On 30th April – eleven nervous little novice hikers left the big city (read: Ollytaytambo, well it’s sort of big) bound for the adventure of their lives. Eight of us had signed up for the classic 4 day Inca trail, and three for the growingly popular 3 day Lares trail. Today’s post covers the ins and outs of the journey, broken up into ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ to ensure I sufficiently whet your appetite for this Peruvian adventure and leave you full to the brim with inspiration, determination and a whole lot of respect for the incredible Incans. I travelled with G Adventures, however all thoughts, opinions and reviews are solely my own with no direct affiliation with G.

BEFORE

If you’re not shit scared prior to heading off, you ain’t real. All of us, even the seasoned hikers and outdoor efficianados, were a little apprehensive about heading into the unknown and each had been privy to a horror story or five about the struggles of the infamous day two. However – I also have to admit that I’ve never been so excited about something so daunting – you can easily lose yourself in the adventure and bad-assery of it all. As soon as you lace up your hiking boots, don your sexy day pack and get those poles ready – you feel like a regular Christopher Columbus and ready to discover lands Unknown.

The Info Session –

I begrudgingly went along to the information session hosted in Cuzco by G’s head office, not because I wasn’t interested but by going it meant that we were two days out from the hike. And I was not ready. I sat, in their fancy mezzanine level office, full of questions & terror. We were welcomed by Jhonatan – a spunky Peruvian guide who has led a number of groups through the trail and who, although wouldn’t be leading our group, would also be on the trail at the same time. The presentation is about an hour and so so valuable. I cannot stress it enough – go to the meeting and soak up every second. Jhonatan was so knowledgable, passionate and generous with his advice about the scary ole hike. The session covers: what to expect each day on the actual hike, G’s program to support local economy and employment with porters, cooks and guides, recommended packing, month by month weather forecast, the trail and the history of Machu Picchu (the big finalé), camp life (tents, food, free time etc). I walked away from the session with a burning desire to start the trail that night, all my fears had been squashed and had been replaced with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. The trail only issues 500 permits (300 reserved for porters, guides and cooks) per day, leaving 200 for tourists. To experience this hike is truly a gift – and this mind shift helped move me from scared to “I am woman, hear me roar (slash see me climb this mountain like a lady boss)”.

G offers equipment for hire (if, like me, you didn’t fancy lugging around a sleeping bag etc for the entirety of your trip if you’re planning a bit of travel). My advice? Hire the frig away – I got the combo pack of sleeping bag (aka the lifesaver), inflatable mattress and hiking poles for 110soles ($44AUD) and it was truly money well spent. The evenings get cold (and if you’re a cold blooded creature like me, an Australian with no sense/experience of ACTUAL cold temperatures, you will be so grateful for any remedies to banish the evening chill) and the sleeping bag is absolutely epic, the mattress provides some elevation from the cold ground and the poles? They are brilliant for anyone new to hiking or who could do with a little extra balance (cue clumsy Emily).

What to pack?

Basically, porters (aka supermen) carry their hikers’ 6kg duffel bags each day and drop them into our tents in the afternoons when returning to camp. Hikers are encouraged to bring a day pack that you can fill however you wish – but my advice is to keep it light. When you have 7km of uphill, you’ll be grateful that you left your collection of Harry Potter books at home and not stashed in your day pack. Day pack reccs: water, snacks (ie breakfast bars, fruit etc), a poncho, rain jacket, layers like a fleece or gloves if weather turns, toilet paper, suncream, camera//phone.
If you end up hiring, you’ll find that the combined weight of the sleeping bag & mattress are approx 3.5, leaving 2.5kg of packing room. I suggest: hiking socks, underwear, thermals (top & pants), hiking trousers and/or shorts, a fleece, jacket, sleeping bag liner (oh holy baby Jesus – this saved me), wet wipes, flip flops, mini first aid kit (an antiinflammatory, Imodium, plasters, hikers wool).

