The Hike to Machu Picchu

The journey to Machu Picchu started for us in Cusco, Peru, but only after being holed up resting for two days. The city of Cusco had already taken its pound of flesh when we arrived in the form of altitude sickness. After a very long journey from the Galapagos Islands, the 3200 meter altitude of Cusco hit me particularly hard. However, after a couple of days adjusting I was past the dizzy spells, headaches and fatigue and ready to make the trip to Machu Picchu.

We opted to arrange the transportation through a travel agency near the Plaza de Armas in the historic center of Cusco. It was run by a kind fellow named Maoro who gave us plenty of good advice and didn’t sugar coat anything to get a sale. We liked his vibe and demeanor and decided to have him arrange all our transportation and the actual admittance to the ruins which can sell out quickly if you don’t arrange at least one day in advance. 

The bus departed the morning after making our arrangements and after almost two hours we arrived in the town of Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo was fairly unremarkable, but worth a couple of hours walking around to see a more traditional Peruvian town. We tried sautéed alpaca which was absolutely wonderful. The waiter told us it was “magical” when we asked what it tasted like. He wasn’t exaggerating.

There are two rail companies that operate out of Ollantaytambo to the town of Agua Calientes where we would make our ascent to Machu Picchu. They are Inca Rail and Peru Rail. Our tickets were booked with Peru Rail so we made our way down to the station to board our train. The train car was spacious and had windows in the ceiling to give us a beautiful view of the mountains as the train made its way towards Agua Calientes, past ancient villages and alongside a roaring river that was clearly raging from the constant rains.

 

Our plan was to hike up to Machu Picchu, a trek that takes at least an hour and a half and that is without making many stops along the way. Approaching the trail after leaving the town of Agua Calientes, I started to wonder just how we were going to make it up by foot. The hills around this area are incredibly steep and the jungle is thick.

We began to dread the possibility of mosquitoes. Fortunately Mon had prepared for this by bathing in 50% deet before the hike. I decided to wait until we got to the jungle in case it wasn’t too bad, but I was starting to ask myself if I had made the right choice. The insects were circling at the periphery of the jungle.

The mountain that Machu Picchu sits atop loomed over us like a giant daring us to conquer it. We could see struggling visitors exiting the trail at the base, coated in sweat, grime and reeking of citronella. They gave us wild eyed stares, clearly questioning our sanity of attempting the climb.

The start of the trek upwards began with a feeling of optimism that only the beginning of anything arduous can inspire as I told myself that it actually wasn’t too bad. Soon afterwards, however, the stark and glaring realization began to dawn on me that there were still 2578 steps to go and I was covered in sweat and breathing heavily.

There were a lot of people descending the trail, but we soon realised that we were the only ones walking up. We discovered later that many people take the bus up to the ruins and climb down. I kind of felt like that was cheating though. It would be so much more spectacular to make the climb like explorers of old.

The views ascending to the top of Machu Picchu are incredible and well worth the effort. Reaching the end of the hike, I was exhausted but felt exhilarated and looked forward to seeing the ruins.

The sun had started poking its head through the clouds and blue sky was visible as the Lost City of the Incas became visible from a vantage point above it. The first impression I had on seeing Machu Picchu was how well planned and laid out it is. The terraces that were used for farming on the edges of the city, the lanes and meeting areas, as well as the well-built stone houses that had stood the test of time. I wondered how the grass was always kept neat and then noticed the numerous alpacas grazing around the ruins. Workers were busy carefully scraping away the moss that was constantly growing over the stones.

Machu Picchu was built sometime in the 15^th century. Many historians believe that the city was built as a kind of vacation home for Pachacuti, one of the great Incan rulers. There is a large amount of consensus among historians that the city was only used for about a century before being abandoned due to either a smallpox outbreak or simply the degeneration of the Incan empire cause by the Spanish invasion. At its peak, the city would have had about 750 inhabitants, but that number may have dropped to about 100 people during the rainy seasons when it wasn’t being used by royalty.

We picnicked on the edge of a terrace high above a roaring river with dense jungle and mountains forming the background. The lost city spread out to our right and even further up lay Huayna Picchu. We had decided earlier not to go to Huayna Picchu as there is a limit to the number of people allowed up so it’s necessary to book way in advance, as well as the fact that it meant a lot more climbing. The extra climbing is probably the real reason if I’m not kidding myself.

After wandering the ruins for a while and snapping loads of photos, we decided to head back down. This time we opted on taking the bus to the bottom rather than brave the stairs again. The entire experience was one of many highlights of travelling in South America, but I knew there would be more amazing experiences around the corner. Soon we would be trekking to Rainbow Mountain.