Hiking – Traveling Mark

Hiking to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes

Even though the super costly ticket to Machu Picchu permits the visitor to enter the Lost City of the Incas for only half a day, you lose part of the half-day to standing in line at the office selling tickets in Aguas Calientes, because even when they’re open, they refuse to sell the tickets any sooner than 2 hours before the permitted visit begins.

If you factor in the fact that you will spend at least 2 hours in line because thousands of people will show up to get the ticket, and unless you shell out an additional $12 US for the bus ride up there, you will also need another hour of ultra strenuous hike up a steep hill to reach the gate of the ancient citadel, despite shelling out $46 US for the half-day entry, you will have lost one-fourth or one-third of that limited time allowance trying to get the paperwork for the entry in order.

That was certainly the case with me, but whereas I already stood in line and shelled out 152 Soles for the entry ticket, once I had it, I hit the road to get up there. And let me tell you, ascending that hill is no walk in the park.

Photo: Metal Bridges Over the Vilcanota River After Which the Trail Up Hill to Machu Picchu Starts

It involved about 15 minutes of backtracking through Aguas Calientes back toward Hidroelectrica, until one reaches the metal bridgeS over the Vilcanota River shortly after which a sign will direct you off the windy road used by the buses and onto the trail for hikers with an apparent wish to spit out their lungs on the super steep hill.

Photo: Beginning of Hiking Trail Up to Machu Picchu Is Marked with This Sign

Let me say that again – that hike is steep. The stone steps laid on the slope to make the hike possible will force you to raise your feet up high to make each step, and it will squeeze every bit of energy out of your thigh muscles so you better have some if you decide to undertake the hike instead of taking the bus. Your heart will be pounding along the way too, as from the moment you take the first step up, all the way to the last, you will be going through some serious cardio exercise with high demand for oxygen.

And as you go up, you realize that once you go down, the strain will be moved from your heart onto your knees. Because the hill is really steep, there is a significant height difference between individual steps so going down will force you to land really hard on your feet, putting high strain on your knees right from the start. And that will last all the way down. I think in my personal case, the way down wore me out more, because my knees really took the beating there. My thighs were trembling by the time I got up, but the muscle exhaustion wore out after a while. The wear to my knees however accompanied me for months after descending Machu Picchu.

Photo: Plaques Paying Homage to Hiram Bingham - Discoverer of Machu Picchu Can Be Encountered at the Top of the Hill — Photo: Plaques Paying Homage to Hiram Bingham – Discoverer of Machu Picchu Can Be Encountered at the Top of the Hill

Also, you better wear a pair of quality hiking boots with strong soles, because going down those steep stone steps will put their durability to the test. And without strong soles on your shoes, it will be the soles of your feet that will take the beating.

As with any challenging hike, make sure you hydrate well before the start and tag along a bottle of extra water to keep yourself hydrated along the way. Some light snack could also be helpful, even though I didn’t bother with one myself.

Whereas the hiking trail follows the right side of the road made for the buses, it intersects with the road on a few occasions, so the option to avoid the steep trail and follow the switchbacks on less steep, but longer road exists. I considered that option a few times, especially while going down because the steep steps were really making it hard on my knees, but whereas it rained on the day of my visit to Machu Picchu, the frequent buses turned the road to muddy hell so continuing along the incomparably cleaner stone trail was much sounder at the time. Moreover, the Peruvian drivers are not particularly known for being respectful of pedestrians so sharing the narrow road with multiple buses squeezing in from both direction could be potentially hazardous to one’s life.

There is one intersection of the hiking trail with the bus road that will force you to walk up the road a bit anyway, and look for the spot where the trail continues. It’s somewhat marked, but not immediately obvious after initially getting on the road.

Along the upper sections of the trail you will encounter a few local women selling refreshments and whereas the majority of the people take the bus up and down the mountain, they are rather aggressive with the few who take the mountain on foot.

Photo: While Most of Trail Up Machu Picchu Mountain Offers No Views, There Are Some Interesting Moments Toward the Top

Overall, if you like to challenge yourself, I’d recommend that you take the hike. Though fact of a matter is that this hike would be done for the challenge, not for the views, as there are hardly any due to the vistas being blocked by trees, but you’ll get the views once you get up to the citadel. If however you’re not somewhat physically fit, or you have sensitive knees, you’re probably better off taking the bus. Although it will likely have been the most expensive bus ride of your life. But then again, everything about Machu Picchu is expensive and it’s purposefully maintained that way.

