How to Machu Picchu
In the middle of month 3 of travels, I snuck in a week-long Peru trip to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. This was my first time in South America, an entire continent that, in retrospect, hadn’t garnered a lot of attention from me. Other than wanting to cross off a bucket list item, I didn’t know quite what to expect going into the trip. I quickly discovered just how badly I’d misjudged the continent.
Turns out you can train & bus to Machu Picchu and get that dating profile picture with your hair did. That’s fine.
Or, you can do the hike. And if you’re into the outdoors at all, I highly recommend the hike. I now totally understand why it consistently shows up at the top of the best hikes in the world.
Planning for the hike
You’ll need to settle a few details for your hike a few months in advance so you can book your trail permit.
Length You can hike the trail in 4 or 5 days. The only difference is pace. The 5 day is only a little bit slower but adds an extra night in Aguas Calientes after coming off the trail, allowing you to return to Machu Picchu the next day after a shower and a good rest. We did the Inca trail over 5 days. I think 4 days would be fine.
There’s also a 2 day hike on the completely separate “commercial” trail that I’ll get all snobby about and dismiss outright as not worth your time despite not actually doing it myself.
Porters You can hike the trail carrying your own gear or with porters. I really enjoyed having the porter team and unless you’re a practiced ultralight camper or really price sensitive, I’d highly recommend it. We used Alpaca Expeditions and only have great things to say about the hike (the last day was a little less spectacular but you’re going to learn from our experience and do the 4 day trip so you’re fine!)
And as always with international travel, check your vaccinations.
Gear for the hike
You can see my packing list here. If you’re hiking with porters, you’ll only need a daypack (Alpaca recommended 25L size) as your clothing, sleeping gear, and tent travels with them during the day. You’re carrying anything you need on the trail: water, snack, sunscreen, and additional layers in case.
If you’ve got your own gear, definitely use it. If you’re planning on renting, you can rent most gear in Cusco rather than your hometown, which will save you hauling it through airline security and probably be cheaper to boot. The travel company rented us poles, sleeping bag and ground mat. You can rent pretty much anything else you need around town.
The only thing I rented that I regretted renting was the sleeping bag. The rental ones are plenty warm but stink to high heaven thanks to their regular use by sweaty hikers. Definitely bring your own if you’ve got it.
Finally, you’ll probably take more clothes and gear than you need. When you’re setting out for your hike, most Cusco hotels will hold onto your luggage. Leave anything you don’t think you’ll need with them.
Getting there
I flew through Lima to Cusco, the home base for most folks setting out for the trail, not to mention all the travel companies. The flight to Lima was a really simple seven hour redeye from the east coast, and there’s a ton of direct flights to Lima from other locations.
Cusco is the oldest continually occupied city in South America. It’s where the Spanish invaded and conquered the Incas in the 1500s. It’s also 11,000 ft above sea level so you’ll be admiring the historic buildings and vistas while leaned up against the wall huffing and puffing to catch your breath. It takes a few days, medication, and tons of water and Coca tea (yes, where cocaine comes from, but never causing a buzz) to keep on top of altitude sickness. Plan to spend at least 2 days in Cusco before hitting the trail.
The trail
Keep in mind, these details apply specifically to our excursion. If you go with a different travel company or do it solo, your hike will look different.
Overall Above all though, stay hydrated and keep the sunscreen going if you’re pasty white like me. Weather changes every 15 minutes and around every corner so keep your rain gear handy.
Day one To start the hike, you’ll do a 6am start and a two hour drive from Cusco to Ollantaytambo and the Inca Trail trailhead. Once unloaded, you’ll split your gear into the pack you’re taking and the duffel the porters will take for you.
Day one is mostly flat and desert-y. You start feeling out the members of your group and getting a sense of the pace. The drive to the trailhead dropped 3k ft so altitude shouldn’t be a problem at all if you acclimatized in Cusco.
Day two This is the “challenging” day. You hike up 5k ft to dead woman pass, then back down another 3k ft. Lots of water and lots of breaks. Our entire group got through it with smiles and no issues.
Day three This starts off with another 2k ft up and then is mostly flat. You end up camping at Phuyupatamarca which is as close to camping on top of the world as I’ve ever got.
Day four 4k ft down over the course of the day and then one last scramble up through the famed Sun Gate and you’re there.
Machu Picchu Look, it’s amazing, beautiful, and spectacular. It’s everything you’ve seen in pictures and has an incredible history. But after everything you’ve seen on the trail, it’s just not the most impressive. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it though. Get them selfies.
We also climbed Huayna Picchu, which is a really steep climb even compared to the trail. By that point I was pretty hiked out and it ended up being zero visibility in the clouds. So unless it’s a clear day, I’d skip.
Aguas Calientes Which is the town just below Machu Picchu, is a beautiful little resort town where you catch the train back to Cusco. If it’s not included in your hike, it’s still worth spending the night here and checking it out.
Finally, reading list
I often read a book or two about the country I’m visiting during the trip. This time, Matt suggested I read 1491, a book about the New World before the arrival of Columbus and how recent archaeological discoveries in the last 20–30 years should change our view of those societies. It challenges a lot of the basic assumptions and generic textbook history of the societies living in the New World before the arrival of Europeans. Spoilers: The Americas were massively more advanced than is typically taught, and if it weren’t for smallpox, history could have been dramatically different. It’s great for putting the Andean societies in perspective while exploring them.
