Hiking The Inca Trail: What It’s Really Like (Part 1)

The Inca Trail is one of those bucket list items that a lot of people have, and now it was our turn to give it a crack. You have to book months in advance, and so seven months after booking we finally set off for a four day hike over the mountains to Machu Picchu.

Day 1

Getting Started

The first thing we had to do before starting the Inca Trail was to cross the train tracks to get to the hiking trail. Just as we were about to cross, the tourist train pulled up in front of us. As it went by, all the carriages had people pressed up against the windows with their cameras, taking pictures of all of us crazy trekkers who were hiking to Machu Picchu instead of taking the train. We felt a bit like animals in a zoo.

Once we actually started it was a mostly flat hike along the Urubamba River with a few hills. This is where we realised just how amazing all the porters are on the Inca Trail. They carry huge packs that weigh 20-25kg. Some of them twice the size of the porter, and they overtake you without even breaking a sweat. You have to make sure you walk to one side of the path when you hike so that the porters can overtake you.

Inca Ruins

After a couple of hours we made it to our first break, a viewpoint overlooking our first set of impressive Inca ruins. Pedr stupidly decided to run all the way to the tip of the viewpoint. Even though we were at altitude. It’s a lot further than it looks and then he had to run uphill to get back. He struggled to breathe for 15 minutes after that.

After this stop it was a couple of hours hike to our campsite. When we arrived we saw that all the porters had enough time to get there and set up everyone’s tents. And they also applauded us as we arrived. I don’t think they were actually impressed with our efforts. And we didn’t feel like we deserved them.

Day 2

Up, Up and More Up

Day 2 was the hardest day on the Inca Trail. We were warned by people that did the trek, and plenty of times by our guides that this would be tough. So we were mentally prepared for a hard day of hiking. And I made the most of the big bag of coca leaves I had bought. If you didn’t know, this is where cocaine comes from. And in case you’re wondering, they’re pretty bitter tasting and they make your mouth go numb. But they say it helps with the altitude, gives you energy, and also makes you feel less hungry and sore. Definitely seemed like a good idea!

The hard part about this day was that you hiked straight uphill for 6 hours to Dead Woman’s Pass. (Another hard part was that this was the day the clean sit-down toilets changed to grotty squat toilets. Which made running off into the bushes a more appealing option.) In those 6 hours you gain 1200m of altitude, going from 3000m above sea level to 4200m. And it pretty much goes straight up. No switchbacks, just lots and lots of stairs. Even the porters struggled here. You’d see them taking a break on the side of the trail, all shiny with sweat.

Second Breakfast

The hike to Dead Woman’s Pass was so long that we had to stop for second breakfast to refill our energy. I don’t remember any hobbits needing a ‘proper’ reason like this to have second breakfast. This was also the last place we could buy snacks and supplies. After this we only had what we were carrying in our bags. All the supplies along the Inca Trail have to be carried in, so they get more and more expensive the further you go. So a 2L bottle of water would cost $2.30 in Cusco, $7.70 at our first campsite and $23 at this last stall. They also had 1L bottles of spirits for sale which must’ve cost you your firstborn child.

The Push to Dead Woman’s Pass

After second breakfast we began the final slog. Now we could really feel the thinness of the air. After a few minutes you’d feel your heart pounding and it was a real struggle to breathe. It never felt like there was enough air to get to bottom of your lungs. And it didn’t help that every time you looked up to see how much further you had to go, the pass never looked like it was getting any closer.

Luckily we didn’t have to stick together as a group, you go at your own pace. So I quickly fell behind because I needed to stop and catch my breath, but I didn’t have to feel bad about holding up the group. That’s really the best way to tackle the altitude, taking regular breaks. Eventually we got into a rhythm of picking a landmark up ahead along the trail (like a bush or a big rock), and hiking until we got to that. Then stopping to catch our breath before picking the next landmark and going again.

There were a few small groups of people going at the same pace as us. So as one group passed another having a rest, we would talk. We eventually had a good conversation along the length of the trail in small chunks as we passed each other. We didn’t stop to chat, it was important to keep your momentum going.

The View from the Top

Eventually we made it to Dead Woman’s Pass and the spectacular views made it all the more rewarding. We spent a bit of time enjoying our hard earned views before our guides convinced us to leave as they were worried about us getting altitude sickness.

The hike down to the next campsite was great. It was wide, well maintained and downhill all the way. This is the kind of terrain we really like because it meant that we could run the whole way down, bouncing from step to step and enjoying going fast for a change. We went so fast that we made it to camp in 45 minutes. Well short of the usual 2 hours. Although, once again the porters absolutely smashed us and had camp all set up, and lunch ready and waiting by the time everyone had made it there.

Campsite Showering

We had the option of bathing in the mountain stream to refresh ourselves. But since the water was bloody freezing there were only a couple of takers. And they pretty much jumped straight out. There was also one cold shower available in the campsite toilets and one group was determined to get clean. The water was too cold for a normal shower so they just used washcloths and the sink, and wiped themselves down in the open area of the toilet block. But they weren’t particularly concerned with modesty so they were stark naked in full view of anyone walking past the toilet block. And with all the shrieking from the cold water this meant that everyone walking past turned to see what was going on. We decided that it wasn’t worth it and that we’d just stay smelly for a few days.