Hiking the Inca Trail was one thing we knew we wanted to do before we had children.  (Although we did see a woman walking the trail with a six-month-old on her back, so it can be done.)

Planning

If you want to hike the Inca Trail, you will have to go through a registered tour company, so that you can secure your spot early.  

Only 500 people are permitted on to the trail per day, and over half of these permits are for the trekking support staff.  We chose the traditional four-day Inca Trail hike, but there are several other options if this one is sold out or you just want something different.  After a lot of research, we decided to go with Peru Treks, and they did not disappoint!

Day 1

Peru Treks picked us up from our hotel in Cuzco at around 6am to head out into the valley and on to Ollantaytambo, where the hike begins.   

We had the best group I could imagine for this trek. There were 16 of us, plus our two wonderful guides Saul and Yaneth and about 20 porters to haul all of our gear and food.  The insanely impressive porters zip through the mountains with massive packs to set up camp and prepare meals.  Then they tear it all down and start over again every night. One man was even carrying a propane tank on his back!

After a quick stop for breakfast and to buy walking sticks, we arrived at the first checkpoint for the trail.  Having seen the iconic Inca Trail sign, we were officially off. Day 1 is the “easy” day, so I wasn’t expecting it to be too bad, since I think I’m in pretty good shape.  It turns out that I underestimated the work involved in high-altitude mountain trekking with a heavy pack on my back.  There were a few in our group who weren’t in the best physical shape – they did make it all the way along the trail, but I think they were pretty miserable.  So it’s worth remembering that this isn’t for everyone.

But our first-day efforts were rewarded: one of the benefits of going with a tour company is that each walking day finishes with a shockingly elaborate multi-course hot meal prepared and served in the beautifully picturesque mountain settings along the trail.

The first night at camp was our first chance to see the sky without any light pollution, and ALL the stars were out.  The Milky Way was shining bright, and I’ve never seen a more beautiful sky. Then it was bedtime… and frankly it was cold and miserable.

Day 2

As the sun rose the next morning, we were awoken at our tent door by Yaneth with “hot cocoa”, or so she said.  It tasted more like water with a dash of cocoa powder, but it was hot so I was happy. There was just enough time for breakfast and packing before we started to head up, and up, and up some more.  Our group broke the hike into three legs, each of which took about an hour and a half.

Day 2 is known as the “hard day”, and it lived up to its reputation.

The first leg was mostly a dirt trail that left me feeling confident about my fitness – this so-called difficult day didn’t seem  so difficult… yet.  The second leg led up through a rainforest filled with beautiful waterfalls and vegetation.  I was really enjoying the hike… and then the beautiful but evil stairs began.  Our second stop was for lunch.  At that point our guide Saul, in what would become a running joke for the rest of the trip, assured us that the last part was the hardest.  And if he said that, you could rest assured that the next part was going to be brutal.  

As we began the third leg the trees started to disappear, leaving us more exposed to the elements.  On we went, climbing the steep winding and cobbled-together staircase to a lung-bursting 13,828 ft at the top of Dead Woman’s Pass.

At the top we celebrated with a shot of vodka.  Yes, one crazy girl in our group had decided that a flask of vodka was a necessary weight in her pack – and after that climb who was I to say no?  But what goes up must come down, so then it was back down thousands of steep uneven stairs to our camp for the night.

One of the girls in our group became quite ill, and continued to be that way for the rest of the hike.  At that point, she was given the choice to have the porters run her back to the starting checkpoint on a makeshift stretcher, call in a helicopter to airlift her out, or hike it. 

Day 3

As we rolled out of our tents, we were greeted by the sight of the cloud forest’s dense fog swirling around us, constantly changing the landscape and offering short glimpses of the awe-inspiring views.  As the clouds began to disappear we could see a path leading straight up another mountain.  Saul again told us, that the hardest part was over.  Hmmmmm…

The morning was taken up with climbing the second pass (which seemed almost as difficult as the first) and touring the ruins of a city perched on the side of the mountain.   

The second half of the day was spent on rolling hills, walking through the high jungle, with lush vegetation and incredible views around every corner and llamas to keep you company during breaks.

The third pass was, in my opinion, the most incredible – mainly because of the mountains reaching out as far as the eye could see. 

The final, and possibly most infamous, section took in more than 3000 steep, slippery, uneven, knee-destroying stairs leading down the mountain – affectionately known as the “gringo killers”.  

At dinner the chef baked us the most amazing cake – a feat made even more impressive when you remember that all cooking supplies (both food and equipment) must be carried up on someone’s back.  After deciding as a group to wake up early and attempt to get a good spot in line for the opening of the short section of trail leading to the Sun Gate, we headed to bed for one last freezing night sleeping in a leaky tent on slanted ground with rocks in our backs.  

Getting there is half the fun, right??

Day 4

3:30am rolled around, and we were off to wait in the freezing rain for the gate to open.  Misery was beginning to set in but, just as the gate was opened, the rain began to let up and the excitement of the day took over.  

After an easy hour-long hike we arrived at the Sun Gate, but Machu Picchu was hiding behind the clouds and kept us waiting for an hour for our first glimpse.

The city itself is incredible – had I not been so tired, I would probably have wanted to do a lot of exploring.  We were exhausted, cold and sick of standing in the rain, so after the tour we all took off down the mountain for lunch.  Our plan actually worked out well though, as we had mostly had the ruins to ourselves in the early morning.  Just as we headed down the mountain, throngs of people were making their way up.

We had our final lunch together as a group, said our goodbyes and toured Aguas Calientes before catching the train to Ollantaytambo, and then a bus to Cuzco.  After such an amazingly unforgettable journey, when we arrived back at the hotel at 11pm, a hot shower and a warm bed had never looked so good.