Machu Picchu and the Inca trail was on our bucket list for years and in 2018 we finally ticked it off the list. Machu Picchu was incredible and stands as one of our most memorable trip experiences. In planning the trip we wanted to spend 2 weeks in Peru and visit Cusco, the sacred valley and Lake Titicaca. We normally don’t use a tour company for a full trip but our planned itinerary matched a tour offered by G Adventures. It was a learning experience for us, the tour was fine, but we realized we liked being on our own and having more control over our itinerary and accommodations.
Itinerary and Getting There
We were spending about two weeks in Peru and would kick off and end our tour in Lima. Lima was easy to fly into and features a good selection of international flights. Our itinerary included the following stops:
- Lima – A day to rest and explore the city as well as a day at the end of the trip
- Cusco – 3 + 1 days to explore the city, acclimatize and recover from the Inca trail
- Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo – 3 days
- Inca Trail and Machu Picchu – 4 days
- Puno and Lake Titicaca – 3 days
We travelled to Peru in July which is winter but also dry season. It’s one of the recommended times to hike the Inca trail since precipitation is low. The historical norms did not match our trip though and made for some unforgettable hiking.
Hotel Highlights – Unfortunately our accommodations were moderate on this trip since we most of the hotels were specified in our tour. We wouldn’t highly recommend any the accommodations which is what this section usually covers. With that being said we did do a tasting lunch at El Albergue Hotel which did look very appealing.
Lima
We pieced together about 2 full days in Lima between our flights into and out of the city. Lima lies along the Pacific Ocean and features some amazing cliffs and views over the Ocean. We saw surfers all along the coast as well as some great beaches. It was winter so the weather was cooler and while there were surfers in the water the beaches weren’t busy. We had some nice walks along the paths on top of the cliffs.
Our most memorable experience in the city was a food tour. Lima is known for it’s food and our tour was excellent. The highlight was Ceviche which is a combination of fresh fish with lemon and lime juice alongside onions, tomatoes and spices/herbs. The lemon and lime juice acids ‘cook’ the fish to some degree. The dish was excellent and a must have in Lima.
Lima features it’s share of large city amenities including shopping and restaurants which we enjoyed. 2 days in the city was enough for us though.
Cusco
We hadn’t heard of Cusco before planning our trip to Peru but it was one of favourite spots in the trip. Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th century until the 16th-century. It sits 3,400m above sea level which makes for an interesting transition when travelling from Lima (sea level). So far we’ve been lucky to avoid altitude sickness when hiking but we did have to pace ourselves in our first few days in the city as we acclimitized.
You can spend a day wandering the city. It offers some historical sites, shops, cafes and nice restaurants. Most of our wandering centered around the Plaza De Armas which is a central square lined by restaurants, shops and the Cusco Cathedral. We spent some time hanging out in some cafes near the square as well. One evening we ate and enjoyed a drink at the Limbus Restobar which has great views of the city and does require a walk up some steep slopes.
You can take tours and trips to a lot of locations from Cusco including the sacred valley and Machu Picchu. One of these day trips was the Rainbow Mountain. We didn’t end up taking the Rainbow Mountain trip but in retrospect we should have.
Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo
The Sacred Valley is a fertile valley along the Urubamba river. It runs from Pisac to Ollantaytambo. We mountain biked different sections of the valley and checked out a few Inca farming sites along the way. Pisac is built on the top of a hill and features Inca ruins and farming terraces. We were amazed by the technological experimentation the Inca civilization did with agriculture. The Incas used terraces to farm and were able to leverage the geography to create microclimates at different terrace levels. We’d recommend checking out the ruins at Pisac.
Ollantaytambo sits at the end of the Sacred Valley and is the launching spot for Inca Trail hikes and Machu Picchu. It’s a small village with the Ollantaytambo ruins at one end. The ruins are the remnants of an ancient Inca Fortress built into the the side of a steep hill. It only take a few hours to explore the ruins and it’s well worth it. It doesn’t take long to explore the full village but we enjoyed our time there. It has the feel of a mountain or hiking village which we liked.
While in Ollantaytambo we also did a Peruvian tasting meal at the El Albergue Hotel. The food was excellent and we’d recommend it. The Hotel also featured some great local coffee.
Inca Trail and Machu Picchu
The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu was the center piece of our trip and it was incredible. You need to take a licensed tour to hike the trail since the number of hikers on the trail is limited. The Peruvian government limits the number of people that can hike the trail as well as limits the number of companies the can provide guides due to concern about overuse which could lead to erosion.
