This post is a continuation of my experience trekking the classic Inca Trail. If you want to read about the first three days of the trek, make sure to check out Part 1.
On the day we would arrive at Machu Picchu, we had our earliest wake up call yet. At about 3:30 a.m., we awoke to the usual coca tea and coffee. During dinner the night before, we all agreed we would take a pre-packed breakfast with us rather than having a full breakfast feast like the first three days of the trek. This decision gave us more time to sleep and the porters less to do before catching their train.
The reason for getting started so early on Machu Picchu day was not to get ahead of crowds or see the ruins during sunrise. Our porters needed to catch a train directly to town as they would not be accompanying us to the Machu Picchu site, and this train left at 5 a.m. That meant the porters needed as much time as possible to pack up the campsite then run down the mountain to catch their train.
We hiked about 15 minutes down to an area where we would wait until the official entrance to Machu Picchu opened. Our guide told us that on days where it rained, everyone would be huddled together under the small shelter in this area. Fortunately, we continued to have perfect weather. The night was so clear that we could see Mars and the Milky Way. We spent some time stargazing until it was time to admire the sunrise. It was the best sunrise of the trip.
After passing our final checkpoint to make sure we had the proper permits, we were officially in the final stretch!
We were given the green light to hike at our own pace, as long as we waited at the Sun Gate.
We hiked through more “Inca flat” terrain. On one side of the trail were jungle-like plants. Meanwhile, the other side showed the valley below, sliced in half by the river and dotted with towns. Unlike the rest of the trail, this section was mostly dirt rather than paved with stones. We learned that when the Spanish took over Peru, the Incas tore up the last part of the trail to Machu Picchu so that they wouldn’t find the trail and destroy the holy site. Apparently it worked pretty well. Machu Picchu was only re-discovered in the early 1900s, and the Inca Trail a few years later. It was actually kind of a relief to walk on dirt after trekking across a mostly stone trail for three days straight.
After about 50 minutes, we came across our final obstacle before the Sun Gate: The monkey steps. We had to climb up these steep, narrow steps using our hands and feet. Once we ascended these steps, we were rewarded with our first view of Machu Picchu.
The Sun Gate’s name comes from how the sun shines on Machu Picchu in just the right way during the solstice. In fact, the entrance opens early during the winter solstice so people can visit the Sun Gate at sunrise.
We climbed up some terraces and enjoyed the view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate and some cookies while waiting for the rest of our trekking companions.
At the time, we didn’t even know the Sun Gate would be our favorite view of Machu Picchu
You can only access the Sun Gate from the Inca Trail, though you don’t have to do the classic multi-day trek. Instead, you can do just an abbreviated seven-hour hike if you want to see the Sun Gate without the full multi-day trekking and camping experience.
Once the rest of our group caught up, we took a family picture then continued our hike until we came across more ruins. We waited for the rest of our group so we could hike together to officially reach Machu Picchu.
However, we were not alone on the remainder of our trek. About halfway to Machu Picchu, we came across some llamas that decided to hike with us. Like the other llamas on our trek, they were completely unbothered by humans. They trotted right next to us down the mountain. I even petted and took a selfie with one.
Once we got to Machu Picchu, we took another family picture with the classic Machu Picchu view. As a thank you, the tour company also gave us t-shirts to show we’d done the full Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu.
We were so excited to don our shirts to show what we’d been up to the past few days. We also were not sure how we smelled as we’d been relying on baby wipe showers the past three days and hoped our shirts would show our excuse.
Our guide took us on a full tour of Machu Picchu
We learned so much about several of the rooms, structures and altars at the site. One of my favorite areas was the Temple of the Condor, an area where you can see an impressive example of Incan stonework. The main part of this temple are two giant stones that resemble the giant wings of the condor. There is also an area resembling the head that historians think was a sacrificial altar.
We also saw another altar to our guide’s favorite mountain. The shape of the stone matches up to the outline of this mountain almost exactly, which you can see from this area.
Once we finished our tour of Machu Picchu, it was time to head back to civilization. We boarded a bus to Aguas Calientes/Pueblo Machu Picchu. It was a slightly bumpy 20-minute ride down the city through switch backs down the mountain.
Aguas Calientes
Aguas Calientes, also known as Machupicchu Pueblo, is the starting point for traveling to Machu Picchu. If you’re visiting Machu Picchu by train, you’ll start here before catching a bus to the main site.
As you might guess, this little town has really adapted to cater to tourism. The town is so curated that it’s reminiscent of Disneyland. People stand outside of every establishment trying to entice you to come in for food, drinks, shopping, etc. With that being said, it is a beautiful town surrounded by mountains and bordering the river.
We arrived at Aguas Calientes and went straight to the restaurant/hostel where we would find our bags and have lunch. There was even a banner congratulating our group for reaching our goal. We arrived about an hour before lunch was ready. So, we asked our guide if we could buy him a pisco sour while we waited.
He led us to his favorite place for a pisco sour, called Machu Pisco. While we all enjoyed a well-deserved cocktail after a four-day hike, he asked us what our favorite moments on the trail were. After we all shared, he said his favorite part was right there in that bar, with us celebrating our shared accomplishment.
