When we think about the Inca Trail, the “traditional” Inca trail, we picture amazing sceneries, a great amount of winding up and down hills, endless slopes through beautiful mountains, the possibility of seeing diverse flora and fauna as we pass through different ecosystems related to the many altitudes along the path, passing through the typical Andean scenery and reaching the tropical forest.
We also think about camping in midst of cold nights and the lack of comforts, such as taking a bath after a long journey…

For many years I have wanted to treat myself to hike the Inca trail. However due to the recently imposed restrictions to protect this Inca trail – which makes it incredibly difficult to obtain one of the 500 daily spots (including guides and porters) and that limit very few camping spaces, resulting in the overcrowding of the tents of the different groups of travelers in one same spot of the path – and just thinking of not having a comfortable bed to sleep in, a hot shower, good food, etc…I continued to postpone this incredible trip, one of the most sought after adventure trails in the world.

During the last semester of last year, a new alternative emerged that convinced me. An alternative that, in addition, offered the comfort of first Level Mountain lodges, with all the comforts imaginable: a comfortable bed, hot water, good food and even a Jacuzzi! A true Luxurious Inca Trail. All of this without loosing out on the adventure of walking through stunning sceneries, learning about diverse communities throughout the way and having the possibility of experiencing unique flora and fauna.

In addition, we had the possibility to do all of this by horse…an alternative that I opted out of but, since we had an “on reserve” horse accompany us throughout the entire journey, we had the security and tranquility that, before any unexpected inconvenience, we wouldn’t be stranded along the way.

MOUNTAIN LODGES
This incredible journey has as “backbone” the services of four Mountain Lodges of Peru (MLP). All of these lodges have their own personality and all are designed to fit one same concept: warmth, comfort and service for their guests. These four lodges were designed and built according to traditional construction techniques, Inca and mythological architecture concepts and respect for the environment.

The Salkantay Lodge & Adventure Resort is located in the valley of Soraypampa, 3,880 meters above sea level, between the Salkantay peak (6300 m) and the Humanytay (5900m), with a spectacular view of the glaciers. It has 12 guest rooms with two to three beds in each room and with private bathrooms.

The second lodge along the route is located in a remote valley of the Andes, Wayraccmachay, at about 3,970 meters above sea level.
In Collpapampa, at 2,900 meters above sea level, is Colpa Lodge, in an area known as Mesada.
Lucma Lodge is located at 2100 meters above sea level in the midst of the lush vegetation of the edge of the jungle, including granadillas and coffee among other species.

Each one of the lodges along the way (Wayra, Collpa and Lucma) has six guest rooms, each with two or three beds.

The Salkantay Lodge & Adventure Resort, the Wayra Lodge and the Collpa Lodge have outdoor Jacuzzis.
They all ensure hot water in the showers; however none of them have bath tubs. The heating in the rooms guarantee that the temperature remain at 68° F (23° C), as well as in the common areas, such as the lobbies, living rooms and restaurant areas.

THE ADVENTURES
The adventure begins in Cusco, where the day before the group meets with their guide and he or she gives them an informal lecture. This lecture time allows the members of the group to get to know each other and the guide in addition to giving them a greater chance of knowing what to expect in the days to come and clarify any doubts they may have, such as what type of clothes to take, for example. At the informative meeting the travelers are given the option to “open an account” with MLP using a credit card. This lets them charge any additional services to the account during the walk, such as alcoholic beverages, massages, clothing items and others (even tips!). At the end of the journey, MLP charges the credit card – with previous authorization – for the total amount.

An in depth questionnaire previously gave MLP all the pertinent information in relation to each of the group members, including their physical state and health, food needs, among other important aspects.

Early in the morning on the first day of travel, a van transported our group – there are never more than 8 to 10 persons per group – to Mollepata (3,350 meters above sea level approximately) to begin a relatively soft walk, of about 3 to 4 hours of duration, through winding mountain paths, an ancient route called “Camino Real”, that led us to the Salkantay Lodge & Adventure Resort.

This type of preamble to the adventure of the following days was the perfect excuse to “stretch out” our muscles and joints allowing us to acclimate and prepare ourselves for what was to come in the immediate future.
The lodge is named after the majestic snow covered mountain that dominates the valley: the “Salkantay”, second most sacred snow covered mountain in Inca mythology and the highest in the region.

After the warm welcome by the friendly staff, we were free to enjoy the afternoon and adapt ourselves to the altitude, by using the Jacuzzi. At night, as part of the gathering at dinner, we received an informative lecture by the guides on the activities that we would embark the next day. At this lodge we received a “Personal Toiletries Kit”, which included bath gel, shampoo, conditioner, moisturizing cream and a shower cap, which we carried with us during the entire trip.

