JT Sarmento
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Day 1, Training Day: The Trek began bright and early with a 3:30 am wake-up call. Sleepwalking, we packed up our gear and looked like zombies for our 4 am bus pickup. We did not begin hiking until 7 am that day as we had to drive to the trail head. The first day itinerary was pretty easy, Incan flats, as our guide told us. Our pace was slow with frequent stops to admire the spectacular views of the valley and explanations of the flora and animals from our guide. We reached our campsite by 12:30 and rested for a bit before heading up to Humantay Lake, an incredible glacier lake sitting at the base of Humantay Mountain. Climbing to this lake had us breathing heavily in the thinnest air I had ever been in, but the reward at the top was worth it. Humantay and the surrounding areas reminded me of where they filmed Lord of the Rings: green rolling mountains as far as the eye could see, monstrous Patagonia-esque glacier, and bright blue waters beneath. It was breathtaking. We hiked back down to our campsite, with sky domes providing unobstructed views into the night sky, Humantay and Salkantay in the background.
Day 2, The Show: Day 2 was prefaced before we began the trek as the hardest day by far, including three hours of climbing in extremely high elevation followed by 8-9 hours of climbing down into the jungle. Luckily for us, we did not have to carry any of our gear we packed as we had a team of loyal donkeys, horses, and mules carrying for us. A few in our group were already suffering from altitude sickness before the trek started and opted to take horses up to the top of Salkantay Pass which was offered to us if needed. The climb up was challenging, not due to the steepness but the paper-thin air we were exposed to. The burn in our legs from taking even a few steps was immediately noticeable. Our guides were extremely knowledgeable not only about the area and culture but also about group pace, break cadence, and encouragement. After three hours, we made it to the top of the spectacular Salkantay Pass, sitting at 15,300 ft in elevation. After spending some time at the top, we began the endless trek down into the jungle. We descended over 8,000 ft that day from above the treeline into the rainforest, along rivers and waterfalls. The contrast of the desolate mountaintop to the lush biodiverse rainforest was staggering. It was a major relief reaching the end of that day as we knew the hard part was over, but everyone in the group was hurting after completing close to 15 miles on their feet.
Day 3, Journey through the Rainforest: Day 3 was more of the “Incan Flat” that we experienced on day 1. We were introduced to many of the different flowers and natural herbs the ancient Incans, as well as Andean people, used for remedies and ceremonies. We saw many banana, passion fruit, and avocado plantations and were able to try many fresh fruits along the way. We saw the incredible force and destruction of recent mudslides in some cases blocking road passageways. One of the highlights of that day was stopping by a coffee plantation where we were able to roast our own coffee beans and make fresh coffee from locally sourced cocoa beans. We arrived at our lodge for the night, aptly called “Jungle Domes,” being surrounded by the local environment. Down the road from our campsite lay natural hot springs which was a rewarding and relaxing treat after three consecutive days of trekking. That night, the jungle gods delivered one of the heaviest rainstorms I had ever experienced. Thankfully, our dome did not leak, but the damage had been done on the trails.
Day 4, Persevering to Aguas Calientes: Day 4 was all about getting to Aguas Calientes, the city at the base of Machu Picchu. Due to the rain, we had to skip about half of day 4, cutting the distance from 13 miles to about 6. Still, the six miles ended up being a drag due to how fatigued the first three days put us. We were walking along a railway along the Urubamba River which provided epic views of the valley but was not too exciting after a while. Eventually, we made it to the promised lands of Aguas Calientes where we stayed in a hotel that night. Most people who are in Aguas Calientes are there to visit Machu Picchu, usually arriving by train, but our group straggled in after trekking 40 miles with mud on our shoes and barely enough energy to say “buen dia”. Nonetheless, we were happy to be back to civilization and enjoyed a hearty meal with drinks that night.
Day 5, Experiencing Machu Picchu: Day 5 was all about Machu Picchu. Luckily for us, we were able to snag tickets to Machu Picchu with the best viewpoint. When we arrived there, the fog was very thick and we could not see anything, but our guides assured us that it would burn off. We waited for a solid hour at the top, waiting and waiting for the perfect moment. The fog did eventually burn off and we were greeted by the wonder of this sacred city. It was spectacular. Our guides informed us of the magical history and the origin story of the incredible city and more history of the rise and collapse of the Incan Empire. We were able to take iconic photos and walk through the city, learning about the articulate engineering and purposes of the standing buildings. It was hard to deny the spiritual feeling you experienced being there understanding the significance of the landscape you were standing on. We spent a solid three hours admiring the unique wonders of Machu Picchu and hiked back to Aguas Calientes which turned out to be extremely tough given four days of trekking.
I can easily say that the Salkantay Trek was the best multi-day hike I have ever been on. Not just due to magical wonders of seeing Machu Picchu in person. Knowing that we trekked 40 miles to this sacred place made it that much more worth seeing. Showing up in sweaty and smelly clothes while others in designer clothes and sunglasses made it seem much more fitting to truly pay respects to the ancient Incans who built the city. Seeing the wonders of the mountain passes and lush rainforests leading up to it gave more context why and how the magnificent was built. Finally, learning about the culture, history, and way of life along the way thanks to our wonderful guides made me appreciate and respect the intricate way of life the Incans lived. Completing the trek was so worth the time, energy, and money spent and it will be something I remember for the rest of my life.