[Rubbertramps]

Madras Year 2005 – Stumbled upon this movie called Motorcycle diaries. Watching Ernesto Che Guevara climb this fascinating place, it was always within me to visit this place since then.


A lot of life altering events later.


Toronto Year 2018 – Wife decided to go to India for a personal work. That was 2 weeks of idle time for me. I and a friend at office were jokingly talking about taking a trip to Machu Pichu during those 2 weeks. The conversation turned into a serious one. We checked out the trekking options and we realized its achievable in 2 weeks and it seemed like not a bad idea. After running the idea with my wife(mandatory) and letting her know that there are no girls living in Peru, it was a go signal for the trip.

Research:
The Inca trail is very famous and needs pre-booking at least 3 to 6 months in advance. We decided to trek in April 2018 and we booked our treks in Jan 2018.


Season:


The high season is May to August when there is no rain. April is the start of the season with a little bit of rainfall. The trail is closed in February for maintenance.



Trails:
After doing some research we realized there were a couple of ways to reach Machu Pichu and there was more than 1 trail that leads to MP.

1. Classic Inca Trail
2. Salkantay
3. Lares and etc.


The classic Inca trail is the one that is the most famous and this was the one we wanted to take for the same reason. It’s a 4 days and 3 nights group service. You can also opt to complete the trail faster in 3 days or take it slow by completing it in 5 days.

Classic Inca Trail:



Expedition Company:
Another tough decision was to choose the right expedition company. After reading a lot of reviews in Trip Advisor, we decided on this group called Alpaca Expeditions for the following reasons.
1. 99% of the reviews were excellent.
2. Portable Toilet for obvious reasons.
3. Option to make satellite calls during emergencies. The only trekking company that has this option. With a worried family back home and without cell phone signal during the trek, this option inclined us towards the company.


D Day:
With everything set, the day finally arrived. We boarded the flight from Toronto and headed to Lima for a stopover and then headed to Cusco in another flight.


Cusco: (Incan Capital)
It’s a beautiful city with cobbled streets with a mix of Spanish and Incan architecture. We spent 2 days there to acclimatize to the altitude as advised. I took a course of altitude sickness medicine 24 hours before I boarded the flight from Toronto and it helped. I have heard stories of people fainting and needing oxygen tanks even in Cusco since Cusco is in a higher altitude than Machu Pichu.
There are umpteen internet articles to give you a list of things to do. I am not going to do that here. Some of the notable things that I felt that needs to be done are as follows

• Walk your way to the Christo Blanco.
• Visit Sacsayhuamán.
• Visit the central market.
• Visit Plaza de armas.
• Try out Peruvian Cuisine. Especially Ceviche.

Plaza de armas







I paid 20 Sols for this:



View of Cusco from Christo Blanco:




After having a preparatory session with the expedition company we headed to another quaint town called Ollantaytambo. It’s a very small town. Nevertheless, it is immensely beautiful set amidst a valley There are many things to do here.

Quaint little Town:



Our trek started the next day. Alpaca Expedition picked us up from Ollantaytambo at 6 in the morning and we started our trek.




The team:

• 8 trekkers.
• One guide
• Eleven porters
• One head porter
• One chef.

Day 1: KM 82
Distance: 14 KMs
We were told it’s an easy day. For me, it was not.
Type: Moderate Uphill. Sandy/Dry/Desert like terrain.
Weather: Dry and Extremely Sunny.
We reached the lunch camp at 3PM to a sumptuous lunch and reached the final Day 1 camp at 6:30 PM. The food that these guys managed to cook is out of this world. By the time we reached the camp, the tents with the sleeping beds/bags/pillow would be ready.


Start of the trek: Once you cross the bridge, there should be no turning back.



Dry Terrain



5 Star food



Day 2: Dead Woman’s Pass
Distance: 16 KMs
Terrain: Steep Incan Steps/Rainforest/Downhills
Weather: Cloudy and Rainy.
This is the toughest day both mentally and physically since we reach the highest point in the trek. We had to climb the dead woman’s pass and descend to again climb another pass and descend again. I have dreaded this day since I have heard horror stories of people giving up in the middle. The key to reaching the summit is to do it according to one’s own pace. I did it as slow as possible and finally made it.




Day 2 Camp: A sense of achievement.



Jumping in joy




Treacherous Incan Steeps



United we sit





Day 3:
Distance: 10 KMs
Terrain: Moderately Steep Incan Steps
Weather: Rainy and Sunny.
Reaching dead woman’s pass, broke the mental barrier giving us enough confidence to march ahead with ease. At the end of day, we were all excited for the next day.

One of the several tunnels. Functions as a bottle neck for invaders.






We carried the porter's back pack for 5 mins. Just to see how heavy it is.



Baked a cake and asked me to cut it. Surprise Surprise.










Day 4:
Distance: 5 KMs
Terrain: Easy Incan Steps and Mud.
Weather: Rainy and Sunny.

