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| Inca Trail to Machu Picchu |
Machu Picchu can be reached from Cuzco in a variety of ways: comfortably by train and bus, but also on foot - just as its inhabitants and first discoverers climbed it. Outdoor lovers all over the world dream of following the famous Inca Trail. However, it is by no means the only climbing route on which Machu Picchu can be reached. In the following we present four unique, scenically breathtaking climbs to the famous Inca site Machu Picchu and give many tips on how to make the hike an unforgettable experience.
Looking at a Peru map in detail, common sense quickly raises the question as to why the Incas didn't just travel along the Urubamba River to Machu Pcchu. Recent historical research has an interesting answer: the journey to Machu Picchu may have been more than just a convenient route to a desired destination. It was much more likely a ceremonial pilgrimage.
Some researchers believe the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was designed to trace the legendary "heavenly" journey of the first Incas after they left "Isla del Sol" (Island of the Sun) in Lake Titicaca. Other scholars believe that the arduousness but stunning beauty of the Inca Trail should adequately prepare travelers for seeing and entering Machu Picchu. Both interpretations agree that this part of the Inca road system was laid out with special attention to dramatic moments; Similar to a good script, the path offers many surprising twists and turns and views before finding its happy ending at the climax in Machu Picchu. As a highlight, the final section of the pilgrimage route may have ended with climbing the steps to the Intihuatana Stone, the highest point within the ruins of Machu Picchu.
The "true" Inca Trail leads far beyond Machu Picchu
In fact, the historic Inca Trail, constructed over 500 years ago, is much longer than the world-renowned trekking route of the same name. It is a 22,500 km long system of roads across northwestern South America that connected the most important cities of the once powerful Inca Empire. This original Inca Trail started north of Ecuador's capital Quito, then ran through Peru and Bolivia and continued south of Santiago, Chile's capital. The path, which can still be traced today, runs up to 5,000 m above sea level. In some places, suspension bridges crossed valleys and rivers.
Chaski's purpose of connection was to ensure smooth communication between the sites of the Inca Empire. Therefore, the Inca Trail was mainly used by so-called Chasquis or Chaskis, the messengers of the Incas, who could deliver messages and objects so quickly and efficiently. Historians believe that the Chaskis could travel dozens of kilometers a day. This is an achievement unimaginable even for Peruvians today - not to mention the Central European hiker who first has to get used to the differences in altitude. At the same time, the Inca Trail could also be covered with loaded llamas, which could walk more than 25 kilometers a day.
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| Machu Picchu and Inca Trail |
Along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, runners and travelers found so-called "tambos", hostels and rest areas that were also used by soldiers and traders and were well away from residential areas.
Sometimes it was just small houses with cooking facilities (the so-called Chaskiwaski), sometimes entire residential complexes with storage for corn and dried potatoes, stables for the animals to stay overnight and nearby aqueducts for water supply. Some tambos also served bureaucratic purposes and were permanently manned by Inca "officials" who controlled and logged the flow of goods and storage. The Incas also cultivated fruit trees along the Inca Trail to ensure that travelers were supplied with fresh fruit.
(Today, tourists are no longer dependent on the tambos for supplies on their hike to Machu Picchu. There are always one or two cooks on the tours, who usually prepare delicious Peruvian specialties.)
Since the Inca did not yet have a writing system, the messengers delivered their messages orally or by "quipus", cords with a complex knot system of different colors. Each color and each knot combination had its own fixed meaning; they were easy to transport and weatherproof. Even in the event of an attack, the quibus could provide information about the location and nature of the conflict.
The hub of the Inca Trail was the city of Cuzco, which played a role in the Inca Empire comparable to that of Rome in the Roman Empire. Tragically, it was the perfect infrastructure that finally led the Spanish conquerors from one Inca site to the next, despite the actually inhospitable Andes. It is surprising that Machu Picchu has remained untouched, despite its integration into the public road system. It was most likely because Machu Picchu was a retreat for the Inca elite and was therefore generally less frequented - in contrast to today, where the Peruvian government pays employees to keep the Inca Trail free of overgrowth and Machu Picchu tourists.
