Inka Trail - Day 1

Taking a flight from Arequipa to Cusco, my plan was to acclimatise for a few days ahead of the 4D/3N Inka Trail that would get me to Machu Picchu - one of the seven Wonders of the World.

However, upon arriving in Cusco in the evening, I found myself at a hostel party that would take me deep into the night so that the next day, I spent more recovering than acclimatising (or sort of both if you want).

Anyway, the night before the start of the trek, we had a welcome briefing where I met the group, our two female (!) guides and after which we rented some equipment for the following day.

The next morning, we were up bright and early and headed to the start of the Inka Trail at km 82. After a short briefing, some pictures and encouraging words, we were off to walk what used to be the old pilgrimage of the Inkas, 43km towards Machu Picchu.

The first day wasn't really difficult to be honest, apart from one steep section that was not very long, though. Elevation was also okay, as we were still way below 4000m above sea level and the path was mostly flat.

On the way, we passed a couple of beautiful Inka ruins about which our guide gave us some interesting information. It was the first taste of what is about to come. The last hour before reaching the first campsite was a bit of a drag though, as we were so close but still had a last incline to master.

Upon arriving at camp, we were welcomed with claps from our Gadventures porters, a nice drink and with tents that were already set up for us.

Before dinner, our group, guides and all porters sat together and we introduced ourselves to each other to put names to faces. It was a wholesome experience and an acknowledgment to the achievement of the porters - after all, they carry up to 20-25kg on the trek while we just do around 5kg.

For dinner, our group sat together in the dining tent and we got to know each other and our travel plans, dreams, etc. In essence, it was a very nice and easy first day and the group seemed to be quite joyful and interesting.Read more