Following The Inca Trail; My Journey To Machu Picchu

"Machu Picchu"
Deriving from the Quechua name Machu Pikchu meaning old (machu) pyramid or mountain (pikchu).

There haven't been many times when I've experienced something quite like Machu Picchu and I'm still pinching myself. At almost 8,000 feet above sea level, this Inca empire is truly one of the New Wonders of The World. I'll be honest, it's not the most glamours trip an you'll find yourself needing wet wipes and hand gel many times throughout the day but the experience is all worth it.

The start of our journey began by travelling from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. Aguas Calientes is the nearest town to Machu Picchu, located at the bottom of the mountain. There are two options you can chose from to get here. You can take the train from Cusco, a round trip will cost around $150 (£110) which you can book with PeruRail. This is the most convenient option and only takes around an hour and a half. However, we wanted to do the less glamorous option and hike to Aguas Calientes. We started nice and early in Cusco, at 7am, taking a bus to the entrance of Machu Picchu which is located in the Urubamba Valley. This drive took about six or seven hours including toilet breaks, so it was around 2pm once we made it to the entrance and it was such a relieve to finally get out the bus and stretch our legs properly and have lunch. Then, it was time for us to dust off our walking boots and start the journey to Aguas Calientes.

We chose the shortest hiking route which took us between 2 1/2 to 3 hours to get there. We suddenly became immersed in the wilderness that encompassed us and I felt I million miles from home. Surrounded by nature, we passed by rivers & streams with the mountains looming over us. It was an incredibly stunning view.

Finally arriving at Aguas Calientes around 6:30pm I was in awe of this quaint little town. It has been well developed to host the abundance of tourists who flock there on a daily basis. As we walked to our hostel I couldn't help notice the amount of restaurants, shops, markets & boutique hotels all aimed at the tourists heading to Machu Picchu. There isn't an awful lot to do in Aguas Calientes. It's main purpose is to cater for the these tourists but there are some things to do if you are staying in the town for more than one night.

Ten minutes walk up the mountain from the town the is a hot springs which is were the town gets it's name. The name Aguas Calientes comes from the Spanish, meaning 'hot waters' or 'hot springs' but is also referred to as Machu Picchu Pueblo (Machu Picchu Town). We had planned to visit the town's hot springs, however, they close at 7:30pm and we had arrived too late. If you have time, it's a great way to unwind and sooth any muscles that are aching from the hike.

About a mile away from the town you can also visit the Museo de Sitio Manuel Chavez Ballon (Machu Picchu Site Museum). To get to this museum it will take about 25-30 minutes, bear in mind that there are no buses or taxis to take you places so expect to walk everywhere. Along the way there is also a butterfly sanctuary and botanical gardens so if you have time it's definitely worth checking these places out.

The day of Machu Picchu came and I was eager to get up there. It was an early start, getting up at 3am. I'd planned to hike up the mountain to Machu Picchu but I woke up suffering from altitude sickness so I took the bus instead. To take a bus up to the entrance of Machu Picchu it costs $12 (£9) one way, so $24 (£18) return. The queue for the buses gets very long and you can be waiting for a while. If you only buy a single bus ticket, don't worry! You can buy you return ticket at the top if you change your mind an decide you want to take the bus back down. Although they don't start leaving until 5am it's a good idea to start queuing around 4am. The bus trip seemed endless as we headed up the spiral path, finally making it to the top in about 30 minutes.

Walking through the entrance into the ruins of Machu Picchu I was overwhelmed by view. One of the best things about visiting Machu Picchu in the morning was being able to experiencing the sun rising. It was a breathtaking moment. Suddenly, all the exhaustion from hiking and the altitude sickness was forgotten and I couldn't wait to start exploring. The llamas play a big part of the experience. They are quite friendly and you can tell they are used to having their picture taken by strangers. They'll happily pose for a picture or two and we got some great pictures with them.

We began with a tour guide who took us around the site. Afterwards there was an opportunity to hike up Wayna Picchu (the huge point mountain in the background), which takes about an hour to get to the top. We chose to explore Machu Picchu more before heading back down the mountain. We took the bus back down around 1pm and started our hike back to the main entrance where the bus back to Cusco was waiting for us.

Making our way back to Cusco I couldn't believe what an incredible two days I'd had. It was unlike anything I'd experienced before and I'm still reveling in my time there. It's not many times you get to see these kind of places but once you do it gives the urge to travel more. That's one place off my bucket list, now it's time to get planning my next trip.....