The Inca Trail tour that we took was from G Adventures since it was part of our overall tour. The hike was four days in length over moderately difficult terrain. The hike peaked at 4,198m above sea level at Dead Women’s Pass so you’ll need to be cautious about altitude. We’ve broken down our experience below:
Day 1 – You’ll depart from Ollantaytambo by bus and travel to km 82 which is where you’ll depart via foot through a park checkpoint. It was raining when we arrived at km 82, which was unusual for this time of year, so we purchased some rain ponchos and backpack covers from locals selling these items in the parking lot. The trail on the first day is fairly easy and winds along the river. You’ll pass through some great scenery and regularly see Inca ruins. The weather continued to be unusual and we hiked through intermittent showers.
Day 2 – The hiking was harder on the second day as you spend much of the hike going uphill to Warmiwanusca (Dead Women’s Pass) which is the highest point of the trek at 4,198m. The footing along the trail was good but you can feel the effects of altitude so we purposely choose a steady pace. The views at Dead Women’s Pass were amazing. For us the rain started again when we reached the pass so we had a tricky descent to the camp for day 2. By the end of the day the rain was heavy and steady which was highly unusual for the time of year.
Day 3 – We awoke to a cold pouring rain. We layered up, pulled on the rain ponchos and set out. The first part of the trek rises to another two passes, Runquraqay (3,900m) is the first and the second pass is a little lower at 3,700m . The temperature was just above freezing when we started and we were going up in altitude. Being from Canada we were familiar with these conditions and suspected we were going to get snow. We were chatted with the guides early in the morning and told them we were likely going to get snow which they discounted. Sure enough as we climbed in altitude the snow started and started to accumulate. It was the first time in 10 years that the Inca Trail, lucky us. The hike up to Runquraqay was difficult with the footing, by this time there was about 5cm of snow down, but even more treacherous on the way down as the snow turned back to rain. It was truly one of the most challenging hikes we’ve done because of the weather. The group we were with were thankful to make it to lunch and huddled in our mess tent for warmth. Everyone was trying to be positive despite the conditions. We have to give a big thanks to our guides on this part of the trek. Due to the weather conditions the group became spread out and it visibility was low. The guides likely did twice the hiking distance that we did to make sure we were all safe. The day turned after lunch since we descended in altitude and the temperature warmed. The rain lessened as well and the afternoon part of the hike was very pleasant. On Day 3 you’ll pass through multiple Inca ruins which you can explore. The omst notable to us was Phuyupatamarca, the town above the clouds which is at 3,650m. Despite the timing of the weather we were lucky, the groups a day behind us had to turn around since they closed Dead Women’s Pass. We were ‘lucky’ to make it through that point in the trail.
Day 4 – Machu Picchu Day! The day starts early, around 3:30am, so that you can make it to the Sun Gate as early as possible. Thankfully the weather turned for us and we had a spectacular day, mainly sunny with a few clouds. The trail is crowded early in the morning since all of the tour groups are aiming to get to the Sun Gate for sun rise. It will be dark so headlamps are needed. The Sun Gate looks down on Machu Picchu and you can get some great pictures. There is a hike down from the Sun Gate to Machu Picchu that takes about an hour. When we were arriving at Machu Picchu the crowds were starting to grow from the tourists that took the train/bus for the day. Take your time exploring the ruins, it’s a magical place and we enjoyed seeing the majesty of the construction and views of surrounding mountains. Machu Picchu is really a magical place, one that is unlike any other that we’ve been to. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Once you’re done exploring you take a bus down to Aguas Calientes. We grabbed a bite to eat with our tour group before boarding the train & bus back to Cusco (via Ollantaytambo).
Puno and Lake Titicaca
The last leg of our trip involved Puno and Lake Titicaca. Machu Picchu is a tough act to follow so although we enjoyed the few days we spent in the area it was hard to evaluate objectively. Puno and Lake Titicaca sit at 3,812m above sea level. By volume of water and surface area Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America. We were accustomed to altitude at this time so we didn’t mind the elevation when in the area.
Puno is a small town that has a nice feel to it. It features a similar selection of shops that we found in Cusco and we enjoyed the time we had to wander the town.
We did some kayaking on lake Titicaca and also spent a night in a homestay. The homestay was a great experience as we got a close up on Peruvian life. During the time on the lake we also got to observe a festival celebration which exposed us to more Peruvian culture.
Magic Moment
There are few words to describe our view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate. It’s an incredible site of ancient rooms surrounded by clouds and mountains. It is a magical place and one that should be on everyone’s bucket list.
