There are three main ways to get to Machu Picchu; you can hike the trail over 4,000-metre peaks and emerge four days later, dragging what remains of your sorry carcass round these spectacular ruins; you can take the train, hike to Winay Wayna and ascend to Machu Picchu at sunrise to revel in the architecture of one of the world’s most famous landmarks. Or you play the pampered tourist and be transported to the very door of Incan civilisation with the bare minimum of effort.
For the whole family party, the trail was eminently doable as long as we took it slow and steady
As you can probably guess, I went for the middle option. This was not, in fact, my first choice. The Inca Trail is legendary. It’s really the only way for a traveller worthy of the name to arrive, a rite of backpacking passage, following the dizzying route the Incans once used.
But there was a snag. My parents and the in-laws were all coming too, on different days. The logistics nixed the trail, and we reluctantly opted for the softer version of a one-day hike and overnight stay.
Meanwhile, six of our friends set off on the trail. By the time we were chugging along on the comfortable train, they had already been trekking for two days and were dragging themselves over Dead Woman’s Pass.
The name is not hyperbole. By this point, one of the group had uncontrollable ‘stomach issues’, and with the Dead Woman offering a dearth of private privies, he was reduced to squatting by the side of the trail every 10 minutes or so, as other hikers lurched past.
Of course, I didn’t know it, but as I sipped tonic water from the railway bar, the others were all suffering from altitude sickness; even though they were fit and had spent time acclimatising, the low oxygen levels had reduced their breathing to ragged gasps and generated blinding headaches only marginally relieved by chewing coca leaves.
Dehydration was drying their mouths and generating unusual outbursts of rage.
Meanwhile, the train dropped off us mere tourists for a stroll to the Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young) ruin, a great introduction for Machu Picchu with beautiful terracing and a precipitous staircase between the upper and lower levels.
From there, we hiked continuously upward, along a pretty cloud-forest trail, occasionally dogged by hummingbirds. As we rose higher, the views were outstanding and for the whole family party, the trail was eminently doable as long as we took it slow and steady.
And so it was that we reached the refuge and were reunited with the rest of the group who were by now looking thoroughly miserable. As we settled in for a Cusquena beer before retreating to our private dormitory, they were miserably waiting for the restaurant to close so that they could crawl under the tables and go to sleep.
The next day, we all gathered at sunrise for a view of a blanket of fog. Undeterred, we descended through the mist and into an astonishing Incan world.
But while we were circumnavigating the semi-circular tower in the Temple of the Sun and peering inside the Royal Tomb, our friends were lying in the shade of a 500-year-old wall, still trying to recover. I doubt that they covered a quarter of the complex, even though the site is actually at a lower altitude than Cusco, meaning that you feel considerably better.
And that is really a tragedy, because Machu Picchu, minus the trail, really does live up to the hype. I remember seeing an aerial shot in a school textbook decades ago. The beauty of it and the mystery had me hooked immediately and I was so excited about finally going that there was a distinct risk of being underwhelmed.
But that is just impossible. Putting my hands on stones that were erected in alignment with the surrounding sacred mountains half a millennium ago and looking out into a mountain vista that would have dissuaded even the most ardent religious fanatic from attempting to build here, I knew I was in the heart of a special place built by an extraordinary people.
The Incas were to come to a sorry end at the hands of the Spanish conquistadors just over 100 years after they built this incredible estate on Old Peak for their emperor Pachacuti.
They built without using wheels or pack animals; their astronomical and geometrical knowledge are still humbling today. But the Spanish brought smallpox and a warlike attitude and the Incans were no match for either.
While we were circumnavigating the semi-circular tower in the Temple of the Sun, our friends were lying in the shade of a 500-year-old wall, still trying to recover
Hiram Bingham rediscovered the site in 1911 and restoration has been going on ever since, so structures such as the Three-Windowed Temple can be viewed in pretty much their former glory.
All the walls are of dry stone construction. When an earthquake occurs, which happens frequently, the stones jump but fall back into position.
Ingenious, particularly when you think that modern buildings are still collapsing on their inhabitants on a regular basis during earthquakes in Peru.
For me, the oddly shaped Intihuatana, which translates as ‘hitching post of the sun’ was the highlight. The sun obliges exactly on the winter solstice, meaning that the smooth and enigmatic stone construction is most likely an astronomical clock or calendar.
I would have liked to have trekked onwards to Huayna Picchu, but having failed to buy a separate ticket, we had to admire Young Peak from afar. Entrance was recently reduced to 400 people per day in two time slots (7am and 10am) but everyone we spoke to confirmed that it’s worth the hassle of booking in advance or arriving incredibly early to get a place.
The hike gives you a unique perspective on Machu Picchu itself as well as access to the Temple of the Moon cave, carved with detailed niches that probably held mummies.
In fact, Machu Picchu itself has also been limited to 2,500 visitors per day, meaning that booking ahead has become essential rather than desirable.
When I went, local agents were bypassing these rules by having us pretend that our names were those of earlier clients – oddly, I was given that of a male Spanish national – but these loopholes have now been completely closed.
Despite the limit, the site is intensely busy, especially later in the day, which can deaden the experience. Getting there at sunrise helps a little, as you avoid the day-trippers.
One thing that is surprisingly absent at the site itself is an excess of interpretation. This is a plus in my book, as it means your imagination isn’t boxed in by a littering of dull signs.
But at the end of the visit, we went on to the museum, 30 minutes walk from the town of Aguas Calientes on a dirt road. And only at this point did we get a chance to really understand what we had been looking at.
Too late, the fascinating information there made me realise all the details I’d missed. The ruins were now a 90-minute walk uphill and the train departure time was rapidly approaching.
There was certainly little else to keep us in Aguas Calientes, a miserable excuse for a town which is booming very much at the expense of the environment.
So we boarded the train to Cusco, and sat with a cold Inca Kola to admire the Peruvian landscape slipping away while the unfortunates from the Inca Trail got some shut eye in a quiet corner of the carriage.
Hardcore backpacking isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.
Getting there
You can fly to Cusco from various destinations in Peru, including the capital Lima. There are innumerable agents in Cusco for whatever option you choose.
Prices for the four-day trek hover around €400, including transportation, food, camping and entry tickets (but not porters).
A new breed of luxury lodges has recently sprung up on the trail; these days, if you’re willing to pay for it, you can sleep on cotton sheets and have a hot shower.
The two-day trek costs around €250 (it’s no longer possible to spend a night in the hostel on the trail, so this option incorporates a night in Aguas Calientes instead).
Before you book check that your agent is registered on the website www.machupicchu.gob.pe.
To do Machu Picchu in a day, you can also book permits independently on this site, and reserve the train yourself with www.perurail.com. Agents also offer packages for this option for around €150 if you don’t want to make the bookings yourself.
With demand increasing and space limited, it is essential to book several months in advance in peak season (April to September), and still recommended even in low season.