Gasping for Oxygen on the Inca Trail

After spending most of the summer at home in Vancouver, we are back on the road. Over the next six months we intend to explore as much of South America as we can. Our adventure started in Peru.

The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

A 3-night, 4-day hike on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was perfect to dust off the cobwebs from a leisurely summer. We trekked with Alpaca Expeditions (www.alpacaexpeditions.com), a local, indigenous owned company. There were thirteen of us in the group. We had a great group of supportive and upbeat companions from China, France, Netherlands, Spain, UK and the USA, led by two guides from Alpaca.

Alpaca provided everything – tents, sleeping bags, food, water, even a mobile toilet. All the food and gear was hauled up and down the mountains by a team of nineteen unbelievable porters. They raced along the trails carrying 25 kg packs, while the rest of us strained to haul our sorry butts up the hills with just our small daypacks.

Day one started with a 3:30 a.m. wake-up call for the long van ride to the trailhead. Thankfully that day’s hiking was relatively easy. It gave us a chance to adapt to the thin oxygen. Day two was a different story. It was the hardest day, with a steep climb to Dead Woman’s Pass at 4,200 metres, followed by a steep descent on uneven Inca steps that had our quads burning. Before ending that long day we had another steep climb and equally steep descent before arriving at camp for a welcome gourmet (by camping standards) dinner. Then it was an early night settling into our cozy tents. Day three was another relatively short day hiking, but filled with exploration of ancient Inca sites.

On the final day we had a 3:15 a.m. wake-up call with a hot mug of coca tea. We had to hit the trail early to reach the famous Sun Gate to witness the sun rising on Machu Picchu. Unfortunately when we got to the Sun Gate it was clouded in. We gave up and carried along the trail. A few minutes down the trail we rounded a corner to another viewpoint and were surprised with the dazzling view of the morning sun reflecting off Machu Picchu. It was an awesome moment to see Machu Picchu in sunshine and marvel at the achievements of the Inca Empire.

Huayna Picchu

Just in case we did not do enough climbing on the Inca Trail, after touring the Machu Picchu complex, we climbed nearby Huayna Picchu. It is a challenging 360m steep climb up its “stairs of death”. The trail is 60 degree in places, often with no railing to hold on to. The effort was rewarded with with spectacular views back down on Machu Picchu.

Agua Calientes

All visitors to Machu Picchu pass through the town of Agua Calientes when arriving or leaving Machu Picchu. The town was built to support visitors to Machu Picchu. It is full of restaurants and gift shops and crazy busy with tourists. We remained an extra day to recover. After the last train leaves for Cusco a quiet calm envelopes the town until the first tourist train arrives early the next morning.

Cusco

Cusco, high in the Peruvian Andes, was the capital of the Inca Empire until the Spanish conquistadors arrived. It is now the base for tourism to Machu Picchu. It is a sprawling, busy city, but retains its historic character. There are a number of Inca ruins in and around the city. It also has a magnificent main square where locals, tourists and stray dogs gather to watch each other. Local ladies dressed in traditional costumes, with Llamas or Alpacas in tow, work the tourists to take their pictures for a small donation.

The narrow cobbled streets were built before the automobile was invented. Today the city is a labyrinth of one-way streets that are constantly congested. Looking down on the city from a viewpoint the terracotta roofs would look in place in a European town. At night it gets busy with vendors pushing massages for 20 sol (about $6). Once you sign up, the 20 sol quickly becomes 120 sol.

We try to be wary of scams when travelling. We saw a new one in Cusco. Riding a city tour bus we rounded a corner and came across what looked like an accident. One guy writhed on the ground in agony while his buddy waved down the bus. Turned out they were just looking for money from our bus driver and wouldn’t move off the road until payment was made.

Sacred Valley

Machu Picchu and Cusco were not the only important Inca sites. The whole of the surrounding Urubamba River valley is known as the Sacred Valley. We did a few day circle tour of the Sacred Valley, riding from town to town in colectivos (shared mini-buses) for about $2 per trip.

We started in the sleepy little village of Pisac. Its many stray dogs and equally stray humans, wandering aimlessly around enjoying the warm spring weather was a contrast to the hustle and bustle of Cusco. The town is overrun with 20 to 40-year-old flower children living in local communes. Somehow they have ended up lost in this little village seeking self-enlightment.

The large Inca complex overlooking the town has great views over the fertile valley. Only a few locals were visiting the site so it was a very relaxed visit. We ended the day with delicious and refreshing Pisco Sours overlooking the square to celebrate finishing the Inca Trail.

We got up early to visit the popular Sunday craft market where women supposedly come in from local communities with their crafts. Maybe Covid has changed things, but the market was only selling low quality factory-produced souvenirs that every town sells.

We hopped our next colectivo to nearby Urubamba. It was fun riding with the locals as they went about their daily life. Urubamba is the base for visits to Moray, an Incan archaeological/agricultural site, built like a dugout amphitheatre. Also nearby is Maras, famous for its salt evaporation ponds. We hired a driver and car for the afternoon to explore both sites. The drive between the sites was beautiful along a plateau beneath the towering mountains. The plateau had large pastures with horses, donkeys, pigs, cows and sheep all grazing together. While Peruvians were all bundled up, we were enjoying the warm weather in short sleeves.

Rainbow Mountain

Possibly the most Instagrammed site in Peru is Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca in the native language). Located in the Andes about three hours south of Cusco, it was only discovered in 2013 when the glacier that covered it melted away. The different colours are from mineral deposits that have compressed over millions of years. Getting there requires a hike up the mountain to over 5,000m elevation.

Adjacent to Rainbow Mountain is Red Valley. A short, steep hike took us over the ridge into an expansive valley, with mountains in varying hews of red as far as the eye can see. The colour comes from the iron rich soil. There are very few plants or animals, just the sound of silence or your own lungs gasping for air in the low oxygen conditions.

If You Go…