My Pre – Machu Picchu Trek Information

Disclaimer: the below is only from the information obtained and experienced from my trip to Peru and Cusco. Nothing is gospel .. especially in South America. Everyone should take their own notes, initiatives, intuition and closely understanding their health and physical limitations; and when all that is considered then go for whatever you believe you can achieve. Same for the goals you set in life.

Now that little paragraph of scared reality is done; I can assure you I saw many people of all ages, physical limitations, genders, etc all undertaking this trek and from all accounts ultimately completing the journey. This trek will test you in ALL areas, body, mind, commitment, attitude and one’s behaviours and the others that escape me at this time. The satisfaction of where you started; and from where you sit and reflect after 4 long days and 3 nights will be with you forever, let alone the people that journey with you. Life long memories and never a wall/ barrier in front of you; ever!

Have you now booked this trek? Well, if you have or going too; make sure you keep asking every question you have; firstly, with their administration people, then your trek guide at the trek briefing. What is included, excluded, what is asked of me, what is the tipping formulae or expectation, what is the best carry weight of my backpack, sleeping bags, mats, tent sizes, length of each day’s journey, etc, etc. I wish to confirm South America was built on less detail ..  you can trust me on that! I had my trek briefing a week prior which is unusual however, again, very little detail provided. Usually the trek briefings are done the night prior which really gives you no time to rectify anything so it’s critical to provide everything through their email connection leading up to your briefing.

There are companies that do Day 1 & part of Day 2 in the first day, so that’s about 18klms and all climbing to 4,200mtrs and really full on; so, make sure you don’t find yourself on the Navy Seals try out team for this trek. After doing my first 2 long days there is no way I would consider that as humane.

Obviously, the first thing is to get your fitness levels right or to the best you can. Some people could take a few months to get their fitness and strength to a decent level. Remember, it all helps and being on the trek to get your fitness then is a bit late. One of the best conditioners, I believe, is to climb the stairs of a high-rise as part of your training. Once you do this, then put your 6kgs backpack on. This would give you a good measure of your status including the monitoring of your breathing. High-Altitude Sickness can affect anyone, any fitness level, age or gender and must be taken seriously. Breathing through your mouth and directly via the nose to fill your lungs is a learning routine in itself. The better you can control your breathing pattern the better it will be to manage this on the trek. You can Google these breathing exercises too. I put a bit of effort into my training prior, but found at the trek I was a bit short on my preparation .. but I could manage my breathing which helped in the respite stops so I was able to continue more quickly. With your health & fitness sorted the trek will also give you the base now to continue your fitness into your new life. Keep and maintain your new found fitness.

The Government controls this trek so you must book well ahead remembering the control and conditions are getter tighter and stricter due to its increased popularity. Book your itinerary prior to the trek to give you at least 5-7 days acclimatisation. This is usually done in historical Cusco (where the treks depart) and Ollantaytambo. Both places provide numerous day journeys and things to do in town. Also, there is another option now with direct flights from Santiago Chile (major St American entry point) to Cusco rather than doing the leg to Lima Peru. If you want a real test and to see your maximum test results prior to the Machu Picchu trek there is a Rainbow Mountain day trek available where you climb to 5,031mtrs. A trek not to be missed and a world treasured sight but note, it is challenging. You can read more in one of my previous blogs.

Our trek was done in early April 2019 in reasonable weather although at this altitude the weather can change in a blink. We were very lucky. To do the downhill treks would be very challenging and risky if it is raining so make sure you have the best of hiking boots and hiking socks available and have them worn in prior to trekking. You should be able to put one or two fingers behind your heel when fitted to ensure you have freedom within the boot. The boots my son & I chose for our treks were Salomon X Ultra 3 GTX Mid Hiking Boots. These boots were brilliant to say the least. Best boots ever!!! Never let us down; waterproof, comfortable and the grip was superb and the sole tread technology doesn’t hold mud either. Boots are in the high-end range but please do not skimp on your footwear. I found a website online that saved almost 50% from retail pricing. With no income I had to find savings wherever I could. I did feel guilty after being fitted in store but I was desperate for savings. One critical point: You OWN EVERY step. To ensure your feet are protected, make sure you keep your toenails short. With the downhill stages your toes hit the front of your boot. Toenails can be ripped off. Ouch!!

