Ishicilelwe: 30.01.2018
In Cusco, in the center of the sacred valley of the Incas, we first walked through the mysterious streets and the market "San Pedro" ๐ There, between the locals, we sat on a bench, amazed at how much we could see for only 2 francs. It was simply wonderful. ๐๐๐ป๐ค Then we took a detour to Sacsayhuaman and also admired the beautiful handicrafts in the streets. ๐๐ป๐
Another highlight of our trip through South America is right around the corner: Machu Picchu โฐ๐
Here in Cusco, there are many possibilities to go to Machu Picchu. We decided on the adventurous and intense option, which is a 5-day hike during the rainy season ๐๐ฃ๐ It goes through the Salkantay Mountain to Machu Picchu๐๐
We arrived in Cusco (3350 m above sea level) very early in the morning. During our first light hike from Challacancha (3600 m above sea level) to Canal Inca (3700 m above sea level), we even saw some cows ๐ฎ on steep slopes and had our first interesting conversations with our group. We had four people from America, two from Australia, two from Mexico, and one from Spain. ๐๐ป๐ Our two guides who accompanied us on this tour were very helpful and especially funny. ๐๐ป๐ Canal Inca led us to our first accommodation, a sort of glass igloo in Soraypampa (3920 m above sea level). After a delicious lunch, we had our first challenge ๐๐๐ We hiked to Humantay Lake (4200 m above sea level) ๐๐ As we set off, two condors flew over us. ๐ฆ ๐ฆ ๐ It was impressive and gave us even more energy for the demanding altitude. Then it started raining for a short time, but we were rewarded with sunshine and a rainbow. ๐โ๏ธ๐๐ป๐ The beautiful lake with its bright blue and green colors reminded us of a Swiss mountain lake ๐
The first night in the glass igloo was a bit chilly at 2 degrees Celsius, but we could see the stars from our bed. โ๏ธ๐โญ๏ธ๐ค
At around 6 am, breakfast was served, of course with a hot cup of coca tea. โ๏ธ๐๐ป๐ Then we set off for the most challenging part of our tour, the "Trail of 7 Snakes" ๐๐๐ณ to "Salkantay Mountain" (4630 m above sea level)๐๐
The ascent was steep but with the motto "step by step," we quickly made progress. ๐ It was fascinating to see how fog appeared and disappeared within 30 seconds. ๐ซ๐ณโ๏ธ๐๐
The climb took about 4 hours. The people in our group were all quite fit, so we hiked it in an impressive 2.5 hours. ๐๐ป๐
Arriving there, Salkantay showed us its most beautiful side. ๐โ๏ธ๐
Afterward, it was just a walk down to Chaullay (2900 m above sea level) through the mountain into the jungle. In a short time, we went from the mountains to the jungle. We then enjoyed the many impressions in a relaxing way... ๐ด
The next day, we walked comfortably and with some muscle soreness in our calves, 15 km through the jungle to Lucmabamba (2000 m above sea level). There, we went to drink the famous coffee from Peru. โ๏ธ๐
When we arrived at the "Jungle Dome," unfortunately, it started raining heavily... ๐โ๐ณ
That's why our two guides said that for safety reasons, we couldn't hike to the next mountain the next day. ๐ณ We took it easy and had a fun evening with our group, enjoying a couple of beers. ๐ป๐คช
The next morning, we walked along the "Peru Rail" ๐ to "Aguas Caliente" (2050 m above sea level). ๐ ๐
There, we rested in the hostel because the next day we had to wake up at 4 am to go to Machu Picchu. ๐๐ป๐คโฐ
In the early morning, we climbed more than 1800 steps to reach Machu Picchu (2430 m above sea level). It was simply breathtaking when we arrived there... ๐โฐโค๏ธ
Although we had seen many pictures, the feeling that you have walked all the way to this ancient Inca city, is just indescribably beautiful. โฐ๐
It is very impressive to see what the Incas built back then and how each stone fits perfectly with the others. ๐ค๐๐ป
The weather was perfect, and our guide told us many interesting facts about these mysterious ruins.
Overwhelmed by all the emotions from this beautiful tour, we took the "Peru Rail" back to Cusco. ๐โค๏ธ