On the Trail of Lost Time - the Inca Trail

On Saturday at 5 o'clock, it finally started. A young British couple and us sat in a van with Patcha (our guide) & a group of Peruvian men and drove 2 hours towards the Sacred Valley. After a quick breakfast, we continued through the valley until we reached Piscacucho. Here we started our hike, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. We had 4 days of hiking, 3 nights in tents, 45km, several thousand meters of altitude, and a beautiful landscape ahead of us. Thanks to our porters, we only had to carry our personal belongings, and they took care of the camping and cooking equipment. Now let's talk about the porters: the men are between 18 and 70 years old, they usually carry 20-30kg along the way, they have to arrive before us to prepare everything, they don't have proper hiking gear (some even wear sandals!!), and they do this work for 4 days, their whole lives, so it's truly an incredible job that these men do. Okay, for us, it starts relatively relaxed, Patcha, whom we already know from the introduction, knows his way around and is very friendly. We also get along great with Sarah & Louis, the two other participants. Patrick has plenty to talk about when it comes to football, cars & Playstation. We get travel tips for our next weeks, and so on. After a few kilometers through the Sacred Valley, we reach our lunch campsite. Before that, we visit an ancient Inca site - Llactapata. In a small village surrounded by chickens & dogs, tents are set up everywhere, and a cook prepares lunch. After a short break in the sun, the first surprise comes: after a small appetizer (avocado with fresh salsa), there is soup. Then we have fish, rice, corn with local cheese & potatoes. On a 4-day hike where you have to carry everything you need, we really didn't expect such luxury, and it also tasted amazing. Feeling well-fed, we continue, and the path gets steeper from here. While some groups already set up their camp for the night, we still have another 800m to go uphill. Finally, when we arrive, we have an incredible view of the valley. There are clouds in the mountains, but the weather is better than expected so far. The campsites are very basic with portable toilets & no drinking water, but our crew has everything necessary. Then we have afternoon tea - of course, coca tea (the plant that is illegal in our country and is used here to combat altitude sickness & it works!!) - and homemade popcorn. Then, there is no compromise on dinner either: soup, chicken legs, fries, vegetables &, once again, rice.

After another cup of tea, it's time to go to sleep. Unfortunately, we can't sleep well and are completely exhausted the next morning! Nevertheless, we are woken up at 5:30 with coca tea. Then we are served an omelet, Peruvian rolls & fruits. A small packed lunch is also ready. We start walking somewhat unmotivated - ahead of us is the Dead Woman's Pass at 4200m. Even though the altitude hasn't affected us so far, we are now facing some problems. Breathing becomes difficult, and headaches set in. With coca tea, nuts & dried fruits, we fight our way up for 4 hours, over rocks & stones, past llamas. The food & coca leaves (you can also chew on them, it helps but tastes super disgusting) are always shared here, the porters especially appreciate it when you offer them something. Finally, when we reach the top, Patcha has a bottle of champagne ready for us 🎉. Unfortunately, it starts raining (currently, it's still the low season here, that's why the trek is less crowded). We still have to descend the stairs for another 1.5 hours, wrapped in rain jackets & ponchos, until lunchtime - of course, the full program. And once again, we're the ones who are not ready yet for the day (but we're still glad because we'll have less walking the next day). We go up another 450m so that we can then walk down 400m. Fortunately, there aren't many people on the way, so we can enjoy the nature. Even the clouds clear up a little bit when we reach Runkuracay, a former ceremonial site of the Incas. And another historical site awaits us: Sayacmarca, it looks like an old castle & is very mystical in the fog. Completely exhausted, we finally arrive at our tents. We have conquered the worst part, the next few days will be easy. We torture ourselves under an ice-cold shower, which is really very cold. Well, nobody here cares about how you look or smell anyway. After an afternoon tea with snacks & a great dinner, we can even see some stars before it's time for bed. Unfortunately, this night was even worse, as I got a little stomach bug. So, once again, we're completely exhausted in the morning. Patcha gives me anise tea & medicine before we set off in the rain. The last pass is ahead, but this time it's only at 3670m. The only really annoying thing is the rain. But it stops again & as we walk downhill, we are rewarded with unique views. We encounter wild llamas & beautiful nature. It feels like being in an Indiana Jones movie on a treasure hunt. Slowly, our feet hurt from constantly going downhill, but the path is not too far anymore. The last stop is Intipata, from here you have an incredible view of the valley. We sit there for half an hour, enjoying the beautiful landscape, before reaching our last campsite. Today, we have lunch and dinner here. In between, we have time to relax, which is quite nice because tomorrow we have to get up very early. For afternoon tea, we get a freshly baked cake, simply heavenly. After dinner, there is a farewell gathering and the shy porters introduce themselves and thank us for the tour. We also thank them, because tomorrow morning it's time to say goodbye (they will take a different route back and will not visit Machu Picchu). Finally, we can sleep well, but the night ends at 3 o'clock. We are woken up with coca tea, now it's time to quickly get up, grab the packed lunch, and go to the checkpoint. We're still relatively early, and the queue is not too long yet. However, nobody has really explained to us that we now have to wait here for almost two hours until 5:30 when the checkpoint opens. Our packed lunch is already halfway eaten, clouds are gathering in the sky, announcing rain. Then we go at a fast pace for another 1.5 hours until we reach the Sun Gate. By now, it's raining a bit, and we hope it will get better. Unfortunately, when we arrive, we are disappointed because all we see is clouds. While all the other groups move on, we wait for better weather. Unfortunately, it doesn't change, and we also make our way to Machu Picchu: another 45 minutes of walking, and all that without a proper breakfast. Finally there, the clouds slowly start to clear. Unfortunately, there are already some tourists in the site, but at least we can see something. Then we walk to another checkpoint, where we can also store our backpacks (which is a big relief)! Then we walk uphill again, and Patcha shows us his favorite viewpoints. After taking some pictures, we have a guided tour of the historical Inca buildings. After that, we say goodbye to him as well. Sarah & Louis can explore Machu Picchu on their own, while we have booked a ticket for Waynapicchu. That means we still have to climb that huge mountain. It is said to take 2 hours of climbing stairs, but somehow we found the last bit of motivation and made it up there in one hour. The view of Machu Picchu was a bit disappointing, but we had a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains. Simply unbelievable, you can't believe that this landscape is real. Unfortunately, we can't stay up there for long as mosquitoes are rampant. After a strenuous descent, we take the bus to Aguas Caliente. During the ride, we are overjoyed to have seen such a beautiful place and to have completed the challenging hike. There, we visit the hot springs, where we also meet the others again. After 2 hours of relaxation for our tired legs, we have a Peruvian meal to recharge. Then, we take the train back to Cusco at 6 o'clock. First, it's a 2-hour train ride, and then the same with a bus until we finally reach the hotel. There, we are happy to have a hot shower and a soft bed.