Hiking to Machu Picchu
I did the 5-day Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu since the classic Inka Trail requires booking months ahead of time. On the first day we rode a bus to the starting point and then hiked up a steep valley towards the towering Salkantay peak and camped just below the terminal morraine of its receeded glacier at about 3800m.
The first night it was about -5 degrees C outside and windy so we got pretty cold in our dinner tent but I was fine once I tucked myself into my sleeping bag. After our morning tea (delivered to our tents) and pancakes for breakfast we warmed up quickly on the climb to the pass at 4800m (15800'). I was happy to find I had no problems with the altitude although we had a few people in the group with very bad headaches.
On the other side of the pass we had a long, rocky hike down. The third and fourth day were spent between 2000-3000m in the high jungle which meant warm temperatures during the day and sand-flys. We finished up with a short, slow train ride into the town of Aguas Calientes where we giddily had warm showers and bought clean underware and slept in real beds.
Unfortunately, my night of rest was disrupted by several trips to the bathroom and tummy trouble (it turned out 5 people in our group had the same problem) and I spent the next morning grimly following the group around the ruins of Machu Picchu before giving up on the tour and curling up to sleep on one of the shady, 500 year old terraces before catching the bus down.
But we were lucky enough to see the sunrise on a sunny morning.
The first night it was about -5 degrees C outside and windy so we got pretty cold in our dinner tent but I was fine once I tucked myself into my sleeping bag. After our morning tea (delivered to our tents) and pancakes for breakfast we warmed up quickly on the climb to the pass at 4800m (15800'). I was happy to find I had no problems with the altitude although we had a few people in the group with very bad headaches.
On the other side of the pass we had a long, rocky hike down. The third and fourth day were spent between 2000-3000m in the high jungle which meant warm temperatures during the day and sand-flys. We finished up with a short, slow train ride into the town of Aguas Calientes where we giddily had warm showers and bought clean underware and slept in real beds.
Unfortunately, my night of rest was disrupted by several trips to the bathroom and tummy trouble (it turned out 5 people in our group had the same problem) and I spent the next morning grimly following the group around the ruins of Machu Picchu before giving up on the tour and curling up to sleep on one of the shady, 500 year old terraces before catching the bus down.
But we were lucky enough to see the sunrise on a sunny morning.
1 Comments:
UhhOhh Machu Picchu's revenge! :) Tried any guinea pig yet??
Post a Comment
<< Home