MACHU PICCHU, Peru — It’s just past sunrise on the final day of our four-day trek along the Inca Trail, and we’re standing at the Sun Gate, the entrance to the sweeping, wondrous city of Machu Picchu. We still must descend another 45 minutes to get there, but it’s this first view, one we’d been dreaming of seeing, that we’ll remember forever.
We’d just finished a grueling 26-mile hike through Peru’s Andes Mountains, ascending 7,000 feet and crossing a 13,750-foot pass to arrive at the Incan empire’s greatest creation. This is the ultimate way to see Machu Picchu: centuries-old ruins along the way, the stone path crafted without modern-day tools, mountain views hidden miles from civilization.
Many of our friends told us we were a little crazy to make this trek. Can you really call something a vacation when you have to do so much work? But we love the adventure, the outdoors, and we knew that previous hikes around the U.S. would never measure up to this once-in-a-lifetime experience. We had seen the photos and heard stories from family members who had visited the famed Incan site 30 years before. It was time we saw Machu Picchu for ourselves.
But like so many things, it wasn’t just that we had finally arrived at the Lost City of the Incas; it was about the journey too.
DAY 1: It’s 6:30 in the morning, and our bus is headed to the checkpoint where we’ll begin our trek. We may be halfway around the world, but we can’t escape the latest Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson gossip. Turns out a couple from near Romo’s hometown in Wisconsin and another couple from Dallas will be making the trek with us.
Our two Peruvian guides and 18 chasquis (what they called the Incan messengers who once ran the trails of this empire) will bring our group of 10 U.S. tourists to Machu Picchu. The first day’s hike is relatively slow and easy, as much of the 8.5 miles wind through a valley. But it gives us our first taste of hiking in altitude, and we spend most of the frequent rest stops gasping for air and gulping down water.
During our first break, surrounded by sweeping views of snow-capped Mount Veronica and the Urubamba River, our guides explained just how lucky we were to be there: We were 10 of only 200 tourists who could enter the trail that day. Recently enacted government regulations limit trail entrance to 200 tourists and 300 workers each day. The regulations help preserve the trail and historic ruins, threatened by an influx of tourists. Working conditions have also improved. Only five years ago, the chasquis were fed poorly, slept without shelter and were forced to carry almost 100 pounds. Now, the law limits their packs to only 45 pounds, but there is no doubt that many of the workers are still underpaid for their backbreaking work.
We set out on this trek expecting to rough it. We’d sleep in tents, use the trees for our bathroom and sweat all day without a shower at night. But nothing about lunch that first day said “roughing it.” The dried food and granola bars we usually bring on backpacking trips were replaced by fresh salads and vegetables, rice, chicken and other dishes made with local (some exotic to us) ingredients. All of it would have been delicious under any circumstances, but we were in the mountains, already hours from civilization. This was the first of nine truly gourmet meals: avocados stuffed with cheese and vegetables; pumpkin soup; eggs and pancakes; and potatoes stuffed, wrapped and grilled any way you can imagine.
DAY 2: The longest, hardest day on the trail began better than we could have hoped, with a hot glass of coca tea delivered to our tent. The locals swear by the coca leaf’s ability to cure altitude sickness, and today we would be hiking to the highest point of the four-day trek — Dead Woman’s Pass, at 13,775 feet.
It was a long, slow hike to the top; about every 30 feet we had to stop and humor our lungs, which were constantly screaming for more of the oxygen-depleted air. But the reward was worth it — clear views for miles and the satisfaction that we had made it up the toughest pass of the trip. The feeling didn’t last long. We would now be descending, fast, 2,624 feet over about 1¼ miles, with a 12,955-foot pass to cross after lunch.
We had a lucky distraction on the way back up, a spectacled bear (named for the rings around their eyes). These large, shy, herbivores are a rare site: Our guide had been working on the trail for 13 years, and it was only the second time he had seen one. We weren’t lucky enough (or some would say we were lucky) to see a puma, another elusive resident of these forests. But white-tailed deer, foxes and plenty of llamas and alpacas were spotted by members of our group.
DAY 3: This was the first day we walked on Incan stones; the original trail to this point was destroyed as the Incas were fleeing the Spanish in the 1530s. We were also treated to another Incan specialty: steep, unforgiving stairs. More than 2,000 of them this morning.