The second day we carried out a half day excursion to a glacier lake right by the Humantay snow covered mountain. This was excellent for us to become acclimatized and to give us a first immersion in high mountain trekking, serving as an excuse to enjoy, at night, a relaxing outdoors Jacuzzi.
At night, Javier, our guide, informed us about the trekking program that would take place and the itinerary for the four following days.

And the great day arrived: the beginning of the four day trek to Machupicchu.
Early in the morning we climbed through the Blanco River, surrounded by the Humantay snow covered mountain, through the Salkantay. The highest point of the path is a cove at 4,680 m (15,000 feet), where we stopped to make a “payment to the pachamama” and to take pictures of the snow covered mountains of the Cordillera de Vilcabamba that are seen from all directions, with a view of the southern side of the imposing Salkantay.

Although we were keeping an eye for all the types of wild life, we were especially waiting for the opportunity to see a condor, for very often they are able to be seen in the area. We were not lucky…however we did see diverse types of autochthonous birds.
From the cove or the pass, we began the descent towards the Wayra Lodge (“Wayra”: wind; ‘the place where wind lives’), our destination for the night. We had lunch along the way as we arrived at a “pampas” where the cook and his helper were waiting for us with the tent ready and the table served. They had gotten ahead of us, along with the horses porters who carried our entire luggage along the path. After a sumptuous lunch, almost at a restaurant level, and a well deserved rest, we continued the fascinating journey until we reached the mountain lodge.
Built almost entirely in stone, Wayra Lodge provided us, again, with the possibility of relaxing the 6 hour walk in their Jacuzzi, located in the center of the lodge and under the open sky, and shelter from the prevailing winds. (2,800m/9,000 feet).

Beginning the new day and after finishing a very early breakfast, we began our walk downhill over the Salkantay River, through a scenery that each time became greener until we arrived at Collpa Lodge, located about 2,800 meters above sea level, on a hill over the junction of three rivers and three important mountain paths, one of which leads to Choquequirao. The outdoors Jacuzzi of this lodge allowed us to enjoy an incredible view of the mountains with exuberant vegetation and a small and far away community, as well as a growing friendship between the members of the group of travelers.
The dinner, almost gourmet, served abundantly and with a very nice presentation, gave place to new chats on what was experienced and what awaited us the following day.

Early, after a revitalizing breakfast, we headed towards the Valley of the Santa Teresa River through the most populated rural areas and with coffee plantations – said to be one of the best organic coffees in the World -, bananas, “granadillas” and vegetable gardens.
We stopped for a rural, country style prepared lunch, once again by the Andean “chef” and his helper, who once again got ahead of us along the way.

After a brief rest to recover our strengths, we continued along the path until the beginning of a sort of a “road” where a vehicle was waiting for us to take us to, in no less than 40 minutes, the start of the Inca Trail of Llactapata, where we headed up a short path (30 minutes) leading us to the Lucma Lodge, located in a vegetable garden of avocadoes at about 2,100 meters above sea level.

The night was perfect not only to enjoy the stars but to also enjoy a relaxing social evening filled with well deserved drinks, for the first time since we left Lima.

After getting up early and savoring an energizing breakfast, we began our last day of the walk. We made our way two hours uphill towards the pass of Llactapata (2,600 m/8,500 feet), where we were able to experience a view, distant but very special, of Machupicchu from the southeastern side. This scenery is one that very few tourists can appreciate. The archeological remains of Llactapata, recently restored, give an added value to the path.

We enjoyed the abundant lunch box at a type of observatory, a little lower than Llactapata. Here we had a view of Machupicchu, where we began the seemingly endless descent towards the Vilcanota River, which took 3 hours. Along this path we enjoyed exuberant bamboo forests, vegetable gardens and coffee plantations, until we reached the hydroelectric power station. At that point, we took a short ride on the picturesque local train to Aguas Calientes to stay at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu hotel. This hotel stands out for its design, architecture, decor and cuisine and service.

On our last day, we woke up to enjoy a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel and we headed, after the check-out, to the bus station in Aguas Calientes that would take us to Machupicchu, ride that lasts about 30 minutes. We decided to head up to the archeological site after the first “rush” hour, which gathers tons of tourists who want to catch a view of the sunrise in Machupicchu and before the arrival of the tourists from the first train from Cusco. This decision permitted us to better enjoy the place, with less people around us.

An experienced guide, very knowledgeable of the archeological site, its history and different theories around it, shared his knowledge with us. We were given the possibility to stay on our own, to walk around the different paths and learn about the different corners of this new Wonder of Humanity, before heading down to Aguas Calientes for lunch and taking the train back to Cusco. Personally, I recommend that this train trip end in Poroy, having previously coordinated the transfer by bus, taxi or any other form of transportation. You will save almost one hour by train although you will loose the opportunity to arrive at Cusco at night, which resembles a portrait with small lights shining on blue velvet.