We had to wake up at 3 in the morning to stand in line for 2 hours to enter the checking point. The first look of Machu Pichu came from the Sun Gate. It is a remarkable experience to toil yourself for 4 days and then get a sneak peak of Machu Pichu from a distance. We walked about 2 hours and finally reached Machu Pichu. A guided tour for 2 hours and we were set free to enjoy the ruins. It was just like in the dreams. A cloudy mist over the ruins and slowly lifting itself to reveal the full glory of the lost Incan city.


THE PIC



Exactly like in the dreams. Hence dream come true.



Another angle




Blaze of Glory




The entire team


Roamed around Machu Pichu for our heart’s content, we were taken by a bus to another town called Aguas Calintes to take a train to Ollantaytambo. From there, Alapca expeditions will take us back to Cusco in their own transport. We spent a night in Cusco and returned to Toronto the next day, basking in the glory of winning a challenge.

A challenge with the self.

Interesting Things:

• Machu Pichu’s stone walls are built at an angle to with stand earth quakes.
• The trails that lead to Machu Pichu were destroyed by the Incans when the Spanish arrived.
• It was exposed to the modern world in 1911 by Mr. Hiram Bingham.
• The beautiful girls from the Incan Civilization were isolated from their families and termed as the chosen one for various rituals including sacrifice. They were hidden from the conquerors and if they feel they will be conquered, their faces will be scarred by the warriors.
• It’s one of the new wonders of the world and I did see why.
• There are other Incan ruins still being discovered.
• One can reach Machu Pichu by a train/bus combination transport without moving a muscle. But where is the fun in that.
• The Guinness record in the Incan trail for the fastest one to complete it 3.5 hours give or take.
• Our tour guide had a record of 6.5 hours and over 700 times on the trek.
• You can get a passport stamp outside Machu Pichu. I got 2 in my old and the new passport.

Miscellaneous:


Shopping:
I am not an experienced trekker and hence needed to buy a lot of stuff. I have listed some of the essentials that we needed.


1. Waterproof day back (25 – 35 litres) with back support.
2. Hydration bladder/pack support in the backpack is optional.
3. Good trekking shoes with ankle support and it should be waterproof. Make sure it is properly broken in. Do not wear new shoes in the trek to avoid blisters.
4. Rain Jacket.
5. Rain Pants.
6. Another light weight down jacket to beat the cold during night times.
7. 4 sets of t-shirts (Wicking is optional)
8. 4 sets of socks (Merino wool is optional)
9. Cap/Hat during the day and skull cap for the cold during the night.
10. Bug Spay/Sunscreen(50 SPF+).
11. Water purification tablets.
12. Vaccination (Before the trek).
13. Altitude Sickness Medicine (Must).
14. Sunglasses.

Fitness:
There were many Youtube videos of the trek and everyone in the video were panting irrespective of the fitness levels. This is due to the less oxygen content in the air. I am not a very fit person and I would rate myself as 5/10. I needed to increase to atleast 7-8/10. I started to work out and did the following mixed work out.
1. I live in an apartment. Hence, I climbed 16 floors twice daily with a loaded backpack for 2 months.
2. Stairmaster – 70 floors whenever I stepped on it.
3. Squats.
4. Lunges.
5. Running.
6. Jumping rope.



I was on and off on the above list and it did help me out in the trek. Although there is no escape in that altitude without panting due to the lack of oxygen. But the workout gave me the confidence to go on with panting. That’s the benefit I got from my pre-trek workout.

[ashish2135]

Thanks for sharing this thread.
MP has been on my to-do list for the longest period of time ever since I ever saw the first picture of it. Also, Peru has been one of my favourite destinations due to numerous friends from the country.

I plan to go in 2019/2020 for a month long exploration of Peru and nearby countries in South America.

Could you share approximate expenses for the trail.

Thanks in a advance.

[bhp_maniac]

Wow! That's an awesome one. Congrats on completing the trail . Great snaps and narration. MP is indeed one in my to-do list. Hope it gets fulfilled one day

[Rubbertramps]

Originally Posted by bhp_maniac

Wow! That's an awesome one. Congrats on completing the trail . Great snaps and narration. MP is indeed one in my to-do list. Hope it gets fulfilled one day

Thank you !

Originally Posted by ashish2135

Thanks for sharing this thread.
MP has been on my to-do list for the longest period of time ever since I ever saw the first picture of it. Also, Peru has been one of my favourite destinations due to numerous friends from the country.

I plan to go in 2019/2020 for a month long exploration of Peru and nearby countries in South America.

Could you share approximate expenses for the trail.

Thanks in a advance.

Peru is a wonderful country. Machu Picchu is just one facet that draws the crowd. You are lucky to have friends there.

Expenses:

1. Air ticket roundtrip from Toronto: 800 CAD
2. Trek with Alpaca Expeditions: 860 CAD
3. Stay for 3 nights in Cusco/Ollan: 150 CAD per person
4. Misc: 100 CAD.
5. Gear Shopping: 300-400 CAD

Total Expense per person: 2200-2400 CAD

[ARAY]

Loved the short crisp narrative. This is one of a kind trip that you have managed to share in so simple terms. Keep traveling and sharing such wonderful blogs.