Day Three: Cloud Forest and Lost Ruins

Today we got to sleep in as we only had to wake up at 5:30am. Day three is known as the easiest and most beautiful day of the hike so I was very excited to start today and see what the trail had in store.

We started the hike with 1.5 hours of Inca flats and then proceeded to have 2 hours of steep downhill and finally 1.5 hours of casual downhill. The steep downhill was quite challenging and painful on the joints even though it was not the most tiring. The hike itself was pretty good but nothing compared to the epic views.

Today we were hiking in a cloud forest and it felt very unique and other worldly. Honestly, the coolest part of the Inca Trail was all the different microclimates and terrain we got to hike through. Cloud forest had lots of different plants and flowers to look at on the way as well as beautiful views of the Salkantay mountain. We also stopped at an incredible Inca terrace view point on the way! It literally took my breath away.

We finished today at the lunch stop and after lunch, completed a short hike to a beautiful Incan site. This site was massive and it was so cool to explore because there was hardly anyone else there except our group. It was such a special experience to have that time to just appreciate the beauty of the site and the surroundings.

After happy hours and dinner our chef baked us a celebration cake and we were given shirts that say 'I survived the Inca Trail'. We got ready for our next day and our early wake up to conclude our journey to Machu Picchu.

Overall, this was one of my favourite days. It was so beautiful to see so many mountains and forests and Incan sites. Honestly one of the things that has surprised me the most about the Inca Trail has been the beauty of the trail, mountains, and Inca sites. Coming into this, I had only ever seen photos of Machu Picchu and so I had no idea what to expect for the rest of the time. I can honestly say that 'the journey is the destination' rings true as I would've loved this hike even without the added bonus of Machu Picchu at the end.Read more