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The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

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    • The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

      I listened to the audio-book Turn Right at Machu Picchu - Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by author Mark Adams. It was a good listen, especially since it was narrated by the author. I then bought the book so I could research some of the places and people - it's kind of hard to get the correct spelling of an Inca city from my car audio. The book is a three-way narrative on the origins of Machu Picchu, the efforts of explorer Hiram Bingham to find it, and the author's quest to follow Bingham's path through the Peruvian mountains and jungles. Some reviewers don't like the format but I found it to be easy to follow. If you want to learn more about Machu Picchu or Peruvian history, I can offer my hearty endorsement.

      Anyways...the idea of visiting Machu Picchu has been on my bucket list for a long time. You can fly into the city of Cusco, Peru (11,152') and take organized trips to the site that utilize vans, trains and buses with very little hiking. Or you can skip the train ride from Cusco to the base of Machu Picchu and hike the Inca Trail. There are however a few important details with the hiking option:

      1. You have to be on a guided hike with set stopping points and firm schedules. There are no free hiking options.
      2. Porters have a weight limit of 15 pounds for hiker's sleeping bag and clothing. They also carry all tents, food and cooking gear.
      3. Each hiker is responsible for carrying their own lunch, snacks and layers / raingear.
      4. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided daily by the expedition chef.
      5. Boiled water is supplied at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hikers have to carry their own water between meals.



      Total distance is around 27.4 miles over four days. The last day is a short 3.7 miles so that you can be at the Sun Gate for sunrise and see the grandeur of the site as it is illuminated by the morning sun. At the end of the day, buses transport visitors down to the village of Aguas Calientes (Hot Springs) and the trains back to Cusco.

      Daily tickets are only good for four hours, so many people book a hotel in the Aguas Calientes and return for a 2nd day. There's even a luxury hotel (at elevation) just ouside the gates to Machu Picchu. Tour the park, check-in, shower, have a gourmet dinner and a few drinks, sleep, have a hot breakfast then walk back into the park without having to wait for a bus up the mountain from Aguas Calientes. There are both budget and luxury train options to get back to Cusco.

      There are tour companies that offer a plethora of different options to get from Cusco to Machu Picchu. The dry season is May - November - expect higher prices and more sold-out dates during this time. Delta has direct flight to Lima Peru from Atlanta and the local flight from Lima to Cusco is only ~1.5 hours.

      Let the planning begin!
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard

      The post was edited 1 time, last by StalkingTortoise ().

    • Many years ago I treated myself with a solo trip to Machu Picchu. It was a long flight to Lima and then to Cusco sitting under those airplane air vents. My eyes were getting dry. When I finally got to Cusco I rented a room, splashed some water on my face, and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning I thought the place must be on fire; the room was filled with 'smoke.' But, when I went outside, it was the same thing. It was not a fire, it was my eyes. I had an eye infection; I could not see.

      I found my way to a clinic. Picture a dark space with one bare lightbulb on the ceiling. Chickens were running in and out; people were moaning in adjacent rooms. The Dr. took one look at my eyes and said, 'Go Home, do not wait, Go Home right away!' He knew there was little he could do with the medications on hand in Cusco. You will see a lot of blind people in Peru.

      So I managed to find my way to the airport and fly home. It took about a year before my vision was completely back to normal. I still have an eroded area on one of my corneas.

      I would love to get back to Cusco again. The little I saw in my 24 hours looked great. Also, do not underestimate the effect the altitude will have on your hiking ability. I was sucking wind just walking around in the city.

      Me and Machu Picchu still have some unfinished business.
      Maybe someday.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • IMScotty wrote:

      Many years ago I treated myself with a solo trip to Machu Picchu. It was a long flight to Lima and then to Cusco sitting under those airplane air vents. My eyes were getting dry. When I finally got to Cusco I rented a room, splashed some water on my face, and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning I thought the place must be on fire; the room was filled with 'smoke.' But, when I went outside, it was the same thing. It was not a fire, it was my eyes. I had an eye infection; I could not see.

