Cuzco and the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

Being on the road for nearly 9 months now, Doug and I have seen and experienced many incredible things. Machu Picchu for us however was one of the most anticipated adventures of our trip. We were not disappointed!

We arrived in Cuzco hoping for a few days of R&R to acclimatize to the altitude before our long trek to the ancient Inca ruins. R&R proved to be a bit difficult however as Cuzco became a reunion of sorts for us and we met up with friends from our past travels... Anthea and Scott from our Belize boat cruise, and Mariem from our time at the orphanage. For three days we ate, drank, and caught up on what we had all been up to the past four months. Great to see such familiar faces!

In true Doug&Lydia style we of course did not book our Machu Picchu trek ahead of time, and were genuinely shocked when we found out the Inca trail was full for the month. Que pasa con eso? After a bit of research, we were happy to learn though that our 2nd best (but still very good option) the Salkantay (i.e: Savage Mountain) Trek was available. Good friends Matty, Pumps, Bobby and Jules had done the same trek 2 years ago and had given in glowing reports. We booked through the same company they used, and were stoked to find out that it was less than half the price on the Inca Trail !! This despite the fact that that trek itself is a day longer and nearly double the distance in walking and difficulty (at least that is what we like to tell ourselves). Good times!

The first morning of our trek we were picked up at our hostel at 4:30am and dropped at a local bus station where we were introduced to our travel buddies for the week. Our group was a good mix with Bevan and Donna from New Zealand, Ken and Rob from the States, and Mike and Mikey from Oz. (Colombians Richard and Lorena joined us the following day). Our guide Wilson was great and kept us entertained throughout the week with his attempts at Aussie slang (that he´d obviously picked up from many tours with Aussies) and bizarre riddles.

After a crowded local 3 hour chicken bus ride to our starting point Mollepata, we enjoyed a quick breakfast before setting off for our first of five days of hiking. We were all in great spirits as we got to know each other. The walk was all the better as we all seemed to be well matched in our speed and fitness levels. Overall, the first day was tough with some steep uphill climbs, however the views more than made up for it. By lunch time we were all pretty tired, but after a great pasta lunch we set out again for another 4-5 hours of hiking. By about 5:30pm we strolled into our first camp site Soraypampa (3850 mts above sea level). As the sun went down, it wasn´t long before the temperature had dropped to -10C. Not a very warm night, and unfortunately when the rain started, not a very dry one either. Luckily Doug and I only had damp feet, while some of the boys enjoyed little sleep as the puddles multiplied on their tent floor.

The next day we woke to a beautiful clear day with a fresh blanket of snow on the surrounding mountains. At around 7:30am we set out on what was to be the most challenging day of our trek. With freezing weather & thinning air, we had a 3 hour climb straight up to the (4600mts) pass between Salkantay and its brother mountain Huamantay. It was extremely tough and we all breathed a big (and deep) sigh of relief when we finally reached the top having climbed 1,100 metres.

Feeling proud of ourselves and knowing the worst was over, we continued our hike down the mountain to where our lunch was being served. That is when it started to rain. Being told by Wilson that we only had an hour more before lunch we pushed our way from one mountain to another at a very good pace. It soon became obvious however that there are two types of time on Salkantay..."real time" and "Wilson time". 2.5 hours later we arrived at our lunch site freezing and famished. Needless to say our lunch that day was hardly tasted as we gulped it down with barely a breath.

We reached our campsite (Chaullay 2920 mts) that night around 6pm, a beautiful valley and much warmer given we were close to the cloud forest jungle. After roughly 10 hours of walking, and approx 18 km (1,100m up and 1,700m down) we relaxed with a few beers and a hot meal.

The third day began with a 6 hour walk through the jungle, following the sacred river until we reached a cute little community town of Wiñaypoq'o, where we stopped for lunch. This was to be the easiest day as far as the hiking was concerned. After lunch we all climbed aboard a local bus and headed to Santa Teresa (1650 mts), a two hour bus ride away and where we were to set up camp. That night was a celebration of sorts as the hardest days were over, and we partook in a special meal and plenty of vino tinto.

Early on the fourth day we awoke to a beautiful sunny day and began our 7 hour hike with a cable crossing "Oroya" over the local river. Quite the adrenaline rush as we piled into a little basket three at a time and were sent flying over the raging river below. Needless to say we all crossed safely, and were happy to resume the rest of the journey on foot. This last full day of hiking was mainly spent on a windy mountainous road, followed by 3 or 4 hours hike along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes (the village at the base of Machu Picchu) our destination for the night.

Tired and sore we headed straight to the hot springs of Aguas Calientes where we eased our aching muscles with a very hot natural bath and a very cold beer. A superb and relaxing end to 4 days of solid hiking. It is here that we also met up with our friend Mariem who was going to join us for the last day of our tour...Machu Picchu - One of the new 7 wonders of the world!!!!

Here is the fantastic photos of our great trek....

If you can´t see them properly than click on the link here - Cuzco and the Salkantay Trek