Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu

Last time we updated the blog, we were only a week behind. Since then its been a month and soo much has happened.

  

The main plaza

We left Arequipa late at night, with our hostel lady coming outside the hostel to ensure that the taxi that had arrived was indeed the one she called. She thoroughly quizzed the guy and organized our fare...just another one of the reasons why we really liked the hostel. 

Arriving early in the morning to Cusco, we were treated to a beautiful sunny day. We were dropped off at the main plaza, where we sat around trying to orientate yourself. In the space of 10 minutes we were approached by 5 people offering us different types of hostels. And in those 10 minutes we realized just how many foreigners there were, a big shock from the northern part of Peru. We were initially going to stay at Ecopackers, a highly recommended hostel in Cusco. Upon arrival we noticed that the people working there actually weren’t very nice and the price for a dorm room was an extortionate 29 soles a night. Apparently if you book online at hostelworld, the price is 18 soles, for reasons that we couldn’t understand. Instead we walked down the street and stayed at Pariwana. Its a really good hostel with a not so fully loaded kitchen but a really nice simple breakfast, computer, tv and dorm areas. 

 After dumping all of our bags and having some breakfast we spent the entire morning running between tour agencies trying to get an idea of prices. The first tour agency quoted us $170 Huayni Picchu thrown in for free. From there we checked out a few Lonely Planet agencies only to find sky high prices for the exact same itinerary (prices in the order of $500). Needless to say we booked with the first company. They also helped us to organize our ISI cards which cut the price of the tour by $20. The lady working at the office just couldnt care less :) It would have been amazing to do the Inca Trail, but we didnt book 3 months ahead and we didnt want to pay $500 ish for the 4 days. Interestingly, we just found out that its actually possible to book the Inca Trail days before starting the tour. A couple had flown into Cusco from the US, and booked a tour 3 days before it started for around $350! So it can be done!! 

We were due to leave for the trek on the 18th, right after my birthday! On the 17th, Anna and I cooked up a storm. Birthdays are designed for guilt free splurges, so we made Beef stew with cumin. The smell of that concoction cooking in the hostel for 2 hours drew many, many hungry backpackers. We had made so much beef stew that we were eating it for 2 days after on our trek. 

The Salkantay Trek 

We got up at 4am on the 18th having organized ourselves the night before. While waiting for the bus at reception we met a couple from the US who were also going to do the Salkantay but on their own. They had the maps and all the written instructions, the camping gear and all the food that they would need. Looking back at it now, it would have been amazing to do it our self. The amazing thing is that they hadnt spent much time at Cusco prior to setting out, altitude sickness can be a killer, but they faired just fine on the trek. We were picked up at 5am, loaded up onto a bus and drove to our hiking point, 3 hours away from Cusco. It was at the rendezvous point that we met our group and our guide, the 20 year old, pouting machine called Henry. 

The appeal of the Salkantay trek is that one gets to see Salkantay, passing right under its grandeur. Unfortunately our trek was marred with lots of rain and very little sunshine. When we reached the appex of our climb, the best place to view the mountain, we still couldnt see it. However approaching the mountain we could quite clearly hear the avalanches tumbling down the mountain, a scary roaring sound that filled the valley. The trek goes through a number of terrains, from mountain passes, rivers to jungle treks. On our 3rd day, after 9 hours of hiking, the guides decided to play a game of soccer. Since noone was up for it and they needed more players I decided to jump in and have a bit of a kick. Needless to say at that altitude, playing in my hiking boots and ¨rain pants¨ after the grueling hike, my legs did not want to move and my lungs pretty much gave out. Still, it was a beautiful place to play soccer, surrounded by lush mountains.

The next day was our final push towards Aguas Calientes, a place with a warm bed and a hot shower. That day we hiked along the rail tracks, with deep, beautiful jungles to our left, a large and fast moving river to our right and huge mountains with ruins above it. It felt like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, it was completely surreal and totally made up for the fact that it rained the entire time on the trek. 

 Arriving in Aguas Calientes felt like stepping through a portal into Aspen or Winter Park. The place felt like an expensive skiing lodge with lots of rich and smartly dressed people everywhere. We were the contrast walking in after 4 days of hiking, dirty, soaked to the bone, grim. The hot shower that night felt like the best thing in the world. Unfortunately the luxury period didnt last very long with a 4am wake up call the next morning. We hiked out in the dark, rain pouring down because our guide said that we needed to be there as early as possible. Well, we were one of the first groups to arrive only to find that our guide was nowhere to be seen. The gates didnt open until 6am anyway and our guide arrived at 630am, on the bus. 

View from the top of Huyani Picchu 

That morning, after getting up so early and getting totally saturated, the last thing we wanted was a guided tour of the place. Our water proof jackets just couldnt handle the sheer volume of water dumped on us minutely. So standing in the rain listening to historical facts was the furthest thing from our minds. Fortunately, as soon as the tour finished and we had breakfast, the clouds opened up and the sun came out. From 10am onwards it was an absolutely spectacular day. Hiking up Huyani Picchu to view the city was one of the highlights for sure. We had one of our best lunches up there, seating on the ledge, preparing avocado filled sandwiches while human specs moved below us. Apparently when viewing Machu Picchu from this vantage point its supposed to resemble a condor!! 

From there we hiked down and up to the Sun Gate. Viewing Machu Picchu from this point made us realize just how cool it would have been to do the Inca trail and come up over the Sun Gate to the majestic city in front of you. After 12 hours of hiking in and around Machu Picchu we went back to Aguas Calientes and caught the backpacker train back to Cusco. The train ride was amazing and the little snacks onboard were a nice little perk. 

In all, our Machu Picchu experience was pretty good. We learned that going with the cheapest company was not necessarily the best decision. In order to save on costs they cut the amount of food that was served on the trek. They also use second rate guides and generally mislead their customers about what they can expect on the trek. What we learned is that two factors contribute to a good tour, one is the guide and the other is the group members. Our recommendation would be to go with a tour that costs around $230+ and asking for recommendations from those coming back from the trek.