Hidroelectrica to Aguas Calientes – Scenic Walk Along Train Tracks

Hidroelectrica, as the last place accessible by a car on the way to Machu Picchu, always has some locals hanging around trying to sell the hoards of tourists passing by stuff. There are also a few restaurants and shops selling fruits and water along the way, but they are all very overpriced. One restaurant I passed also had a sign that they exchanged money, so I asked what kind of rate they offered for US dollars, and the woman told me she’d give me 3 Soles for each Dollar. The official exchange rate at the time was 3.39 Soles for a Dollar, so like everything else, changing money at Hidroelectrica was not worth it.

Photo: Beginning of the Foot Trail at Hidroelectrica with Warning that Walking on Train Tracks Is Prohibited

From where you get dropped off, the foot trail follows a train track, but if you follow that one, you will soon hit a dead end. There is a rather inconspicuous turn heading steep up hill to the right after a couple minutes of walking, which looks like it’s a way to one of the restaurants. And it indeed is, but it also gets you to the other train tracks which are higher up. Those are the tracks that go around the hill all the way to Aguas Calientes.

Photo: You Need to Take This Detour from Main Trail at Hidroelectrica in Order to Get on Right Path to Aguas Calientes

So basically, if right at the beginning of your trek from Hidroelectrica to Aguas Calientes you did not get your heart pumping by following a trail heading steeply up the hill to your right, you’re going the wrong way and will have to backtrack because the trail you are on leads nowhere. I did it too.

Photo: This Is the Upper Trail That Actually leads to Aguas Calientes

Once on the upper tracks, you’re good to go. Several minutes in and you will pass under a short tunnel, and a few more minutes later, you’ll hit a bridge over the Vilcanota River which has carved the canyon that forms the base for Machu Picchu.

Photo: Railway Bridge Over the Vilcanota River with Footpath on the Right

There are several signs along the tracks informing you that it’s prohibited to cross the tracks, but at a number of locations, the tracks cross over creeks giving the hiker no option but to actually walk on the tracks. Besides, the trail that follows the tracks is at one point on the left, and at the other on the right, so like it or not, you will cross on the tracks several times.

Photo: Hiker to Aguas Calientes Will Have to Walk on Train Tracks Because of Passes Over Creeks Like This One

Even though the trail is at the bottom of the canyon carved by the Vilcanota River and follows the hill housing Machu Picchu, you will not get any reasonable glimpse of the lost citadel from down there. Still, unless it rains on you, the walk is scenic and the nature as well as the surrounding hills spectacular. You may even get passed by one of the trains.

There are a few restaurants along the trail as well, but as with everything in this proximity, they are expensive. One fellow with a stall was selling young coconuts, but wanted way too much for them so I gave it a pass. It would have been nice to recharge with natural electrolytes, but not at 10 Soles a pop.

Photo: Hidroelectrica to Aguas Clientes Trail Offers Spectacular Views, But View of Machu Picchu Remains Hidden

If you’re a fast walker and keep your foot steady on the rocky trail, you should get to Aguas Calientes in about an hour and a half from Hidroelectrica. Except for the short uphill steep hike at the beginning, the trail is flat, so it’s not that brutal on your cardio. It’s just a bit hard on the feet, because it’s rocky, so make sure you have good hiking boots on.

Photo: Except in Beginning, the Trail to Aguas Calientes is on Flat Surface and Tracks the Vilcanota River

But then, once you get to Aguas Caliente, unless you’re cool staying in one of the priciest hotels at the beginning of the town, your trip will finish you off with forcing you to hike steep streets of the town to get to the more economical hostels. There is a tone of them in Aguas Calientes, as the town is as touristy as it gets. But if you’ve made it there, you’ve made it to the foot of Machu Picchu.

Photo: First Glimpse of Aguas Calientes from Trail After 10 Kilometers of Walking from Hidroelectrica

Other than in Aguas Calientes, the only way to stay any closer to Machu Picchu would be to book a room at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, where a night costs $1,000+. If you’re one of the poeple who can afford to shell out this much for a night in a hotel, then you will sleep outside the entrance to the Inca Citadel. For the rest of us, there is Aguas Calientes, or Mchu Picchu Pueblo, as the Peruvian government is trying to rebrand the town.