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Trek organisers recommend the following items to bring with you. You can always bring more .. but less is more sometimes when you start analysing the weight involved. Of course, females may have to bring more personal items than listed below so that will need to be considered. What we found too late was we didn’t need the amount of clothing recommended (due to the fine weather we had). Some of the gear below we purchased in Cusco to avoid air fare baggage charges.

First thing; pack your original passport!! You will need this at the checkpoint on the trek. If you forget this you will be fined sometimes up to $100USD or you could be sent back many hours to recover it. Your tickets MUST also match your passport exactly

Cash – Peruvian Soles for snacks, bottled water, etc & the trek support group (3 sets of tips – Porters, Chef & Guides). For Porters; tips are compiled and divided equally to them. Suggested 100-150 Soles/ trekker. Chef, 100 Soles/ trekker. Guide Group 100 Soles/ Trekker. In other words, 300 -350 Soles in total per trekker is usually the norm.

Sleeping Bag (we hired ours through the company $25USD each, includes a mat)

Day Backpack (Ours was Black Wolf from Combo 65L Grand Teton set)

Water Bottle &/ or water bladder in your backpack. We had 2L Black Wolf Bladders

Water Purification Tablets (not necessary as our water was boiled by porters)

Poncho or raincoat

Sunscreen Lotion

Sunglasses

Warm/ waterproof Jacket (worn most of the time)

Hiking Boots – as above

Warm Beanie

Flashlight + Head Light with batteries

Long trek trousers (zip off short type preferable)

T-shirts (we only used 2, due to good weather)

Shorts/ sandals/ flip flops (Feet need relief after hiking)

Underwear/ Thermals/ Socks (Hiking type)

Sleepwear, but we used thermals for warmth & comfort

Blow up air cushion (pillow)

Trekking towel (microfibre, small & light pack)

Pocket Knife

Camera/ Go Pro

Strong Insect Repellent (High DET rating). Mosquitoes below 4200mtrs

Snacks (Energy Bars, chocolates, lozenges, etc)

First Aid Kit/ Medications

Personals (deodorant, toothpaste & brush, muscle relief lotion, etc)

Magnesium Tablets (helped us to recover better)

Walking Poles (we bought collapsible ones but couldn’t afford the best ones – Black Diamond). Uphill adjust to hip height. For downhill extend them about 150mm further to ease the step distance down.

Sun Hat

Winter Gloves

Batteries or Solar Charger (no electricity on the trek)

Ipod (music) – although only 1 person had this. Not good for concentration or hearing advice.

Ear plugs (in case someone in next tent snores or porters make noises cleaning up)

We were caught out at the trek start when we were then told we had to carry our sleeping bag and mat with us. We did not pre-order porters to carry our gear and were not advised of this added 3kgs to carry. Our backpacks could not attach the mats so a porter offered a cheaper rate to carry these. We agreed to carry our sleeping bags for the first ‘easy day’ & the porter to carry these from then on at a special rate agreed.

As you can see the weight can add up quickly so a trial or two of packing should be undertaken. Something you will have to get over are the Banos (toilets). Not fancy and a bit smelly too. Also, on night 3 you can go for a shower but only cold water is available. Hence, no one in our group showered. Surprisingly, we all got on together and no one had to be down wind.

Upon reaching Machu Picchu site (breathtaking; with your first glimpse from Sun Gate lookout) you wind yourself down to the site then go to the main entrance where you can line up to the toilet plus place your bag into their storage facility for 5,000 Soles remembering to lock your bag and take off your GoPro .. I ‘lost’ mine as it was still on my backpack. 4 days of recording GONE!!!! Still filthy!!! With your bag in storage you can return and stroll through the entire site but keep an eye on your time to return.

You can do another 2 hour mountain trek when you reach the Machu Picchu site however, this is quite strenuous. We chose not to do it due to timing, plus weariness. We were told the views were outstanding. The trek should also include a free bus from the Machu Picchu office to a nearby town, Aguas Calientes, where you can have a late lunch and then catch the train to Ollyantaytambo. Our trek train was booked for 6pm whereas others were booked for 2pm which was far better a time to get back to Cusco. We arrived at Cusco via bus (2hrs) after the train trip at 10.30pm with a desire for sleep.

On the trek take care doing selfies … we suspect a man was doing this in his late 30s who fell some 30m down and was lucky to be rescued and with no broken bones. A close call. His camera totally shattered on the way down onto rocks. We arrived some 5 minutes after.

I trust the above information was helpful. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.