Walking the Inca Trail
Trepidation, awesome, incredible, amazing, exhilarating, relief. All words which encapsulate what can only be described as the experience of a lifetime – walking the Inca Trail.
Trepidation came from the fact that I would be spending 2 weeks – 24/7 – with a group of people I had never met. However, about 3 weeks before we left, Ian hosted an informal get together to go through what we should expect, travel arrangements etc. and most of all to give us the opportunity to get to know each other. That was brilliant as it was obvious from that first meeting that, despite our different ages and backgrounds, we would all get along very well.
Excitedly, we all met up in Amsterdam to start our 14 hour flight and by the time we stopped off in Bonaire, the camaraderie was already evident. We were met in Lima by José, our Tour Guide, who would be with us for the whole trip. Our daily video diary started in earnest as we left Lima the following morning for a short flight to Arequipe. The plan was to use the first week to acclimatise – moving slightly higher throughout the week. Arequipe is a beautiful little town, so high in the Andes, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and volcanoes. Here we stayed in an old colonial house and spent our time there exploring museums and old monasteries. Because of an unexpected strike by coach companies, our stay there was cut short a little as we had to travel to Puno on an evening coach to avoid the strike. Consequently we missed some of the most spectacular scenery but it was compensated by having an extra day in Puno – a bustling town sitting on the shores of Lake Titikaka, one of the highest lakes in the world. On our second day, we took a private boat to Taquile Island, stopping on the way to visit the floating Uros Islands and see at first hand how the people live, learn and travel in their reed environment. On Taquile Island, we stayed with a local family in one of their houses. This is when we really started to appreciate what we take for granted – running water, flushing loos, central heating, spring mattresses – all non-existent on Taquile Island, but it was fascinating to see and experience how the locals lived. The best part of the visit was climbing to the highest point on the island at 14,200ft to see and capture the sunset on camera. (The walk down in the dark was not so easy).
Back in Puno, the after –effects of the coach strike prevailed and we had to take a different (older) coach than planned to Cusco, but at least it was during the day. Cusco is a thriving tourist centre with a population of 350,000. Again we had a day to explore the town before setting off on the main purpose of our trip- the Inca Trail itself. Jesus (yes, that was his name) our Trail Guide, joined us in Cusco and we picked up our porters or “wykeys” in Ollantaytambo. Now we began to feel as if we were really starting! We drove to the 82km start point, went through the control check, had passports stamped, took the obligatory photo, then off on the Trail.
Awesome is the only word to describe the magnificent scenery along the whole length of the Trail. Every turn, every summit has the “wow” factor. That first day we were all excited and eager yet only managed to walk 4.5 miles in 4 hours. We had our first night under canvas. It is absolutely incredible how the porters, carrying our duffle bags, tents, food and cooking equipment managed to get ahead of us, set up camp and cook us a 3 course dinner. They really are outstanding people. Next day we set off at 8.00am with a very ambitious stretch ahead of us and we eventually made it to camp by 4.30pm. The next day was to be even more stretching so we set off at 6.45am. The Trail on that 3rd day was probably the toughest – climbing to Dead Woman’s Pass at 14,000ft, then down and up again. We camped at a very chilly 12,400ft at 5.00pm – exhausted!. The final day saw a spectacular sunrise, with the sun breaking on snow-covered peaks at practically eye-level and the mist in the deep valley below us. We set off at 6.00am, knowing we were on the last leg and that the hardest climbs were over. The walk that day was superb and the surroundings so varied – cloud forests, mountain peaks, humming birds, butterflies, orchids, lilies, wild begonias – all enhanced of course by our riotous singing as we strode down mountain sides. At 4.00pm we eventually reached the Sun Gate and saw our first glimpse of Machu Picchu. I thought we had finished as “tourists” were drinking champagne! But Ian reminded us that we still had a couple of miles to descend to Machu Picchu itself to mark the end of the Trail.
It was with great relief that we made it down before 5.30pm – in time to get our passports stamped and catch the last bus down to Aquas Calientes, our hotel for the night and a hot shower! Aquas Calientes is like something out of an old western with the railroad running right through the middle of the town. The next day we had a chance to return to Machu Picchu before the tourists descended on it to explore the site in more detail. Absolutely amazing –and to think it was not discovered until 1911. After lunch we caught the switch-back train back to Cusco – basking in sunlight and the glory of having completed the Inca Trail.
Time left for one more day’s sightseeing, before taking the short flight to Lima, followed by lunch and a quick city tour then the return flight to Amsterdam, after saying a fond farewell to José.
It really was the most exhilarating, amazing and memorable trip I have ever done. I did the walk in aid of Cancer Research UK, to mark the first anniversary of the death of my husband, George, from cancer at the age of 59. He too was a keen walker and I know he would be thrilled with what I have achieved.
Was it worth the effort? – certainly. Did I enjoy it? – very much. Will I do it again? – No – but I’m now encouraged and stimulated enough to take on another similar challenge somewhere