      I found my way to a clinic. Picture a dark space with one bare lightbulb on the ceiling. Chickens were running in and out; people were moaning in adjacent rooms. The Dr. took one look at my eyes and said, 'Go Home, do not wait, Go Home right away!' He knew there was little he could do with the medications on hand in Cusco. You will see a lot of blind people in Peru.

      So I managed to find my way to the airport and fly home. It took about a year before my vision was completely back to normal. I still have an eroded area on one of my corneas.

      I would love to get back to Cusco again. The little I saw in my 24 hours looked great. Also, do not underestimate the effect the altitude will have on your hiking ability. I was sucking wind just walking around in the city.

      Me and Machu Picchu still have some unfinished business.
      Maybe someday.
      I hope you do get another shot at it. And of course without any of the previous challenges.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • Astro wrote:

      IMScotty wrote:

      Many years ago I treated myself with a solo trip to Machu Picchu. It was a long flight to Lima and then to Cusco sitting under those airplane air vents. My eyes were getting dry. When I finally got to Cusco I rented a room, splashed some water on my face, and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning I thought the place must be on fire; the room was filled with 'smoke.' But, when I went outside, it was the same thing. It was not a fire, it was my eyes. I had an eye infection; I could not see.

      I found my way to a clinic. Picture a dark space with one bare lightbulb on the ceiling. Chickens were running in and out; people were moaning in adjacent rooms. The Dr. took one look at my eyes and said, 'Go Home, do not wait, Go Home right away!' He knew there was little he could do with the medications on hand in Cusco. You will see a lot of blind people in Peru.

      So I managed to find my way to the airport and fly home. It took about a year before my vision was completely back to normal. I still have an eroded area on one of my corneas.

      I would love to get back to Cusco again. The little I saw in my 24 hours looked great. Also, do not underestimate the effect the altitude will have on your hiking ability. I was sucking wind just walking around in the city.

      Me and Machu Picchu still have some unfinished business.
      Maybe someday.
      I hope you do get another shot at it. And of course without any of the previous challenges.
      Wow. That would be scary enough waking up at home to something like that. But to have it happen in foreign country...and then to have the Dr tell you to go home immediately to get help...
      2,000 miler

    • When I was growing up I once woke up in the night and couldn't see. First thing my dad asked was were you watching your uncle weld (earlier that day). So at least I knew why and everything turned OK.

      That was scary at first, but no comparison to what IMScotty was dealing with as an adult by himself in the remote part of a foreign country (and at least at the time a third world country)!
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • IMScotty wrote:

      Many years ago I treated myself with a solo trip to Machu Picchu. It was a long flight to Lima and then to Cusco sitting under those airplane air vents. My eyes were getting dry. When I finally got to Cusco I rented a room, splashed some water on my face, and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning I thought the place must be on fire; the room was filled with 'smoke.' But, when I went outside, it was the same thing. It was not a fire, it was my eyes. I had an eye infection; I could not see.

      I found my way to a clinic. Picture a dark space with one bare lightbulb on the ceiling. Chickens were running in and out; people were moaning in adjacent rooms. The Dr. took one look at my eyes and said, 'Go Home, do not wait, Go Home right away!' He knew there was little he could do with the medications on hand in Cusco. You will see a lot of blind people in Peru.

      So I managed to find my way to the airport and fly home. It took about a year before my vision was completely back to normal. I still have an eroded area on one of my corneas.

      I would love to get back to Cusco again. The little I saw in my 24 hours looked great. Also, do not underestimate the effect the altitude will have on your hiking ability. I was sucking wind just walking around in the city.

      Me and Machu Picchu still have some unfinished business.
      Maybe someday.
      Man... I have felt alone if a foreign land, but never to that extent. Bravo for heeding the doctor's advice and not trying to push through the issue.

      One of the big recommendations I've seen on the tour company web pages is to spend a few days in Cusco to acclimatize. I spent 10 days camping / hiking / hunting at 11,000' in the Rockies and the elevation kicked my ass on the first day. I wanted to show my worth by cutting firewood, filtering water and doing anything else to help set up basecamp. Within two hours, I was laid up in my cot while the rest of the guys were enjoying a beer in the afternoon sun.

      Sucking wind during normal activities sums it up well. Kind of like running stadium stairs while breathing through a straw.
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard