Cusco and jungle trek to Machu Picchu

Cusco

At 3,400m above sea level, we immediately felt the effects of Cusco’s altitude. A beautiful colonial city, Cusco was the original capital of Peru and the heart of the Incan empire and it was more or less completely decimated by the Spanish conquerors in the 1500s.  Cusco is the usual stopover before visitors take the well-beaten path to Machu Picchu. We spent 2 days acclimatising, wandering around this charming city, booking tours and buying last minute bits and pieces for our trip to Machu Picchu. 

We soon discovered that the only way to see many of Cusco’s sights was to buy the ‘boleto turistico’, or the tourist ticket. This allowed access to 14 different places, including museums and archaeological ruins, in and around the city. The ticket, which cost 130 Soles (approximately £35), was valid for 10 days. You can’t actually get in to most of the places included on the ticket without it.

We also had the option of buying partial tickets, which would have allowed us to visit just the museums, or just the local ruins, or just the sites that were a bit further away. These tickets are good if you are only interested in seeing certain things or if you haven’t got much time, as they are only valid for a day. They cost 70 Soles each, so if you’re planning on seeing as much as possible and you’ve plenty of time, it’s definitely worth getting the full ticket, which we did. 

Cusco

We felt like we managed to do a lot in and around Cusco, and we still only used half the ticket so it wasn’t bad value. It was a bit annoying to not have the choice to pay as we went, especially when some of the better museums were not included with the ticket, but that’s probably because they were private museums. Machu Picchu was not included!

Once we had settled in to our hostel, we took a walk around the centre to familiarise ourselves and to check out some of the tours.

We decided we wanted to do the ‘jungle trek’ to Machu Picchu and we stopped in 3 or 4 different tour shops to get a quote. The prices ranged from as high as $230 USD down to as low as $155, with everything included (activities, transportation, food and accommodation for 4 days/3 nights). We wanted to stay an additional night in Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu, so we didn’t have to rush around, but the lowest price operator tried to rip us off with the cost of the additional night’s accommodation (incredibly I understood his conversation in Spanish with his colleague), so we went with a mid-price tour operator called Peru Andean Hop that had been recommended on a different blog. They were all really helpful and I can definitely recommend them.

The jungle trek included:

Day 1: 55km downhill bike ride and white water rafting;

Day 2: 21km hike which included a large part of a genuine Inca trail, a cable car across the river and optional visit to hot springs;

Day 3: Four of the largest ziplines in South America, a 400m suspension bridge and another 15km hike to take us to Aguas Calientes;

Day 4: Entrance to Machu Picchu, and for us as we paid extra, a ticket to climb Huayna Picchu (pronounced Wayna Picchu, and means ‘Young Peak’) which is the imposing mountain overlooking Machu Picchu, rising up to almost 2,700m above sea level. 

Another reason we went with our tour operator was because we booked it one day in advance and they still managed to get us tickets for Huayna Picchu when no other tour agencies could. Tickets for Huayna Picchu usually sell out weeks’ in advance because they restrict numbers to 2 groups of 200 climbers per day. 

Before we went on our adventure we bought the full tourist ticket and went up to nearby Sacsayhuaman, included with the tourist ticket. This old town which was about 20 minutes’ walk uphill from the centre of Cusco, was originally built in around 1100 and then expanded by the Incas a couple of hundred years later. We didn’t have time to hike up because we had to attend a briefing about our jungle trek, so we took a cab for 10 Soles and we paid another 25 Soles for a guide who walked us round and told us about the ruins. 

Sacsayhuaman

The huge stones used for the site’s construction were excavated from a quarry 30km away, and some of the rocks were up to 150 tons in weight and 7m high. There is a lot of speculation as to how the Incas moved these rocks but the general view is that they were moved on rollers and ramps or using ropes as pulleys. The town included a sun temple and much of the site was destroyed by the Spanish conquerors who believed that the Incas were devil worshipers. Many of the stones were then removed and used to construct the colonial buildings in the city. Sacsayhuaman is said to be the head of the puma that is Cusco.

Next to Sacsyhuaman is a natural rock formation which we were able to climb and then slide down. Apparently this is not recommended but our tour guide told us to have a go and it was pretty steep but fun. Also next to the site, is a white statue of Jesus, Cristo Blanco, overlooking the city.

Statue of Cristo Blanco

Later on, we visited the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, which was not included with the tourist ticket, so we had to pay 20 Soles. It was a great museum, but it had a lot of the same information and artefacts as the Larco museum in Lima, and they actually work in partnership, so I would say choose one or the other but probably not both. The Larco museum was better in my opinion. 