Photo: Tourist Signage on Trail Between Hidroelectrica and Aguas Calientes

Here’s also a short video of a PeruRail train that passed me by about three quarters of the hike to Aguas Calientes. This seems to have been just a locomotive that didn’t have any couches transporting people hooked on:

Hike Up Rainbow Mountain in Peru – First Time Over 5 KM Above Sea

The Rainbow Mountain, locally known as La Montaña de los Siete Colores (The Mountain of Seven Colors), or by its official name of Vinicunca (sometimes spelled Winicunca), is one of the newest attractions in Peru. The mountain however belongs to the people of Pitumarca, who call it the “Cerro Colorado“.

Photo: Rainbow Mountain - I Did It! — Photo: Rainbow Mountain – I Did It!

Up until a few years ago, it was under the permanent layer of snow and ice, and nothing made it special or attractive. But as the snow receded, it uncovered the mountainous formation dyed in various shades, product of the complex combination of minerals.

Despite its local name of the Mountain of Seven Colors, according to the information provided by our tour guide, the scientists identified five colors on the slopes and the summit of the Rainbow Mountain – red, purple, green, yellow, and pink – all deposited the base color of the mountain itself.

Photo: Ausangate Sacred Mountain Gave Rise to the Popularity of the Rainbow Mountain

Had you visited the Rainbow Mountain prior to 2016, you would likely be the only one hiking the high altitude trail to its 5,200 meter above the sea level summit. However because it is located on the way to the imposing Ausangate – the snow-covered mountain with an elevation of 6,384 metres – adventurers who dared to ascend Ausangate in 2016 took photos of Vinicunca which they then shared on the social media, sparking the interest in the mountain. Since then, the popularity of the Rainbow Mountain exploded and now it receives hundreds, if not thousands of visitors a day, making it one of the most visited places in the Cusco region of Peru – along of course with Machu Picchu.

Photo: Trail to the Rainbow Mountain Was Littered with Tourists Braving the 5,000 Meters Elevation

The road to the Rainbow Mountain is along a canyon with narrow passage carved into the steep cliffs of its sides. You have no choice but to trust your bus driver that he knows what he’s doing, with the understanding that if he messes up, you’re dead, but so is he. In other words – he has as much incentive to drive safe as you have the hope he will.

Photo: Sketchy Road Along Canyon Leading to the Rainbow Mountain

Through the whole ride there and back, I was telling myself that one day I will remember it as something crazy I have once done, and that I’m glad I did not die there, but while I was at it, I was realizing I was riding on the Grim Reaper’s tail the whole time and at any given time there were mere inches separating me from certain death. One wrong move on the driver’s part, and everyone in the bus is dead.

There was not a person on the bus who was not clenching his or her butt cheeks so tightly, you couldn’t jam a sharpened hair up anyone’s ass crack, but it was the ones sitting on the side of the bus facing the canyon who were breathless the most. The wheels on that side of the bus were gliding on the edge of the cliff, and there was a long way down. It constantly felt like you’re better off not knowing just how close you are to the edge, and just how far down it is.

Before the final ascend with the bus, we crossed the canyon over the shadiest looking wood bridge ever. That would have induced grasps for air if we were to walkover it on foot, yet we drove over it with the bus. Each of us gasped when we did it. Damn!

Shortly after the bridge, we stopped at the toll booth where our guide paid for everybody’s entrance and our vehicle drove to the parking area, from where we commenced the hike. There were several other vans used as tour buses parked up there, suggesting a high number of hikers on the trail.

Photo: Long High Altitude Trail to the Peak Overlooking the Rainbow Mountain

Locals with horses were offering an option to reach the mountain without straining your heart and lungs, and a number of locals including children were stationed along the trail, selling heavily overprices snacks and beverages, including coca tea for altitude sickness. I asked one horseman how many times he ascends the mountain on an average day, he told me that he does it twice – impressive physical fitness in those people.

Photo: Until Visitors to Rainbow Mountain Were Able to Hire Horses Lead by Locals in Traditional Costumes

The trail offers spectacular views along each step. There are mountain peaks in every direction, some tall enough to be permanently under snow cover. In places you notice the glaciers giving way to mountain lakes, which then trickle down as creeks that carve out the canyon.

A number of domesticated llamas and alpacas are encountered along the trail.

Photo: Long and Strenuous Hike Up the Rainbow Mountain

The hike itself is rather strenuous, but no part of it is overly dangerous. It starts easy with there being only a slight incline, but it keeps getting steeper the further up you get. If not for the altitude, the trail itself would likely not be such a challenge. But it was the altitude that made everyone daring the trip work for it.

