We headed downwards through the mist and rain past a high lagoon. It was a bit slippy and very wet, but somehow my shoes coped and it was mid morning when we reached the Inca Settlement of Sayaqmarca. Sayaqmarca was almost like a castle on a hill. At Sayaqmarca we were initially meant to get Read more about Inca Trail Day 3 Part 2: Sayaqmarca and the Downpours[…]
Day 3 was meant to be an easy one. So let’s start at 5 am where we were awoken in our campsite at Paqaymayu. An early start with a fresh cup of hot Coca Tea was just the tonic to start the day. The weirdest thing of all for me on this particular day was Read more about Inca Trail Day 3 Part 1: Morning Ascent to Runkurakay[…]
It was nice to have gotten ahead of the pack and arrived in Paqaymayu well ahead of time. The entrance to the campsite at Paqaymayu. I arrived with Roberta, there were only 3 from our group already there, one of which was Damian from Argentina. We shared a photo there on arrival wearing our respective Read more about Inca Trail Day 2 Part 5: Relaxing at Paqaymayu[…]
So they told me that Day 2 was far and away the hardest day of hiking on the Inca Trail, yet by 1 pm I had arrived at our base for the night, untired and not feeling like I had walked a lot. Our base that night was at Paqaymayu, some modest 3,500 metres above Read more about Inca Trail Day 2 Part 4: The Easy Descent to Paqaymayu Campsite[…]
After an uphill morning of mist and fast paced hiking, I arrived at the peak of the entire Inca Trail – known locally in Kechuan as Warmiwanuska, this was “Dead Woman’s Pass.” The view there is meant to be astonishing – there wasn’t much chance of that – as you can see from these photos Read more about Inca Trail Day 2 Part 3: Warmiwanuska – Naked Man at Dead Woman’s Pass[…]
Once we reached Wayllabamba early morning, we were given a snack lunch for the day, the reason for which i would only realise later, as we would have no more group stops until our base that evening. Our group became separated at this point, as many were faster and many were slower. I was one Read more about Inca Trail Day 2 Part 2: The Quest For Dead Woman’s Pass[…]
Day 2 began by wakening up to a fresh cup of tea delivered direct to our tent by the porters. In the cold misty mountains this was a lush wakening. There are no washing or shower facilities on the Inca Trail, but in true fashion we shared some bowls to wash ourselves. We had our Read more about Inca Trail Day 2 Part 1: Early Walk to Wayllabamba[…]
Day one came to a close in the surreal wee mountain settlement at Hatunchaca. It was misty and in the middle of nowhere. It was exactly what you should expect on this type of trek. The whole way along the trek, it felt magical and special. The first day was easy, bit like a walk Read more about Inca Trail Day 1 Part 6: Base at Hatunchaca[…]