We “slept in” until 7:00am, having woken up at 5:30am to check if we might catch the sunrise (too cloudy) and then grabbed breakfast before meeting our guide at 8:30am to get on the trail.
Only 600 people per day are allowed the hike Machu Picchu Mountain (so get your tickets well ahead of time) and they are split into two groups. One group can enter between 7-8am and the others between 9-10am. We were in the latter group and timed it perfectly to reach the entrance at exactly 9:00am. The hike to the top covers 3,000 feet of vertical rise and covers about 4 miles. For those of us with bad knees and/or a fear of heights, it is definitely a challenge. This is Peru, so there are no railings or safety nets and many part of the trail are only a couple of feet wide, up very steep slopes and along the cliffs edge. Getting the top (and back down) was definitely hard for both of us, but we managed to pull it off (although it took us longer than most to make the round-trip – 3 ½ hours compared to 2 ½ hours for “most” others).
We made it back to the hotel at around 1:00pm, and although we had checked out this morning and left our luggage, the hotel provides restrooms for “checked out” patrons to use for showering and changing clothes. This was a total life saver, as we were both pretty ripe from the hike and needed a hot shower to clean up and relax our tired muscles. From there, we took the bus (the only transportation available, aside from walking) back down to Aquas Calientes. The bus ride is a little harrowing. The road is not paved and follows multiple switch-backs along a narrow path, right along the cliffs edge. The drivers drive the route many, many times a day, so they are pros, but it’s still gets the heart racing.
The hotel arranged to bring us our luggage closer to 4:00pm when our train was departing for Cusco, so we had a few hours to kill in Aquas Calientes. Our guide had recommended a restaurant in town, Indio Feliz and it did not disappoint. We were both famished after our 8 mile hike and devoured the pepper chicken and pineapple chicken that we ordered. From lunch, we headed back to the train station, stopping along the way for a coffee to perk us up. Rain had started to fall, but once we got to the train station, the porter took us and our luggage to a lounge area, reserved for Belmond customers (yet another perk). The train ride was unremarkable. Our seat mates (from Barcelona) had just been to Bolivia prior to Peru and definitely convinced us to add Bolivia to our bucket list!
We got to the Poroy train station a little after 8:00pm and Ubered to our hotel, the Palacio Del Inca. It had been recommend by some close friends. The hotel was beautiful, but unfortunately, it was late and we were beat, so we didn’t get to use and amenities, like the spa (which our friends raved about). We’ve got an early flight tomorrow back to Lima, so we just grabbed a bite at the lobby bar and headed for bed. More tomorrow from Lima on our last day in Peru!