Photo: Red Valley Is Adjacent to the Rainbow Mountain

I myself felt like my muscles definitely had what it takes to get up and down the mountain, but the heart and the lungs were getting a heavy work out. The final approach toward the Rainbow slope was the steepest, so ascending that really tested my respiratory system’s strength and endurance. You could see on everyone’s face how hard of a time they were having taking each step further.

Photo: Standing on the Outcrop Adjacent to the Rainbow Mountain

Taking frequent breaks was unavoidable. Everybody was taking them. Only the ones who took the easy way by hiring a horse passed by us with ease, but even for them keeping their breath up was not so easy. But for us who were also under physical strain, for us the challenge was real.

It was for these reasons why once we reached the top, we were giving one another hugs and were celebrating together like we’ve just achieved great victory. Because we all did. We won over ourselves. We faced a personal challenge and we pushed through. The feeling of unbelievable achievement is difficult to describe. It has to be experienced. It’s hard to climb the Rainbow Mountain. It’s really hard, but if you fight through it regardless, and keep going even after your body has told you a million times it wants to quit, you’ll experience the feeling of achieving what you did not think you were capable of, and that feeling is incredible.

Photo: Smile You Wear After Pushing Yourself Into Succeeding

The access to the Rainbow Mountain itself is prohibited, apparently with the intent to preserve its delicate surface. From the foot of the Rainbow Mountain, one can continue up to the outcrop from where there are the best views of the mountain colored slopes. The top of the outcrop, named Montana Winikunka, is at the elevation of 5,036 meters above the sea level. That is just a little lower than the Mount Everest base camp.

Photo: Sign Prohibiting Access to the Rainbow Mountain

This was the first time in my life to have climbed to the altitude in excess of 5,000 meters and having achieved that felt amazing.

Photo: Mountain Winikunka - First Time in My Life Climbing to More than 5,000 Meters Above Sea Level — Photo: Mountain Winikunka – First Time in My Life Climbing to More than 5,000 Meters Above Sea Level

From the Rainbow Mountain, an option exists to detour to the Red Valley, but this was not included in the tour I took. The combination of the two is usually done as a two day tour with a camping stay overnight on the mountain.

Photo: Rugged Red Valley with Slope of Rainbow Mountain in Bottom Left

What the future holds for the Rainbow Mountain is anyone’s guess, at this stage. The locals have been milking the living hell out of the high popularity that’s exploded over the past couple of years, but on March 16, 2018, a mining concession was made to the territory where the mountain is located. The Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute of Peru handed over mining rights to the Canadian mining company Camino Minerals. I’m glad I got to experience the mountain before heavy machinery rolls in and the are is turned into a mining ground.

Photo: Climb Up the Rainbow Mountain - What an Experience — Photo: Climb Up the Rainbow Mountain – What an Experience

With all its ups and downs, he Rainbow Mountain became the best place I visited during my stay in Peru. Unfortunately, it was followed by the worst – the trip to Machu Picchu.

Here’s a short video from the hike and the joys of having reached the top:

Buying Rainbow Mountain Tour in Cusco While Staying at El Viajero

Having concluded my weekend in Lima, I returned to Cusco. The 22 hours long bus ride seemed as neverending as when I went the opposite way.

Instead of going back to Hostal Margarita where I stayed when I first visited Cusco, I however decided to try out El Viajero Hospedaje, because it was close to the bus terminal. I quickly came to regret the decision.

El Viajero

The room at El Viajero cost 30 Soles, the same as at Hostal Margarita, but to my shock, after an hour of stay, the owner switched off the wifi router, shutting off the internet for me.

When I confronted him about it, he said I’ll only get an hour of internet, and if I want more, I would have to pay for it. I quickly said I’m canceling my stay there and demanded my money back, because before moving in, I had done what I always do with every single place before I pay for a room – I asked whether the rooms come with free wifi internet. Whereas he confirmed I’d get free internet with the room, I agreed to stay there, so now that he was changing the rules after the game has started, I was having none of his crap.

With unshakeable determination I told him I demanded my money back and proceeded to pack up in order to immediately leave. After that, he said he’s gonna turn the internet back on for me, although after a few hours, he turned it off once again.

That sparked another argument from me, until he eventually agreed not to turn it off again.