DURING

Day One – We departed the gorgeous town of Ollytaytambo at 7am, with an hour or so bus journey to km 82. There we met our guide, David, a cheeky, kind and brilliant guide (G refers to these guys as Inca Warriors), and were dropped at the control post at the beginning of the Camino trail. Passports checked, no turning back and embarking on an adventure, check. The first day is a beautiful introduction to the trail. A sprinkling of hills and inclines, mostly flat terrain with incredible landscapes decorating your journey and fascinating recounts of Incan history from our guides. We arrived at camp at about 4pm, and amazed to find our tents erect, porters cheering us in as we arrived and an incredible meals tent decked out with stools & a beautiful set table. After dinner, our guide called an ‘opening ceremony’ of sorts, with our assistant guide Miguel also joining us, where we were introduced to all of our crew//team. I adored this. One by one, the porters, chefs, guides and hikers introduced themselves. We were able to ask questions, about their lives, family etc, and this was just so special to get to know the amazing men who would go to the ends of the earth to make our journey memorable – I fell in love with each and every one of them.

 

Day Two – Early morning wake up call, with 5:40am breakfast and a 6:20am departure. You’ll be so grateful for these starts, avoiding the hottest part of the day by opting for a chilly early morning hike. Ok, here’s the deal, day two is a little tough but completely and totally doable if (and the guides will continue to stress this) you go at your OWN pace. Don’t try to keep up with ole mate speedy Gonzales – it won’t end well. Trust yourself and your body and take rests accordingly. Dead Woman’s Pass (deriving its name from a vantage point on the other side of the pass where, when looked at in the afternoon light, the silhouette of the mountain closely resembled that of a woman laying down) is a pain in the bum. A challenging but incredible pain in the bum. At an altitude of 4215m, it’s a tough one and is a real challenge for your breathing (regardless of how many Beyoncé songs you can usually dance to in a row at home before getting breathy). But, make it to the top (and, I promise you, slow and steady and you will make it), you will be rewarded with the most phenomenal views of your life. Teamed with an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment, these views are magical and I would think would bring even the most resolute of hikers to a sneaky tear of gratitude. A two hour downhill leg finished the day and we arrived at camp at 1:30pm.

 

Day Three – We endured//relished a similar wake up call for a 6:20am departure from camp for the 16km day ahead. The morning started with a 2 hour ascent (but compared to yesterday’s literal uphill battle, it was nothing) and then a few hours of the most stunning hiking terrain that I could have ever imagined possible. The path twisted and turned through lush greenery, waterfalls and sweeping mountainous views and valleys. I found myself in complete disbelief at the raw, natural and awe inspiring beauty of our world. After lunch, the final 3 hour downhill leg is a wee bit of a challenge and needed us to stay on the ball and consider every step as the terrain is made up of loose rocks, steep steps and sharp descents. We arrived at camp at around 4pm and promptly retreated to our tents for down time. We had another ceremony, this time a ‘closing ceremony’ where we exchanged our thanks with our amazing crew and gifted the porters and cooks a small token of our appreciation. Side note – for me, the people with whom we shared this time, every single G employee, was the true gift of the Inca trail and what will stick with me. These men were some of the most hardworking, kind, loving and sweet people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. In the afternoon of day two, I sat with 6 or so of the young porters, we wrote our names in my diary, showed photos of our families, chatted (with my very limited and muchas crapas Spanish) & shared lollies. This moment will be one I treasure forever, and I was lucky to walk away with 6 new amigos.

 

Day Four – The big shebang. I likened going to bed on day three as the night before Christmas, full of excitement and apprehension. We awoke at 3:15am for a 4am call departure where we headed to the control point for Sun Gate and our last hiking leg before Machu Picchu. After the trail opened at 5:30am, we headed off on an hours easy walk and approximately 40mins of uphill before arriving to Sun Gate. No words can capture the magic of this moment. Seeing the incredible and infamous outline of Machu Picchu in the distance, and watching the rising sun reveal bit by bit this amazing wonder of the world – it was truly one of the most profound moments of my, so far, short 27 year life. We celebrated with high fives, cuddles, photos and yep, even some people cracked a pre 7am cerveza, all so very high on life.

* I’m going to write about the incredible Machu Picchu site in a separate post as its far too much to capture in a single post!

