A childhood dream – Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

That title itself seems unreal to me. 

10-year-old Karishma read about the Incas and Machu Picchu for the first time in 5th grade. She was fascinated by them and devoured Inca knowledge from Britanica and the Children’s Knowledge Bank. She did her first school history project on the Incan civilization and Machu Picchu. Even then she thought of them as magical. I think what fascinated her 10-year-old mind the most was the fact that Incas were adept astronomers and also used chocolate (cocoa). Thus, doing the Inca trail to Machu Picchu went into the list of dreams on the back of a diary. 

As time went on the list became fuzzled and the diary battered, but the dreams were still burning bright.

So, when the time seemed right, the present-day Karishma, whom I’m going to refer to as “me”  made the decision to go do the Inca trail.

Step 1, was to call my best friend. 

Step 2, was to get them to come on the trip with me.

Step 3, was to let them do all the planning.

That is more or less what happened. In the interest of time and the reality of our post-thirty bodies, we decided to do the shorter 2-day Inca trail instead of the 4-day traditional one.  In hindsight, it was one of the most rational decisions my adventure-craving soul has made in the last couple of years. To do the Inca trail you have to obtain a permit months in advance and travel with a local tour company. We chose Alpaca Expeditions based on their reviews, suggestions from fellow travelers, their commitment to sustainability, and their contribution to the local communities. 

The alarm rang at 5 a.m. Three of us woke up promptly. Along with the cold Andean air, there was our seriousness mixed in. We knew today was the day. Each of us had our own routines and without saying a word went about packing our bagpacks for the next two days. It almost felt like we were going to give our board exams; overwhelmed and underprepared; the only difference was this was an exam of our choosing. At 5:30 we left our hotel at Ollantaytambo for the train station. The drive was beautiful, it was still dark outside, and the dogs were sleeping on the pavements. My main focus was to finish the heavy portion of the breakfast packed by the hotel, so as not to add weight to my already heavy backpack.  By 6 am we were at the Ollantaytambo train station. 

Here was the first time, that we met the rest of the group. There were 13 of us. I probably missed the introduction as I stood in line to get coffee and water. Also, I didn’t really think that we would even get to interact with others as this was a comparatively short hike. Little did I know, that I was about to be proven colossally wrong. 

The train arrived and we were escorted to the train by a group of Inca dancers in their traditional attire. Everything was so festive, that for a bit we forgot that we were embarking on a strenuous hike. 

The train ride was unlike any I have ever been on. We traveled through the Sacred Valley, nestled between the Andes mountains, with clouds close to us, the Urubamba river flowing along the train tracks, and lush green vegetation. 

Finally, after 40 mins, we were dropped off at a “station”.  The station was basically a sign saying KM 104. This was the official starting point of our trek. We took pictures with the sign and soon our passports were checked. Once our identities were established we started walking the trail.

The trek was around 6 hours long, with a max elevation of 2720m. We were told that the first 3 hours would be the most difficult uphill hike followed by a gentle 1-hour walk to the highest point barring the exception of the “gringo killer”, followed by lunch, which would be followed by an easy downhill into Machu Picchu. I had my doubts because through experience I have learned to never trust trek leads on their estimates of time and distance. Everything is always just 5 minutes away and around the corner. 

The walk started and as promised it was a grueling uphill. All of my gym preparation, done only in the last week before the hike, gave way within the first 20 minutes. My calf muscles started paining, I started feeling the altitude where there wasn’t much and I started feeling lightheaded. As others in the group sped ahead; the very familiar self-sabotaging imposter syndrome came back. All the beauty around doused down and my backpack was now also carrying the weight of my negative thoughts. 

But I guess the last 2 years of therapy, all the spiritual work, the little amount of self-love that I have been able to cultivate cut through all the negativity like the bright sunrays on the high Andean peaks. I gave myself a tonne of kindness at that moment and reminded myself that I was hiking to Machu Picchu. The doubts gave way to gratefulness and wonder and immediately the wisdom-filled words of a tour guide from years ago, who helped me do an immensely difficult monsoon trek in the Western Sahydris came to me : 

1. Swatahach veg tu tharav (Set your own pace)
2. Eka velela ek paaul (Dont think of the entire hike, one step at a time)
3. Kokum sarbat peet ja (Keep hydrating)
4. Aajubaaju baghayla visru nako (Stop and look around)

And with that mantra, I prodded on. With each step, I gained more confidence. After a while, I even caught up with the rest of the group. Once I became a little more comfortable I started noticing the surroundings. I was ready for the panoramic views of the Andean forest and the Urubamba river below which was on its way to meet the Amazon. I was ready for the mosquitos and the rain. I was ready for the sun, the heat, and the sweat. What I was not expecting was this – the rainforest.

The first half of the hike was through the most densely populated and diverse forest that one can imagine. There was no square inch of space left where nothing was growing. It felt as if nature had jam-packed itself into any space it could find on the ground and in the trees. The flora changed every hour. I saw colors on flowers from bright pink to purple to flaming orange. The world around me; everything from beneath my feet to the sky above felt alive and breathing. And I felt a part of it. Not a separate human being, with an individual identity and personal ambition but a part of nature, like a tree branch, a swallow, a leaf, and a sand fly. 

With these thoughts in mind, 3 hours passed by relatively easily. We arrived at the Incan site of  Winay Wayna at 2700m. 

