South America 2016 - The Inca Trail Day 1

Distance Covered: 12.1 km / 7.52 miles
Start: 2,572 m / 8,438 ft
End: 3,000 m / 9,843 ft
Climb: 428 m / 1,405 ft

We leave the Inka Paradise hotel at 7:30am after a cheerful start to the day - scrambled eggs for breakfast, one lost luggage returned and excitement about the hike itself.

We load up into the bus which takes us to kilometre 82 - so called because it is located 82 kilometres along the railway line between Cusco and Machu Picchu and is our starting point for the Inca Trail hike. Here we are at 2,572 m / 8438 ft. We are given our sleeping bags and mats to pack into our duffle bags, and are also given a small snack pack filled with fruit and other goodies. We then hand our duffle bags over to our porters - machines of men these guys are, carrying up to 25kg each and moving quickly along the rocky terrain to get to each of our lunch spots and and campsites before us so that everything is ready and waiting for us when we arrive. Because of its growing popularity, the Peruvian government set strict rules for trekking the Inca Trail in 2001 - there are only 200 permits issued to hikers each day (another 300 for porters, cooks and guides - all tourists must be accompanied by a guide) and the trail closes in February each year for maintenance. Porters travelling with groups are also only permitted to carry a maximum load of 25kgs and their bags are weighed before they proceed to ensure adherence. Permits are released in January each year, and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Limited numbers mean that they sell out quickly, and most operators advise on purchasing permits (non-transferrable) at least 6 months in advance. Permits are also linked to an individual passport and can only be obtained through a government registered tour operator (like the wonderful G Adventures).

Clockwise from top left: The Cusco to Machu Picchu train going past. The lazy (or smart?) option to Machu Picchu; porters going past the first checkpoint; porters powering up the start of the Machu Picchu trail; Team Sexy Llamas!

Day 1 officially kicks off at around 10am once we have cleared the official entry checkpoint and is an easy hike, providing good preparation and setting expectations for what we can expect in both the trail and campsites for the next few days. The trail presents some flats, some downhills and some short but challenging uphill climbs.

A gentle start followed by the first of many big inclines. Day 2 will make this look like child's play.

Look closely to see the incline and the small tiny people climbing it

Leo takes us along the trail at an easy, steady pace. I suspect it is partly to ensure that we aren't too "gung-ho" and start off too fast, and partly to get an idea of our fitness, as well as to assist us in acclimatising to the higher altitude. We make a couple of stops on the way to check out more Incan ruins and listen to Leo share his stories - it also provides a good excuse for a break.

The first ruins we stop at while on the trail

Leo giving us a history lesson. I see it as an opportunity for a break.

At around 1:30pm, we arrive at our first proper meal stop. As we arrive to our campsite - the porters and cooks all line up and clap in acknowledgement of our achievement thus far. It's a warm welcome but you can't help but feel a little like a fraud as the porters, carrying their 25kgs each, have already been here for a least an hour or two, with our dining tent pitched, tables and chairs setup, cutlery laid out and lunch almost ready to go.

A tarp has been laid out for us to put down our day packs and 13 small individual plastic basins have been filled with water for us to wash our dusty hands in as the porters pass around some hand soap. Lunch starts with a noodle soup and some fried crumbed trout and boiled vegetables served with rice.

Tim pointing out our lunch stop on the map, just under 3000m

Lunch on day 1 - noodle soup and crumbed trout and boiled vegetables served with rice

This local kid joins us in our tent and proceeds to help himself to our drinks.

About an hr later, it's time to get back on the track and move on to our campsite. It takes our team approximately 2.5 hours to reach our campsite for the night just before 5pm. When we arrive, the porters (yup the same ones from lunch who would have had to pack up all the gear), have already arrived and have completely setup the sleeping, dining and cooking tents. Once again, they cheer us on as we arrive into camp. Level 1 achievement unlocked.

We settle into our tents, getting used to the small space. Then we gather in a circle together with the porters, guides and cooks. We all take turns to share a bit about ourselves with Leo translating our English into Cachawan, the native language of the people and vice versa. Through this process, we are able to learn a bit more about the porters who are accompanying us on this trip.

Slightly higher up on the trail now. Check out tomorrow's climb though.

Our campsite already setup when we arrive

After this, it is then time for afternoon tea and then immediately dinner - talk about a tight schedule! We have hot drinks, popcorn and some crackers for arvo tea and then move straight into dinner with a chicken soup, rice with a sweet and sour style stirfry with chicken beef, potatoes and veggies.

Dinner time!

After 5-6 hours of trekking covering 11km, it is suddenly 8.30pm and it’s time to hit the hay in preparation for tomorrow’s 5am wakeup call. Unfortunately for us, the campsite is situated close to a small village, where someone has recently been married. So until the wee hours of the morning, the live band and karaoke sessions keep going. It also doesn’t help that the ground is on a gradual slope and so over time, waking up in the middle of the night to the singing of a tortured cat, we find ourselves in the foetal position at the bottom of the tent.

[End of Day 1 -> Click for Day 2]

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