CAMP LIFE

I feel like a broken record but will continue to sing the praises of the men who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make this trip possible – the porters and cooks on the trail. On day three, our two chefs came to our meals tent (after already gifting us a lunch fit for royalty) with a cake that read “CONGRATULATIONS INCREDIBLES” (our groups’ name). I blinked back tears as they cut and served us and by the time it came to actually eat it, I was sniffling so hard into my cake that I had to excuse myself. I sat outside, watching the porters continue to rush around, getting camp ready to be disassembled for the evening’s next location, and bawled my friggin eyes out. I have never been so moved by the kindness of people, and these men had cracked my heart wide open. If you decide to do Inca for any reason – do it to meet the most inspiring and beautiful people on the planet. Truly.

In the same vein – I can guarantee that you, my lucky little amigo, will eat the best food of Peru on this trek & be left wondering how the hell these people can create such amazing dishes in a makeshift kitchen tent (where a porter has carried the stove on his back), for a group of hungry campers and with a big smile on their face the whole time. The crew are absolute gods. Every morning (except the final day where porters and crew headed off to catch their train at 4am) we were woken with a cup of hot coca tea (an Incan specialty and altitude remedy) and spoiled with an amazing hot breakfast. Lunch and dinner were phenomenal, and my vegetarian dietary requirements were not at all an issue and I was (unexpectedly) given amazing, individualised meals. Afternoon tea (hot drinks, popcorn and crackers) offered some of my favourite moments of the journey, all rugged up and recapping the days’ events.

Tents were really comfortable, sleeping either one or two. The high altitude of base camp on day two meant it was pretty chilly, but if you rug up (I legit wore all my laters) and tuck yourself right up in your sleeping bag, you will hopefully have a happy and sound nights’ sleep.

A word on the guides. I have missed them ever since I left them. They have such passion & knowledge about their country, the trail and the history of the Incan people that you can’t help but want to hang around and soak up their wisdom and spirit every second of the day (and just ask poor David, I kind of did, I hung off the poor guy like a leech). Both David and Miguel were outstanding in their professionalism and their willingness to make our journey an unforgettable one. These boys have my heart and I will be forever grateful for the gift they gave me. Ps they ain’t shy of experience either – it was Dave’s 457th Incan trek. Can you imagine? This guy was my hero.

AFTER

Following our few hours exploring the ever amazing Machu Picchu, we headed by bus to Aguas Callientes, Machu Picchu town, where we enjoyed an epic lunch (with far too many celebratory pisco sours) at Hot Springs II. Then it was all aboard the train for a 1.5hour (uber comfortable) journey to Ollytaytambo where a private G minibus shipped our very tired little bodies back to Cuzco. Note – all transfers were included in the costings by G.

Recovery – This is more a case of do as I say, not as I do, as in theory an early night, light meal and ample rest would be the recipe for success. However yours truly, too excited by the prospect of continued celebrations of life and all its wonder, met up with friends and fell just shy of hitting the 24hours awake mark as I drank and danced my way into the early hours of the morning with other trekkers and G reps.
Sleep, showers and some time off your feet is highly recommended – you’ve had a big few days and no doubt your body is hanging out for some TLC. Make the most of beautiful Cuzco city and book in for a luxurious hot stone massage for around 70soles.

Tipping and Gratitudes – At the info session and within the tour’s itinerary, G give an indication of what sort of tipping (totally obligation free and up to the individual) is recommended, should you see that the team are deserving of such. Honestly? I wish I packed more money with me. I emptied my money for the porters and cooks – giving just over the recommended tip at 50USD and then fishing my last, crumpled 100soles from my wallet because it didn’t seem enough. For the guides they recommend around 40 soles – I loved our boys and gave 100 soles to the pair of them (and about a thousand hugs and ‘muchas graciases’). Please note – tipping is completely optional but I challenge you to not want to give these incredible super humans your first born once you see what they do.

In summary

For those of you still reading, thank you thank you, I promised you a thorough one and I sure delivered. But words will always fall short of capturing the life changing journey that an experience like this offers. The four day hike, the laughs, my trembling quads, the incredible landscapes & (above all else) the people, will be forever etched in my heart. I’m so grateful for this experience, for G and their wonderful team and initiatives and for the beauty of Peru – this chicka will be heading home with firmer legs, amazing photos and the fullest and happiest of hearts.

Blessings and Incan dreaming x