Lunch was a delicious buffet where we continued celebrating. Our guide and trekking partners both had a train to catch back to Cusco that afternoon, but we had booked a night in Aguas Calientes and second entrance to Machu Picchu with access to Huayna Picchu mountain. It wasn’t long before we were saying goodbye. For the first time in four days, we were on our own.
So what were we going to do in Aguas Calientes?
If you speak even a little Spanish, you might have caught that the town’s name means “hot waters.” There are popular hot springs in the town, and we were looking forward to spending some time in them soaking our sore muscles.
But first, it was time for our first real shower in four days. It felt amazing to finally be properly clean after days of hiking through the Andes. In my top three showers of all time.
The hot springs were about a 10-minute walk from our hostel in the center of town and mostly uphill. They cost 20 soles per person and offered bag storage. When we got to the springs, we were slightly disappointed at the crowds and the temperature in each spring. The springs didn’t feel quite as hot as their advertised temperatures. We stayed until we felt we’d gotten our money’s worth, then rinsed off and left. It did make our muscles feel slightly better, but overall didn’t feel worth the trip.
As we walked back to our hostel, we discussed where we would go eat dinner. However, we realized just how exhausted we were over the course of our walk. It was close to the new bed time we’d gotten accustomed to on the trail, after all. Sitting at a dinner table trying to stay awake sounded like the biggest chore in the world. We decided to pick up some water and beer from a nearby store, and empanadas and a slice of cake from a cafe next to our hostel. We took them back to our hostel for a simple but tasty dinner then tried to make ourselves stay awake as long as possible.
Second Entry to Machu Picchu
Still on trail time, we woke up bright and early. We were eager to see Machu Picchu again up close, and also hike Huayna Picchu mountain. Our entry time for Machu Picchu was at 8 a.m., which meant we could enter the site within about four hours of that time. We ate breakfast from our hostel’s buffet, which was included in the cost of our guided trek, then boarded the bus to Machu Picchu. We bought the bus tickets the night before and had to show our passports to purchase. You can also hike to and from Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes, which takes about two hours each way. We decided against it because we’d spent the previous four days on long hikes, and there is a lot of dust and exhaust from the bus traveling up and down the mountain along the trail.
I recommend two entries to Machu Picchu, if possible. We had done a guided tour the day before where we learned a lot about the history of the site. It was incredibly informative. We appreciated everything we learned during that tour. However, that day we had also woken up before 4 a.m. and hiked a few miles down to Machu Picchu. All told, we were pretty tired. It was special to see Machu Picchu again from a better-rested perspective, and to walk through the site recalling all the lessons we’d learned the day before. We got to take some areas at a slower pace and take more time to appreciate them. For example, we spent more time in the emperor’s quarters truly appreciating the space and imagining the history behind it.
Our entry time for Huayna Picchu was 10 a.m.
Huayna Picchu is even more restricted than Machu Picchu. Only 400 people can visit each day. Entry times are spaced two hours apart in the morning.
The hike up Huayna Picchu mountain definitely felt different than the Inca Trail. The paths were fairly narrow and steep, but had rails and ropes in most areas that helped with climbing. We also did not have big backpacks on our backs or trekking poles,. To enter Machu Picchu, you must check any bags over 20 liters.
During the hike, there are a lot of great views of Machu Picchu and the surrounding Mountains. When you get to the peak, there is a line to take photos with Machu Picchu in the background. I am not typically one to stand in line for a photo op. However, this was a short line and seemed worth it. How often are you at the peak of Huayna Picchu mountain overlooking a modern wonder of the world? It turns out there is a slightly better photo about five minutes after this spot that did not have a line. Live and learn.
We appreciated climbing Huayna Picchu, to climb a historically important mountain and see another view of Machu Picchu. Before this trip, I’d read a lot of accounts saying it was necessary to visit Huayna Picchu to get this alternative and less crowded view of this historical site. I will say, after trekking the four-day Inca Trail path, it didn’t feel like a must-do. However, I am still glad I got to have had the opportunity to see Machu Picchu from three distinct angles. By adding this experience to our itinerary with the trekking company, we also got a second entrance to Machu Picchu, which I appreciated the most.
Return to Cusco
We wrapped up our Huayna Picchu exploration around noon but weren’t leaving Aguas Calientes until 4 p.m. Our trip to Peru was coming to an end, so we ventured out to find lunch and more pisco sours. We found a restaurant that overlooked the river and got some lomo saltado and alpaca steak. Then, had more pisco sours at Machu Pisco to celebrate the end of our trip.
We traveled on the Peru Rail train back to Cusco. There were a lot of stops along the way, which made our journey last probably about an hour longer than anticipated. When we finally arrived at the station right outside Cusco, we were very glad our trekking company had scheduled transportation for us. It took about another half hour to get to Cusco where we got to our hotel room and promptly crashed.
The next day was an early morning flight to Lima, so we were looking forward to exploring the city. Though a little sad our Machu Picchu experience had come to an end.
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