On the first day, I didn't want to like my fellow travelers in our group. I usually try to avoid obnoxious tourists when I travel and I thought these ones were all the same. I'm happy to say I was pleasently surprised with how chill and awesome my group was. Out of 13 people we had 3 Brits, 1 Swed, 1 Swiss, 1 Dutch, 2 Germans, 3 Argentines and two Americans (My bf and I). March is the rainy season in this part of Peru and it provided an extra challenge to our expedition. However, we took the road less traveled during the low season and it ended up being a great experience. We biked, hiked and bushwhacked it through the Andes and the jungle and although we are beaten up and sore, it was well worth it.
Here's a summary of the trip:
Day 1: The bus picked us up at 8am at our hostel in Cusco and we had a quick introduction to our guides, who were amazing. Then we drove two hours up into the Sacred Valley up and into the clouds of the Andean mountains. Once at the top we were each given a mountain bike with awesome suspension and rode all the way down through the valley. We probably biked through 3 different climates and eventually ended up in Santa Maria by 4pm. Santa Maria is a cute small town that was ravaged by an earthquake 10 years ago and hasn't really recovered. However, the people were lovely and our short time there was well spent.
Day 2: We woke up at 6am and left for the Andean jungle on our first day of backpacking. I was unaware we were hiking with all our belongings so my boyfriend was stuck hiking up epic mountains with a beach bag, poor thing. We hiked up and over several mountains and deep into the jungle. We passed coca plantations, mango trees, avocado trees and coffee plants. We hiked deep into the jungle to this tiny shack where we ate a delicious lunch of guacamole, soup and pasta. After a short break we continued on and upwards into the mountains. My brand new hiking boots couldn't handle the terrain and the bottom fell off about 5 hours into the hike. We glued them back together and continued on. As we walked down into Santa Teresa, our second destination, we passed a couple rock avalanches that reminded me the rainy season can cause some unexpected troubles. Nevertheless, we made it into Santa Teresa, a really cute town surrounded by the Andean mountain range. We had a lovely dinner with quinoa and finished it off with some Incan tequila, que feurte!
Day 3: We woke up at 6am and left Santa Teresa by 8am. The rains made the river go wild and it roared next to us as we walked in sunshine (such a nice change). We stopped by a waterfall and cooled off and ate some bananas growing nearby. After an hour of walking along the raging river we saw a cargo bridge that looked 100 years old. We were told we needed to cross this cargo transport bridge and shivers ran down my spine. However, we all made it across and continued into the Inkan valley where we finally starting walking along the famous Inkan trail. Quechua is one of the original languages spoken in this valley and we had a traditional Quechua lunch of a herb-like soup and curried vegetables with quinoa. We then started walking along the original train route to Machupicchu which is no longer in use and heard monkeys screaming while being surrounded by orchids. We arrived to Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machupicchu. The town itself which was too touristy for my liking, and took a dip in their hot springs, which were rebuilt after a flood a couple a years ago. We finished the night with a fish dinner and went to bed early in preparation for the summit to the lost Inkan city.
Day 4: We woke up at 3:30am in total darkness and put on our wet clothes to prepare for the hike. We packed our bags, put them on our backs and grabbed some snacks for the summit. We walked in total darkness up stone stairs and the rainy provided an extra slippery challenge. The hike was straight up for more than an hour, but our legs had adjusted so no one was complaining. We arrived at the entrance at 5:30am and as the rain poured, my spirits lifted. We had made it. The first 400 can choose to hike the big hump next to the city called Wayna Picchu, which I knew I had to do.
The archeological site itself is absolutely breath-taking and cannot really be described. These people were so technologically advanced and had everything from kitchens, to bathrooms to a proper irrigation system. The guide said the Inkans did not make many tools because the city was so high up, they mainly used the city as a trading post. The site was covered in fog but by 9am we could see a break in the clouds. By 10am it was bright and hot and you could really see how phenomenal this city is. We went to the entrance of Wanya Picchu shortly after 10 and hiked up to the top of the hump to see the most amazing view of the ancient city and its neighboring archeological sites. We decided to treat ourselves to a bus ride back down the mountain because our feet were sore and wet as all hell. We made it back to Aguas Calientes by 2pm and treated ourselves to a big lunch. By 7pm we were on a train back to Cusco and got back to our hostel by midnight.
When I awoke the next morning I thought I had dreamed the whole thing but as soon as I got out of bed my sore body reminded me how real the experience was. There are no words to really describe how magical and enchanting Machupicchu is. When you are there you feel its energy and as you walk along the ruins you really understand how special this place is.
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