Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu – 4 Day Hike

What to Bring:

• First thing is to PACK LIGHT! Second, pack light! Use your hotel in Cusco to store extra clothing.
•  Ziplock bag for your passport. It can get wet hiking
• Camera (does this even need to be stated?)
• Hat and sunglasses to protect your eyes and skin
• Sunscreen. Even though it may be cold, the sun will get you
• Lots of socks. You want your feet to stay as dry as possible
• Sandals to walk around the camp in. Your feet will appreciate the change
• A water bottle (minimum of 1.5L capacity) that will ATTACH to your backpack. There are places to fill up water (camp sites and lunch breaks)
• Headlight with a strap
• Waterproof jacket (especially important if you are traveling Nov-Feb)
• Walking stick is a good recommendation as the hike does not get easier as you go
• Waterproof hiking shoes. As waterproof as you can find. Some hikers prefer ankle protectors, others don’t. I do not and I survived the hike.
• One set of comfortable-ready-for-bed clothes to wear at the camp

Some people think a 4 day hike = 4 daily outfits. There are no showers available until Day 3 if you wish to pay (I chose not to), so everyone is going to stink as much as you do. I brought a plastic bag from the grocery store. I used the bag to not only separate my dirty clothes from my clean, but also my wet (from rain or sweat) from dry clothes. Just keep in mind to dress in layers. You may be visiting during the summer months, but at 4,000m the air is thin and dry. I typically started off with a long-sleeved UnderArmor as my base. I wore a plain cotton t-shirt over that, followed by my waterproof jacket. I started off with pants and my hiking boots. Come lunch time, I always shed my long-sleeved shell and  changed into shorts. I can tolerate cold weather. My wife on the other hand had an extra layer, and did not shed as much as me.

Machu Picchu is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It has a remote location, but worth the trek. There are multiple ways to visit the ancient ruins, the 4 or 2 day hike, or the train that brings you to the base of the mountain. If you want to skip the hiking fun, check out this page to catch the Train Route.

My wife and I, at the young age of 23, chose to take advantage of our youth and do the 4 day hike. I just graduated college less than a week before and wanted to travel before starting my career. The trail we chose is roughly 28 miles over steep and slippery terrains. If this was in the USA, there would not be a hiking option allowed, especially since at least 1 porter dies each year. A porter is a local who will carry your sleeping arrangements, cooking supplies, and if you pay them enough, your bag. It is very impressive the amount these men carry (20kg-30kg) and how fast they go. I do not remember the amount they charged to carry it, but I vaguely remember they carried up to 10kg of luggage.

Day 1

KM82 is where the 4 day hike begins and that is where I begin.

The first day is designed for a late start (leaving Cusco and entering the park) and a shorter hike. It may be short, but it is exciting! The beginning is still relatively low in altitude, so the vegetation is bright and colorful. There are many trees and animals. Our guide explained in decent English the first ruins we came up on. This was the location of what would be the middle class. The Inca used animals to coincide with religious ideologies. The fortress' outter wall resembles a serpent as it once followed the path of the now eroded river banks.

Use the breaks that are offered. There is no need to rush this trip. The breaks are good times to shed layers as your body will heat up. Another important stopping point is the hour for lunch. This is not your ordinary camping trip or meals. You will get spoiled. We showed up to the campsite with a tent already pitched and the aroma of food filling the air. First  the porters brought our garlic bread for appetizers. Then they brought out a chicken leg and mixed veggies. After that was done, asparagus soup topped it off. I was amazed and also skeptical that they were just trying to impress us on the first meal.

Like mentioned, the Day 1 was like a "training day" for Day 2 and Day 3. It was only another 2 hours of hiking before we reached our camp for the night. Just like lunch, our individual tents were pitched with goose down sleeping bags laid out ("Glamping" to the max!).

This time tea and crackers were served as our appetizer. The main course was fried chicken, rice, and potatoes. Chicken noodle soup soon followed afterwards. This was a good time to talk with other trekkers in our group. There were 8 people in our whole group and only 3 in our party. Three of the others were from Sydney, who we ended up becoming good friends with and actually made a trip to visit them 8 months later. Click here to read about those adventurous! Another girl was taking a 2 month long trip around South America and the other was from Brazil.

Day 2

Day 2 may make you regret this hike. From the 5am wake up to sleeping at 4,000m, it was a long day. If you want to give in and pay a porter to carry your load… today is a good day to do it. I stuck it out, but my wife gave in.