Despite the hard descent, we were constantly reminded why we wanted to hike rather than take the train to Machu Picchu. The path took us through the rain forest, where we were treated to exotic orchids, bomarea, eucalyptus and dozens of other flowers and plants. One minute, we were walking along a ridge with incredible views of the valley below. Then, the ridge gave way to a colossal, 8- meter Incan tunnel carved from the mountainside. One minute we were seemingly deep in the forest, and the next, a city rose before us. It was these archeological marvels hidden in the mountains that really tell the story of Machu Picchu.
We were treated to two amazing such places on the third day. First was Phuyupatamarca, roughly translated as “city in the clouds.” And indeed we were in the clouds, although they moved quickly, giving us some spectacular views. It was here that we caught our first glimpse of Machu Picchu Mountain. The end was in sight.
The day’s second Incan site, Winay Wayna, is almost beyond words. An entire mountainside was cut into terraces, and the stonework throughout the area is extraordinary. The masonry, with a series of magnificent fountains where residents worshiped water, are signs of the location’s religious importance. This exquisitely preserved site, more than any of the 10 or so others we saw along the way, excited us for what was to come at Machu Picchu.
Just about everyone spends the last night at the same campsite because it’s as close as you can get to Machu Picchu along the trail. Thanks to the Trekkers” Hotel, this overcrowded site is somewhat of a bruise in the beautiful forest: dorms with concrete walls, buildings with tin roofs, and power lines running through the trees. But we weren’t complaining. Amid the ugliness were a shower and a bar. Cold beers in hand, we were able to relax with our group, celebrating how far we’d come and what we’d see in the morning.
DAY 4: Our wake-up call came at 4 a.m., but with only about 4 miles between us and Machu Picchu, we were happy to put an early end to a sleepless night. We lined up at the trail’s last checkpoint, which opens at 5:30 a.m., to begin the mad dash to the Sun Gate. It’s still dark, and for the first time in four days we feel the trail is overrun with tourists. Dark quickly turned to dawn, and dawn to day, and the race began in earnest. The goal is to get to the Sun Gate, where hikers get their first glimpse of Machu Picchu as the sun peeks over the mountains.
Since the moment we landed in Peru, there was something we’d been wondering. This was a trip we’d been planning for months and dreaming of for years. Could anything live up to the expectations we’d placed upon Machu Picchu? But as we stood at the Sun Gate, we got our answer. Machu Picchu was bigger and more stunning than we ever could have imagined. Finally, this 600-year-old city, covered by jungle for so long and only reintroduced to the world a century ago, was within our reach.
Insider’s Guide
GET THERE: Most Americans fly through Lima and begin their trip from the city of Cusco. Spend at least two nights there before starting the hike to let yourself get used to the altitude. (And because there’s so much to see.)
TOUR COMPANIES: We used SAS travel, , where the four-day trek costs $460 per person, but there are many to choose from that offer similar treks. Try to learn about many of them, or look at any travel book on the area. If you’re paying much less than this for the four-day trek, it probably means the porters aren’t being paid well or treated well.
WHEN TO GO: Dry season runs from late April/May to October. The trail is closed in February. We went in May, and because it was the end of the wet season, everything was still fairly green. Temperatures vary greatly. During the dry season, the temperature at night can drop into the lower 30s, but during the day you’ll be hiking in shorts and a T-shirt.
PLAN EARLY: They allow only 200 tourists to start the trek each day, so it books up fast during peak season. You need to plan at least three months out, sometimes six.
Do you have to be physically fit? This isn’t the trip for you if you can’t remember the last time you broke a sweat. The better shape you’re in, the more you’ll enjoy the hike. If you’re in decent shape you’ll make it, with the encouragement of your guides, who seemed patient with people who needed to move at a slower pace. If the hike isn’t for you, you can still enjoy Machu Picchu. Take a train or bus to Aguas Calientes and a bus up to the Lost City from there.
AMENITIES ON THE TRAIL: You’ll sleep in tents, but the porters have them set up for you by the time you get to camp. Every night at camp and at lunch there were bathrooms (a glorified hole in the ground). Otherwise, trees provide great privacy the rest of the day. The only day there’s a shower is at camp on Day 3.
Do you carry your own stuff? You can hire a porter to carry your things if a full pack is too much for you. Packing light is important. Just accept the fact that you’re not going to smell good or look your best.
