The train slowly came to a stop just as the sun was rising over the mountains in the Sacred Valley. “Anyone getting off at kilometer 104, this is it,” said a voice over the Vistadome loudspeaker. There was no road or station; we just hopped out the door on to the dirt path as the train quickly rolled away. If it weren’t for the sign just a few feet in front of us that read “Welcome to the Inka Trail,” (using the local spelling with a K instead of the tourist C) we would have been lost.
My husband and I were in Peru to check off a longstanding bucket list item: Machu Picchu, an Incan citadel set high in the Andes mountains. During the planning stages of the trip, we went back and forth deciding whether to do the five-day trek along the whole Inca Trail, which is 26 miles long, or take the comfy 20-minute bus ride up to the ancient site from the town of Aguas Calientes. As an active couple, we wanted a bit of a challenge, but as someone who is often compared to the “Princess and the Pea” when it comes to my sleeping arrangements, I didn’t think a full-blown camping trip would suit me. That’s when I started researching whether it was possible to do a one-day hike.
Days of Googling yielded very limited information, and it seemed we would have to make a decision between the two extremes. There was also the question of securing a permit: Since the trail is restricted to 500 people (including guides, porters, chefs, and trekkers) per day, it is recommended to book six months in advance, and here we were in July, planning a trip for September. A department of the Peruvian Government called La Dirección Regional de Cultura (DRC) is in charge of issuing all Inca Trail permits, and only DRC-approved Inca Trail operators are allowed to purchase them.
Just when it seemed all hope was lost, I stumbled on the website of local tour operator called Sam Travel Peru. They had an option to leave out of Cusco at 3 a.m., take a two-hour train ride, hike about five hours from kilometer 104 on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (about six miles long and 2,600 feet up in altitude to the Sun Gate entrance), and return to back to Cusco via train, all within 24 hours. We wanted to stay a couple of nights at the new Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel in the town of Aguas Calientes at the base of famous site, and the tour operator even lowered the price since we wouldn’t be taking the train back. Even better news? The strict permit rules don’t pertain to trekkers doing a one-day hike, so we were golden.
Once we finally made it off the train and were greeted by our guide Wilbert, all of the planning and researching instantly became worth it. We were given some snacks and a packed lunch to put in our backpacks, which we had pared down to bottles of water, items to prevent the effects of the elements (like coca leaf candy for altitude sickness and bug spray for the swarms of mosquitoes), and basic clothing. We didn’t walk more than 15 minutes before coming upon a set of Incan ruins. As we sat and listened to the mini history lesson of the site, we couldn’t believe that we already were seeing incredible relics. They weren’t roped off, there was no signage, it was just a 500-year-old site on the side of the path. Little did we know these gems would be dotting the entire trail.
Over the next couple of hours, we walked across wooden bridges, took in panoramic views, and learned that there are more than 400 species of orchids in the Sacred Valley—who knew? Our midway point was another prominent Incan site called Winawayna. After hearing horror stories about how crowded Machu Picchu can get (more than 2,500 people a day), we were a bit nervous it would be overrun with tourists. To our amazement, we were the only people there. “The only way to get to this spot is by hiking,” Wilbert said. “So it stays pretty quiet.” We were lucky enough that we had a private guide, and amazingly, we only saw about a handful of other people on the whole hike. (Apparently, most people just take the bus up to Machu Picchu.)
As we walked along farming terraces and got up close to the roaming llamas, it felt like we had stumbled on this hidden treasure. The only noises were of the distant rushing water of the Urubamba River down below, and the occasional mosquito buzzing past. How could Machu Picchu be better than this? We wanted to find out—and had to get back to civilization—so we kept trekking after stopping for a quick lunch.
At this point, the cold temperatures of the morning that turned into a light drizzle were long gone, and the heat of the day was well upon us. The raincoat and sweater came off, and the sunblock and sunglasses went on. (Key piece of advice: dress in layers, because in a few hours you will go through all four seasons.) By 1 p.m., after about four and a half hours of strenuous hiking, we finally reached the Sun Gate. Though most people try to get to Machu Picchu to see the sunrise, our guide told us it is actually better to go in the afternoon, as most of the crowds have faded and clouds have burned off. Not to mention, we came in the opposite direction of all the tourists who took the bus up. We had made it.
Standing above the ruins, looking down at the lush green valley below and the peaks of the nearby mountains like Wayna Picchu, you realize it does live up to the hype. Sure, there are a ton of other people, but the view is so expansive and otherworldly the tourists and selfie sticks seem to fade away. We must have snapped 10,000 photos ourselves attempting to capture the intricacies of the beauty we were seeing with our eyes.
We wandered around the site for a couple more hours with Wilbert, learning about the history of Machu Picchu, what the various buildings were used for, and how the site has managed to survive all of these years. Each new piece of information, like the fact that smooth rocks designated a holy space, kept us going despite physical fatigue setting in.
With the sun beginning to set, we headed out of the site to the line of buses taking people down the mountain. Separate tickets are needed to board the bus, but most tour operators will book these in advance for you. Also, if you’re up for it, there is path to hike down the mountain as well. We were not. Just outside the entrance/exit, there is a little stand where you can stamp your passport with a novelty Machu Picchu stamp. I did.
On the long winding road down to Aguas Calientes, I found my head bobbing as the exhaustion of the day set in. The one-day option was perfect for people who have limited travel time, physically can't do the full hike, or simply aren't into camping. I was dirty, sweaty, and sore, but blissfully so. Could I have handled four more days of that? Sure. But, when we were greeted with a warm towel and traditional Pisco sour at the five-star hotel, I knew we had made the right choice.