Machu Picchu jungle trek 

The next day we were up and out at 7.30am to transfer our luggage to our new hostel (much more central) and to start our jungle trek. After driving for a couple of hours we reached Abra Malaga where we were to do our first activity, the 55km bike ride. There were around 40 of us that did the bike ride, and as it was mostly down the side of a mountain, we were freewheeling for most of it. It was a bit scary at times as we started at an altitude of 4,550m and finished at 2,300m, with a sheer drop in some parts and several tight corners. It also started pouring with rain halfway through, and along with cycling at 50kph through small rivers that ran across the road, by the end of the bike ride we were absolutely drenched. As we all had small rucksacks, I am pretty sure no one had a change of footwear so everyone’s shoes were a bit damp and smelly on the trek the next day. There were only 2 minor casualties and amazingly I was not one of them. 

First stop on bike ride

We drove onto Santa Maria for white water rafting. The rafting was great fun and the river was up to a grade 3.5, so perfect for novices but still exciting for everyone. No casualties on the river and no capsizing for us this time.

Afterwards we had the chance to take a hot, outdoor shower, sit in a sauna and grab a couple of beers before heading to the hostel to clean up and go for dinner.

That evening, the group was split into those that were doing the 3 day trip (no hike on day 2) and those that were doing the 4 day trip. 

Some people chose not to do the white water rafting and/or the zipline and it’s worth noting that because they are optional extras, it’s important to make sure they are included (or not) when negotiating a tour price in Cusco. 

Inca trail

I can’t say the hiking on day 2 was easy, especially the ridiculously steep and narrow steps that form the Inca trail on the cliff face, and my vertigo kicked in with a vengeance but the views were spectacular and I love a challenge. Some of the trek is quite hard going, especially in the heat and humidity, but we had frequent rest stops and our guides told us about local plants and their uses, typical and traditional food and drink, such as Inca tequila (made from sugar cane), Inca chocolate, the many types of potato (Peru has anything from 3,400 to 5,000 types depending on who you’re talking to), quinoa, kiwicha, and kaniwa, all of which are super-healthy grains, 1,500 types of corn and coca leaves, which are chewed to alleviate altitude sickness, headaches, stomach upsets and are used in the production of cocaine. 

Final part of the trek

We finally reached the cable car not far from a small town called Santa Teresa, which cost an additional 10 Soles each (approx. £2.50) and was operated by local people, originally to transport goods across the river, but now more lucratively to take tourists over. On the other side of the river was a large pitch black tunnel, which eventually led us to the hot springs. We didn’t have to go in; this was an optional extra costing 10 Soles each, but if we hadn’t wanted to go in, I am pretty sure we would have had to sit on the wall outside and wait 3 hours for everyone to come out. Baby D and I didn’t actually go into the pools, instead opting to have a couple of beers. Some of our group did though, and told us that it was lovely. 

Views from the trek

Dinner was late because we stayed at the hot springs for a while and by then, the group had got to know each other better which meant the booze was flowing. We ended up on the shots and joining in a street party in the main square with the locals until about 3am.

The next day and slightly green around the gills, we were off to do the ziplines. I love ziplining and it didn’t disappoint. The company has had some bad press in the past over safety concerns, especially as there was a death a few years’ ago. We were given a full briefing and we didn’t feel unsafe at all.

There were maybe 2 other groups as well as ours completing the course, but this didn’t really impede us and it was quite quick and smooth going round….until the suspension bridge over a fast flowing river. Some people got stuck behind a couple of slowcoaches who were bricking it. Quite frankly I am amazed it wasn’t me that people got stuck behind. I’m not scared of heights but because I suffer from vertigo, suspension bridges are my second least favourite thing after Inca trails. I haven’t watched the GoPro video of me crossing the bridge yet, but if I show it to my nieces I will have to make sure the sound is off because of my ‘flowery’ language.

View from the trek

There are loads of other ways to get to Machu Picchu, including treks that take between 4 and 18 days via Salkantay Trek and different Inca trails, or there is the bus, or train from Ollantaytambo (about an hour and a half on the bus from Cusco) to Aguas Calientes, or even hire a private car. 

I would highly recommend the jungle tour if anyone reading is thinking about going. The whole experience was awesome and great fun, helped by the great bunch of people in our group.

#jungletrekmachupicchu #machupicchu #cusco #sacsayhuaman #aguascalientesperuandeanhop