Cusco

I landed in Cusco and took a cab to my hostel where I met Hanna and Jack. The hostel had an event teaching how to make Pisco sour, so I was a bit tipsy when Hanna and I went to the tour agency for our debriefing for the 4-day Inca Jungle tour leaving the next morning. There we were met by Ester, who also did the Colca canyon tour with us, and was joining this tour too. After the debriefing, we went for a nice dinner since we figured the food won't be that good on the tour.

The famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is closed in February for maintenance, so our second best option was the 4-day Inca Jungle Trail. The trail has multiple activities, including biking, ziplining, rafting (but the river was too dangerous during our tour) and hiking.

The Inca Jungle Trail - Day 1 - Biking in the rain

The first day, we left Cusco at around 7:00am and drove through Ollantaytambo to Abra Malaga, situated at 4,300m above sea level. From there, we bike downhill for about 35km to Huaman Marca situated at 1,890m above sea level. In was raining heavily and there are multiple river crossing the main road, so even though we all had waterproof gear on, we were all soaked by the first 20 minutes.

From Huaman Marca, we took a short drive to Santa Maria, where we would be spending the night. We had lunch and then made a fire to dry our soaked waterproof shoes.

The Inca Jungle Trail - Day 2 - Hiking in the jungle

The next day, we hiked for about 6 hours in the jungle and through a short section of an Inca Trail. Along the way, we could pick up from trees around us coffee beans, mango and cocoa beans. We stopped in at the "Monkey House" to taste some chocolate, at a place where they prepared fresh coffee and then for lunch. We then drove to Santa Teresa where we would spend the night. The rest of the group went to the hot springs, but I stayed in town and did some work.

The Inca Jungle Trail - Day 3 - Ziplining and hiking to Aguas Calientes

From Santa Teresa, we took a short drive to get set up for zip-lining. We zip-lined for about 2 hours over the jungle and rivers. We then drove to Hidroelectrica, where we had lunch and then started walking to Aguas Calientes. The hike took about 2 hours along a train line and it was mostly raining the whole time. We arrived in Aguas Calientes and checked in to our hotel and then went for happy hour and finally dinner. Hanna and I went for tea and an amazing chocolate cake before going to bed.

The Inca Jungle Trail - Day 4 - Machu Picchu

We started our hike to Machu Picchu at 4:30am and we made it to the entrance of Machu Picchu at 5:45am. It was raining in the morning and very foggy. Even from close range, Machu Picchu was not fully visible. Our guide explained a bit about the history and hypothesis of the place but then it was time for Hanna and I to go to Montana Machupicchu, the tallest of the 2 mountains around the Inca site.

From the site, it is about 1,600m of extra elevation to reach the top of the mountain at 3,060m above sea level. I made it to the top of the mountain at around 9:00am and it was raining and foggy. Nothing could be seen. We hung out for a couple of hours at the top and were rewarded with a clearing weather and great view of the Inca site.

After spending a few more hours at Machu Picchu, we made our way back to Aguas Calientes to shower and have a few too many pisco sours before taking the train/bus back to Cusco. We arrived in Cusco at around 10pm. We had plans to have one last party night before Hanna left to Colombia, but we were both so tired that we passed out right away.

Wandering in Cusco

Over the next few days, I stayed in Cusco wandering around, eating, drinking, visiting museums, having cheap massages, and working.

ATV to Salineras

I booked an ATV tour to go to the Salineras, where salt and other minerals is extracted from the water coming down the mountain.

My next stop will be Lima.