Here we took a break as our guide Victor gave us knowledge of what the place actually was. He told us of the marvelous construction skills of the Incas, their communal way of living, and how they lived in harmony with nature. At the site, you can still see the terrace farming structures that were used by the Incas. These ruins are intact as just like Machu Picchu they were never found by the Spanish oppressors. As Victor gave us more details about the Incas and the ruins I couldn’t help but notice the passion with which he spoke about his ancestors and the land. For him, this wasn’t just the history of the land that he happened to be born into. For him, this was the present. The Incas weren’t the past, they were still everywhere around him and through his immense passion, we felt connected to his ancestors too. 

Soon after Winya Wanya, we stopped for lunch. Lunch was more like a feast which was prepared by Alpaca Expedition porters and cooks. By the time we reached, the tent was already set up, and the fire was going. We sat around the table for a communal lunch, just like the Incas would have in the past, I like to imagine. The dishes started pouring out; pumpkin soup, a mountain of guacamole, mango ceviche, fried trout, Andean fries, corn topped with Alpaca cheese, lomo saltado and so much more. We had a very filling lunch and I was ready for an afternoon siesta, but Victor reminded us that we still had Machu Picchu to get into, so we filled our water bottles and onward we went.

Before reaching Machu Picchu, one last hurdle on the way was the “Gringo Killer”.  This is a set of 50 steep stairs that you have to scramble up on all fours. It looked difficult but once we started climbing there was no stopping, and most of us made it up top in one shot. It was a lot of fun and I felt like a kid wanting to do it again. We stopped to catch a breath and then moved on one final uphill to “Inti Punku” or “The Sun Gate” located at 2720 m, the highest point in the hike. As you enter through the sun gate and turn the corner you see Machu Picchu. I tried to linger in the moment of turning the corner as much as possible for after it the dream of seeing Machu Picchu would have turned into reality.  Finally, I managed to gather up all my dreams, wonder, gratitude, awe, and questions and entered the sun gate; and there it was. Perched atop a valley below, cradled by the Andes mountains on all sides, the sun rays illuminating the stones made it look like a city of gold. I stood there looking at it, my brain, logic, everything went loco. To me it didn’t look like something that humans could build, Machu Picchu felt like a part of the nature surrounding it. Just like a tree grows out of the earth, Machu Picchu grew out of the Andes mountains. 

As most of us were still awestruck by the view from the sun gate, Victor beckoned us forward, to the postcard view of Machu Picchu. It’s a viewpoint further down into the mountains, from where you get the well, postcard view of Machu Picchu. If the hike so far had not taken its toll then downhill surely did kill my knees. The path was beautiful though and by this time most of us had separated, hiking in smaller groups. I took the opportunity to play Krishnadas’s “Hanuman Chalisa”, partly because this almost felt like a pilgrimage, but also because I had to bribe the Gods for smooth immigration back into the USA so I could return to the four-legged love of my life.

We reached the postcard viewpoint and took multiple pictures.  Victor told us that while there are many theories the purpose of Machu Pichu isn’t very clear. Some think it was built as an administrative center, some think it was a retirement home for the king, and some think it was a place for religious ceremonies. As I looked around the purpose was very clear to me.  What else could be the purpose of this place if not to revere the beautiful nature around it; the lofty andies mountains, clouds floating through the valley, the sun almost surgically shining into Machu Picchu, small blue swallows flying around. I think the Incas knew exactly what to value and hence built these temples to worship nature and used gold as just decoration as opposed to the society today, where we worship wealth and use nature just to decorate our houses.  How have we managed to pollute something so serene and magnanimous and pure? The Amazon rainforest which we call the lungs of the earth; which is just a ridgeline away from Machu Picchu is today struggling to breathe. 

I felt a sense of melancholy settling in for a couple of seconds which was broken by a call for a group photo. We all stood to take the as Victor called it “one for the National Geographic magazine” shot. By now, we all knew each other’s names and a little bit of life histories. The nature around was inspiring plenty but honestly, even more inspiring and diverse was our trek group. Someone was celebrating their 60th Birthday by doing this hike, someone was a cancer survivor, and someone was doing this trip before heading off to college. From senior citizens to solo women travelers, from couples to brothers to friends we had every variety of “human” in the group. Even in just the small two-day trip, I felt very accepted and cared for. Here I didn’t have to introduce myself by my Starbucks name of “Kim” for fear of being mispronounced but was authentically called Karishma by everyone in the group. And as Victor told us about the Inca concept of “Everyone for everyone”; that is very much what this group hike felt like.

I had anticipated that I would at least shed a tear or two at the first sight of Machu Picchu. But that didn’t happen, because my emotions are a little slow that way. As I write this, it’s finally sinking in, the reality of having a childhood dream come true so beautifully and I do feel a couple of tears of gratitude and joy making their way through. 

Finally, a special mention of Alex, our co-tour guide, who stayed behind everyone and made sure that we took breaks, got the pictures that we needed, and stopped to look around. 

gracias por leer

Deseándoles cielos despejados y arroyos de montaña despejados.

There will be a lot more write-ups coming up as it is impossible to capture the beauty that Peru is, in just one. In the upcoming ones I explore the city of Cusco, Sacred Valley, give a guide to Peruvian food and drinks, and some travel tips and lessons learned on this epic journey.

Follow along if you see yourself exploring Peru soon too or are here for some candid travel stories.

Resources –

Alpaca Expedition’s 2 day inca trail – https://www.alpacaexpeditions.com/inca-trail-with-hotel-2d1n/

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