This past November, I was lucky enough to visit the incredible Machu Picchu! It was everything I dreamed of and more, and one of the best travel experiences ever! There are multiple different ways to visit Machu Picchu, including hiking the Inca Trail, hiking the Salkantay Trail, and even bypassing the hikes and taking a bus. My two-day guided trek was an amazing experience, and I couldn’t recommend it more!
Contents:
- Hiking the Inca Trail vs the Salkantay Trail
- Options for Hiking the Inca Trail
- Choosing a Tour Company
- The Itinerary
- How Difficult is the Hike?
- Costs
- What to Bring
- How Far in Advance Do I Need to Book?
- Key Points
- Important Links
Hiking the Inca Trail vs the Salkantay Trail
The two hikes that you can choose are the Inca Trail and the Salkantay Trail. One of the largest differences is that when you are hiking the Inca Trail, you hike directly to Machu Picchu. On the Salkantay trail, you hike to the town near Machu Picchu and then take a bus up. Both have breathtaking views, but consider this because laying eyes on Machu Picchu after the Inca Trail trek is a feeling unlike any other!
Options for Hiking the Inca Trail
The most popular option when hiking the Inca Trail is a 4-day trek. However, most people don’t realize that there is also an option for a 2-day trek! This is the trek that I chose, and it was a perfect way to experience the trail with limited time. I only had 8 days in Peru, and this fit into my trip perfectly. For the sake of this article, I will be speaking about my experience with the 2-day trek.
Choosing a Tour Company
You are required to have a licensed guide when hiking the Inca Trail, so choosing a tour company is one of the most important aspects to make sure your trip runs smoothly. I went with Alpaca Expeditions, and I could not recommend my experience more. Check out the exact tour I booked HERE!
Our guide, Javier, was incredible and went above and beyond to give us the best experience. He was very knowledgeable, answered our questions, and did not rush us so we could hike the trail at our own pace.
Alpaca Expeditions took care of everything for us, including transportation, the hotel, and even choosing the restaurants!
The Itinerary
The itinerary with Alpaca Expeditions was packed and called for early morning wake-ups! The day before the trip, we were required to stop by their office in Cusco to go over the tour details with their team. They reminded us what to pack, what the schedule would look like, and what to bring.
Day 1
The Hike
On the first day, they picked us up at 4:10 AM. Talk about an early morning! From there, we drove for about 2 hours to the Ollantaytambo train station, where we boarded our train to the trail. The train dropped us off in the middle of the woods at the trailhead where Alpaca Expeditions had a camp set up. They provided us with breakfast, water, and the option to rent hiking sticks.
From there, we began our 8-mile hike to Machu Picchu. I loved how we were able to go at our own pace. I get very out of breath when hiking, but they let us take as many breaks as we wanted! Throughout the hike, we stopped at multiple Inca ruins, which were gorgeous.
The hike was also one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever done. There are breathtaking views the entire time. You are rarely covered by trees, so the consistent views help to keep you going!
Halfway through, we stopped at a camp for lunch. They cooked for us and we had a delicious meal! They gave us soup, mango ceviche, rice, meat, and veggies. After that, we continued to Machu Picchu.
After 8 and a half hours, we emerged at the Sun Gate viewpoint where we finally laid eyes on Machu Picchu. I can’t even begin to describe how breathtaking this was! This is a viewpoint that looks over Machu Picchu from the side. This is not a view that you get to see if you take a bus up to Machu Picchu or the Salkantay Trail.
Machu Picchu
After admiring the views from the Sun Gate, you have about 20-30 more minutes to hike downhill to Machu Picchu. Once we arrived, we had free time to take photos and walk around! When we were done, we took the bus to Agua Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu.
Agua Calientes
We got down to Agua Calientes around 6 PM, where our guide helped us check in to our hotel room. We had time to shower and change before meeting our tour group for dinner in town. Alpaca Expeditions took care of everything, including all transportation and booking our hotel rooms.
Day 2
We woke up early the next morning to head back to Machu Picchu. This time, we took the bus up. The focus of this day was to walk through the ruins. Our guide took us around Machu Picchu and gave us detailed information about its history. We even got to see some llamas! I like how we had the chance to visit twice and had more time to explore on the second day.
After spending the morning exploring, we had some free time to walk around Agua Calientes. Honestly, there isn’t much here besides tourist traps. I did get to see this adorable puppy/kitten duo, though!
When the free time finished, we hopped back on the train and then the van that took us back to Cusco. It was a long 2 days, but it was so incredible!
How Difficult is the Hike?
This hike is about 8 miles at an elevation of around 8000 ft. However, the guides made this experience wonderful! I found that going at a slow pace helped, and I think anyone with basic fitness would be able to accomplish this. There were steep parts, but there were also flat parts as well, which made it manageable. I recommend renting hiking sticks and packing light to make it easy on yourself.
I don’t think you need to train for this hike as long as you are comfortable walking long distances and give yourself time to adjust to the elevation. However, if you want some ideas on building your fitness, check out my article “How to Stay in Shape While Traveling Long Term.”
How Much Does it Cost?
The tour that I booked was $550 a person. This included all transportation, entry into Machu Picchu, breakfast and lunch on the trail, and our hotel room. This did not include dinner the first night and any food the second day. This also did not include a tip.
Other optional things you can add to your trip are an additional hike once you get to Machu Picchu for $75 and a walking stick rental for $10. I did not opt for either of these options.
What to Bring
On this hike, you are carrying everything on your back for the two days. Make sure that you have a comfortable backpack, and try to pack as light as possible. I recommend bringing sunscreen, bug spray, a water bottle, and snacks. Otherwise, bring everything you will need for an overnight stay. This includes toiletries, pajamas, a change of clothes, chargers, headphones, etc.
Since you are carrying everything, you need to leave your luggage in Cusco. There is nowhere to store it during the tour. I just paid for my hotel room for the night I was gone so I could leave my stuff there, but if you are on a budget, you can check with your accommodation to see if you can store your luggage in the lobby/luggage room for the night you are gone. Keep in mind that does mean you will need to check out of your hotel at 4 AM and may not be worth the hassle.
How Far in Advance Do I Need to Book?
There are a limited number of entry tickets available for Machu Picchu each day. Due to this, it is recommended that you book 2-3 months in advance. I booked my tickets in September for my trip in November. This is especially important between May-October which is considered the busy season.
Since Machu Picchu is the most popular attraction in Peru, don’t wait on this! Even if you don’t have your full itinerary planned, at least plan which days you want to be in Machu Picchu and get that booked. The rest can wait.
Typically, your tour company will take care of this for you. When booking your tour, confirm with them that they will take care of this.
Key Points
- .When hiking the Inca Trail, you will hike directly to Machu Picchu. On the Salkantay Trail, you will hike to Agua Calientes and take a bus to Machu Picchu.
- The most popular trek for the Inca trail is 4 days, but a 2-day option is also available and is better if you are short on time.
- Alpaca Expeditions was a 10/10 experience!
- You do not need to train for this hike as long as you are comfortable walking long distances and pace yourself.
- Make sure to book your tour in advance because there are only a limited number of permits available per day.
Leave a Reply