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| Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu |
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
The path from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, now known as the Inca Trail, is one of the world-famous climbing routes, where the path and the goal are equally impressive. It lasts four to five days, with the longer version being preferable to the shorter version if there is enough time. From the snow-covered heights of the Andes, the path stretches through a still pristine, breathtaking terrain into the fertile Amazonian jungle. Even if the new Inca Trail is only 43 kilometers long, it is characterized by extreme differences in altitude, but also dozens of Inca ruins, a fascinatingly diverse flora and fauna and unique views of the Andean mountains.
Very important: For the Inca Trail you should be physically fit and rested and have the right trekking equipment with you. Even though the Inca Trail is constantly inspected and maintained, not all parts of it are easy to climb. Between one and two meters wide, a part is secured with stones and offers a very solid base; in other places, however, it is merely a dusty dirt road that can also go steeply uphill.
For environmental reasons, the Peruvian government only allows 500 people per day on the classic Inca Trail (we will come to other, more flexible alternatives below). That's why the tours are often fully booked up to three months in advance. The be-all and end-all is therefore an early online booking with a provider of your choice.
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| Inca trail Tours |
The trekking route to Machu Picchu
There is an impressive number of Inca sites to discover along the Inca Trail. Mostly the first day takes you comfortably along the Urubamba River to reach the Patallacta ruins in the early evening. Built around the same time as Machu Picchu, these terraced remains of a village make an excellent resting place for a first night in a tent.
Those who still have the leisure in the twilight hours can set off on a short tour of the ruins. Most tour guides have flashlights with them for this purpose. The excursion at night makes sense, because the Incas built many of their buildings according to astronomical principles, as can be seen not least in Machu Picchu. In the Patallacta Sun Temple, two east-facing windows frame alternate constellations (like the Corona Borealis in June) at certain times of the year, which apparently had specific meanings within Inca mythology.
The second day on the Inca Trail, starting from Patallacta, follows the route that the scientific explorer of Machu Picchu, Hiram Bingham, wrote about in National Geographic Magazine: "The ruins of an ancient Inca road led out of the valley towards Machu Picchu". . On this day, the physical challenge presented by the Inca Trail becomes clear: more than a kilometer and a half difference in altitude will be climbed today. Experienced guides always carry a supply of coca leaves, the thousand-year-old Peruvian remedy for altitude sickness.
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| Machu Picchu Hiking Tous |
The next, third day leads to Warmiwanusca, also known as Dead Woman's Pass, at 4,200m the highest point of the Inca Trail.
Here, after a long look back at the mountain world, the subtropical rain forest begins. Mysterious ruins, most likely ceremonial shrines or sentinel posts, begin to line the path. Rucu Raccay, one of the most famous of these structures, was also discovered by Hiram Bingham and appears to trace the outline of a butterfly.
During the third day of travel along the Inca Trail on the way to Machu Picchu, two more impressive Inca ruins await the traveler: Sayacmarca, which mostly emerges dramatically from the fog like a sailing ship suddenly appears on the overcast ocean, and Phuyupatamarca, famous for its cascading stone baths.
This is also where camp is often set up for the night, as this is where the best view of the entire Inca Trail is in the morning before heading to Machu Picchu. At sunrise and with a bit of luck clear skies, a breathtaking view of the Salcantay lies in front of the traveler, one of the most sacred mountains in the cosmology of the Incas, which also left many signs on Machu Picchu. In addition, other peaks can be admired all around, some with greenery, some with icy caps. For the Inca, mountains were gods, sacred places, and such a plateau was an opportunity to pause amidst that sacred presence.
Machu Picchu is still hidden from view from here, but separated only by a peak. Now it's about 900 meters down again. The path leads through a stone tunnel that the Incas carved through a cliff without any metal tools, to the massive, winding stone terraces of Wiñay Wayna.