Booking Tour to Rainbow Mountain

Meanwhile, I went out to find out what it’d cost to book a tour to the Rainbow Mountain. I have never heard of the Rainbow Mountain before (known locally as la Montana de Los Siete Colores – the Mountain of Seven Colors), but it was strongly recommended way back after I had just landed in Peru, and hang out in downtown Lima with Isadora from Brazil.

Photo: This Is Emma, She Is British, We Climber Part of the Rainbow Mountain Trail Together

I went to a few tour operators in Cusco and enquired about the prices for the Rainbow Mountain. While there were some overpriced options, general cost seemed to be in the neighborhood of 60 Soles for the trip, including the 10 Soles entrance fee (Peruvians milk tourists every chance they get, so every time there is a new attraction, they instantly introduce an entrance fee).

Several tour operators advertised what they promoted as a great price for the trip to the Rainbow Mountain at 50 Soles, but that was just a marketing gimmick, because unlike the regular 60 Soles worth tours, the 50 Soles ones did not include the 10 Soles entrance fee so the end cost for the unaware tourist would in the end be the same anyway. It would appear that the deceptive marketing works out well, because in the tour bus I took, all but two people fell for it, thinking they got a better deal.

Photo: Alpaca Calmly Grazes on Grass Along the Trail to Rainbow Mountain

The Rainbow Mountain tours start early in the mornring. The include pickup from the hotel and I was told to be ready for my pickup at 4:30 am. Whereas the tour would last whole day, what it meant for me was that I would have to leave my room at El Viajero with my backpack, because there was no way I was staying there for another night

I would have preferred to have stayed in a reasonable place where I would have been able to leave my baggage while I’m up on the mountain, but El Viajero simply wasn’t that place, so I had no option but to haul all my crap with me, so I can book me a room elsewhere after I’ve returned from the Rainbow Mountain. Standard check out time in Cusco is ridiculous 10am. The return from the Rainbow Mountain was not expected until 5pm.

Photo: Indigenous Girl I Met on the Way to the Rainbow Mountain

As is also pretty standard with tours in Peru, even though I got up at 4am in order to be ready for the pickup at 4:30 as per the instructions I got, the tour bus didn’t show up to pick me up until 6:30am. I would have gotten 2 hours more sleep, had they been up front with me that nobody’s gonna bother picking me up nowhere near on time. After my previous experience booking a tour in Peru, I should have known better.

Food Included

The Rainbow Mountain tour also included breakfast and lunch. As is almost always the case, each time the tour comes with a meal included, you’d be better off paying less for the tour and not have it included, and either bring your own sustenance with you, or pay for your own food along the way.

Photo: Drivable Section of the Road Leading up to the Rainbow Mountain Trail

The included food is in a restaurant that pays the best commission, and it’s mass produced to maximize profit. I was told it would be a buffet style service, but all there was for the breakfast buffet were a few baked breads with butter and jam, plus a cup of tea. The latter was the only thing I used, as pure carbohydrates with no nutritious value of the rest did not attract me at all. Luckily, as far as the tea was involved, the restaurant did provide coca leaves, which are known for being beneficial when braving high altitude, and give the drinker a bit of an energy boost.

The lunch, which was served in the same restaurant on the way back from the mountain, was not a big win either. A tray of rice, a tray of a bit of chicken, a plate of lettuce and a pot of soup were provided, but there was so little of each, by the time one half of the bus filled up their bowls with soup, there was none left, and likewise, with the exception of rice of which there seemed to be enough, only the first ones at the tray of chicken got a reasonable portion.

Photo: Restaurant Was Not Much, But Mountainous Scenery It Was In Was Breathtaking

Basically, for my breakfast buffet I got a cup of coca tea, and for my lunch buffet I got a scrap of chicken with a small side of veggies and that was it. The jugs of juice that accompanied the lunch were filled with some syrup water loaded with sugar.

Other than that, the trip to the Rainbow Mountain itself was amazing. For me, it counted as the best experience I have had in Peru, mostly because it was the first time I climbed to over 5,000 meters above the sea level and even though it was tough on my body, I pushed myself and battled through the low oxygen environment and did it. The feeling of accomplishment was amazing, as were the views of the spectacular mountainous scenery.

Photo: Those Not Fit Enough to Hike Up the High Elevation Trail, Can Use Services of the Many Horsemen with Horses

Just as Isadora strongly recommended a trip to the Rainbow Mountain to me, I also strongly recommend it to anyone visiting Peru. It’s a high altitude hike so it’s not a walk through a park, but if you push through and reach the top, the reward will be very much worth it.