The hike immediately starts steep and stays steep. You can feel the air getting cooler, dryer, and thinner. Rain does not help this because the steps become slick. This is when a hiking stick comes in handy. The pass is roughly 1 mile above the starting point of Day 2. A local remedy to battle the altitude change is to chew on coca leaves. 

They say there are traces of cocaine in these leaves that alleviate the pain, but it may have been all psychological. Finally at 4,000m you will reach the summit. If you think the hard part is over, you will be wrong. The descent passed by more quickly, but the steps are small and the rocks are slick. The hiking stick came in handy again during this portion. The traffic is high during this day due to the necessary slow pace, so pay attention!  For the second night, all the hikers stay in the same camp area. It seemed a mind game being able to see the camp in the distance as you were descending, but it was still so far away. Luckily there was only one hike on Day 2 with a late lunch waiting for us at the camp. Due to the weather, the rice-noodle soup was perfect with mashed potatoes and beef. The hike plus food put most people to sleep. I was afraid if I slept now, I would not sleep at night. The camp site was beautiful with a waterfall very close by. You have roughly 2 hours to do what you want before tea time and dinner. Chili-stuffed peppers were served for dinner. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, chocolate pudding was served for dessert! I have never had this kind of hiking trip! Again mostly everyone went to bed shortly after because we covered 11km with great elevation changes.

Day 3

Just as Day 2 will make you question your choice, Day 3 will remind you why. For starters, the majority of the Day 3 hike is downhill, not down steps.

After breakfast, the trek will begin and maybe an hour into it there is an Incan ruin. The Incans were smart. This temple in particular is the “Sun Temple” or Runkuraky. We got to walk around the temple. There was an observation point that stared directly at a mountain. If the sun rose on the left side, it was summer, if it rose on the right side, it was winter. This was a nice break before the rapid 1000m drop in elevation. It was not as intense of an elevation change as the day before, but it’s no picnic. Luckily there were ruins along the way (Sayaqmarka, Concha Marca). There was a fun passage through some tunnels and caves that presented a good time to take photos.

By this point we were pretty thinned out, not seeing people for 20-30 mins. At this point, the elevation dropped significantly and we were in a sub-tropic region with interesting fauna and flora. Before lunch, take some time to visit Phyupatamarca. You have to leave your backpack at the bottom and we had a little scare when we got back that some girl thought someone stole her passport. I believe the issue got resolved, but be mindful. Side note, one of the guides did tell us he could get us passports on the black market for $500, so if you do lose it…  It is a long zig-zag down hill path to the camp site after lunch. We arrived at the final camp relatively early. They offered hot showers, I passed, but most of the women could not resist.

I am not sure exactly the rules, but I think it was an understood 10 minute rule. Not sure how long the hot water lasted, but I do remember some people complaining they did not have hot water, so it happens. More importantly, they have a bar there. So drink up! The bar gives a good opportunity to charge cameras or phones. Back at our tents, the porters said their good byes. One thing we learned is to directly tip each porter and not trust the guide or agency to distribute it properly. All of our porters were good, with one trying to learn English so he could work on cruise ships. We got to bed early, but we could hear the party rolling on inside (damn Argentinians!). We had to be up at 4am to arrive at Machu Picchu at sun rise.

Day 4

Our adventure to Machu Picchu was spectacular and life changing. Just like the past couple days climbing the mountains, we were ready for the summit. Unfortunately for us, it rained all night and into the day. The guides do an excellent job of recapping the history of the Inca and the historical site. They point out great photo opportunities, but none of them looked good for us due to the rain.

Typically when the weather is good, there is an option to climb Wayna Picchu (Young Mountain) to get a good view of the ruins. It is a common misconception about the name. Machu Picchu (Big Mountain) is actually a mountain off to the side of the ruins that can be climbed when there is good weather. At the entry gate there is a place to check in your bags. Our tour guide explained the ruins and that it was actually home to 1,000 Incans and it is possible that the structure was not even complete before its evacuation. Each temple referenced a different element, such as the sun, the moon, water, and the earth. The priest was the center and he stayed at the top of the temple where he made sacrifices to the sun god.

Due to the rain and cold weather, we didn’t last long. We called it quits and took the bus down to Machu Picchu Town to escape the weather and get some food. Machu Picchu Town is where the train route brings you, and after a short bus ride up the mountain you are dropped off at the gate entry. Due to our experience, this may be an option we take in the future during the DRY season to get a better experience. About 5 hours after we took the bus down, the clouds cleared and the sun came out! So it may be worth it to stick out the rain for a few hours to see if it will clear. Once you leave the site, you can't get back in.