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| Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu |
If the traveler did not know that Machu Picchu is actually the destination, he could easily mistake Wiñay Wayna for the end of the journey. Translated, Wiñay Wayna means "forever young", probably in reference to the many pink orchids that populate this place and give it a poetry all of its own.
Path to the Inca StrongholdThe site itself is also magical due to its position - it overlooks the Urubamba River; a waterfall cascades down a hill above. In general, water, similar to Machu Picchu, obviously played a major role in this Inca site. Fifteen solidly grouted baths, built in a specific sequence, suggest Wiñay Wayna as a spiritual center where water was worshiped as a sacred medium - possibly also a last chance for pilgrims en route to Machu Picchu taking a ritual cleansing bath.
Later that same day, the traveler arrives at a set of stone steps that lead into a dense stretch of tropical rainforest. Once you have climbed it, the destination of the Inca Trail spreads out before your eyes: Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca stronghold, which from this perspective and with the right light presents itself as an impressive, white stone city.
Alternative routes to Macchu Picchu
If you book too late, find a four to five-day climb either too long and difficult or too short, or want to try a new route to Machu Picchu, there are a number of interesting alternatives to the classic Inca Trail. Thanks to the building skills and tirelessness of the Incas, who laid paths all across the Andes, many guided paths lead to Machu Picchu - or at least very close to it. Contrary to
Inca Trail travelers do not require permits for these tours. They can be booked directly on site in Cuzco - usually immediately before departure, if desired. We present three of these tours below. However, variants of it and even individualized treks can also be booked.
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| Machu Picchu Trekking tours |
On the Salcantay Route to Machu Picchu
The Salcantay Trail runs through the Mollepata Valley past the Salcantay Mountain and into a forest before ending at a small train station that takes the traveler directly to Machu Picchu. Those who are particularly interested in the diversity of the Peruvian ecosystem, local fauna and flora and the topography of the landscape should not miss the Salcantay route.
The 6200 meter high mountain Salcantay was one of the most sacred mountains of the Incas and is still revered in the traditional religions of the Andes. The mule-led trail passes the Salcantay at an altitude of approximately 4500 meters and then winds into the subtropical rainforest where it meets an ancient Inca road that is part of the famous Capac Ñan infrastructure that linked the far ends of the Inca Empire.
Continue to the recently fully uncovered ruins of Llactapata. From here the traveler can get a first glimpse of Machu Picchu across the valley, from a rare longitudinal perspective. Down the hill is the small train station from where a frequent shuttle service takes tourists along the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu. Depending on the guide and accommodation, this route takes five to eight days.
On the Lares Route to Machu Picchu
Contrasted with the truly beautiful Sacred Valley, which is traversed by thousands of Machu Picchu tourists every year, to the north lies the tucked away Lares Valley - where the massive, snow-capped peaks tower over the Sacred Valley. Life here is not much different than it was a hundred years ago: people wear traditional Andean costumes as a matter of course, plant potatoes by hand, raise herds of llamas and alpacas and weave traditional fabrics like generations before them - and all without Folklore. If you are looking for the original life of Peru and would like to gain an insight into the culture of the Andes in addition to Machu Picchu, then the Lares Route is just the right thing.
During the three to five days you will be on the road, you will often only meet farmers and craftsmen here. The Lares route usually starts in the tiny town of the same name and then runs through numerous smaller villages. In between, the traveler gains a spectacular view of the Veronica mountain and a series of crystal-clear mountain lakes. The route ends near the ruins of Ollantaytambo. From here, a short train journey of about 90 minutes will take you to Machu Picchu.
The one day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Even if you don't have the physical condition of an experienced mountaineer, you don't have to forego the trail experience to Machu Picchu. The only one-day Inca tour starts along the train tracks to Machu Picchu, at about km 100. A three-hour hike up the steep hills takes you to Wiñay Wayna. From there you can continue walking directly to Machu Picchu. However, it is much more advisable to spend the night at this altitude and get up extra early the next morning. So you can enter Machu Picchu at sunrise through the famous Sun Gate.
Please note, however, that the one-day Inca Route also requires a so-called permit! It must therefore be booked as early as the multi-day version.
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