Camino Inka | Day I & II | Peru Travel Photography

The legendary Inca Trail, the highlight of our trip to Peru. Our 3-night, 4-day trek towards the citadel of Machu Picchu began with a 5:00am pickup from our hotel in Cusco. After an hour long bus ride that included several breakdowns, us and 12 other hikers in our group arrived in Ollantaytambo to have some breakfast before setting off. We passed through a gate, walked across the Urubamba River, and we were off. Day 1 was relatively easy, with some amazing views of the river valley. We passed several working farms and livestock, and eventually settled in at our first campsite. The food that Peru Treks made was incredible, and they really did treat us like royalty. Day 2, we were told, was to be the hardest day, and they weren't lying.

At daybreak, it started raining as we trekked through the jungle. Negotiating the wet stone steps straight up wasn't easy. After a couple hours we stopped for a break and we could see the main goal for the day in the distance, Dead Woman's Pass. It is the highest point on that trail, at over 14,000 ft above sea level, and it was all stairs straight up there. The altitude forced us to stop every 10 steps or so and try to catch our breath while we chewed on coca leaves. Eventually, we made it up and it was an immense feeling of relief and accomplishment. The views we were rewarded with on either side of the pass were remarkable. After only a few minutes, we headed down more stairs on the other side of the pass. When Tessa and I reached camp, we were almost too exhausted to eat, but we eventually recovered and enjoyed another fantastic dinner.

In case you missed: LIMA, CUSCO - DAY 1, CUSCO - DAY 2,

Day 3 & Day 4 at Machu Picchu coming soon!