Hiking, cycling and zip-lining: Malek Murison makes his way from Cusco to Machu Picchu via the Inca Jungle Trek. Was this a wise move for someone who’s not overly keen on hiking, and whose companion doesn’t like heights?
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Cusco to Machu Picchu
I can see how Cusco might come as a bit of a shock to travellers in South America, especially if you’ve come from the quieter cities in the south of Peru or up through Bolivia. It’s a whole lot more in-your-face touristy than most other places, with a bustling market, tour operators everywhere and an incredible amount of persistent ladies selling massages. This is all with good reason though: Cusco is the nearest city to Machu Picchu, and is the most popular departure point for those looking to explore the lost city of the Incas.
There are plenty of different ways of getting to Machu Picchu. Many people simply take the train into Aguas Calientes, a small town at the foot of Machu Picchu mountain, but others seek more adventurous ways of reaching what is one of the seven new wonders of the world. The most famous is the classic Inca Trail, which takes you on a weeklong trek through spectacular scenery and historically significant sites before arriving at Machu Picchu. Unfortunately if you want to walk this track you need to book months and months in advance, so instead I chose a different option: The Inca Jungle Trek, which promised a little more than just endless hiking. I’m not the biggest fan of walking that you’ll find, so a stroll with other activities including cycling, white water rafting and zip-lining sounded ideal, especially when on a four day adventure to the mystical, forgotten city of the Incas.
Inca Jungle Trek
Day one was pretty unique. Our group was collected early and driven up to 4,500m above sea level toward the wonderfully smooth, tarmacked mountain pass of Abra Malaga. It’s really a world away from the bumpy bus journeys associated with most of South America, so I guess the hordes of tourists do come with benefits. After climbing for around two hours we were given bicycles and body armour before setting off on what proved to be an unbelievable cycle ride. The entire route was downhill, while the scenery was truly spectacular, with sweeping mountain vistas surrounding us in all directions. The only downside was the wet weather, but apart from that it was definitely one of my best days on a bike.
We ended day one with an afternoon of White Water Rafting on the Urubamba River. I’d done a little rafting in Arequipa, further south, but this time was a lot more surreal. Night was starting to fall, and the rafting company seemed to be run by a group of lost boy, Peter Pan types. They were all about fifteen, so we were all a little reluctant to put our lives in their hands. It all worked out okay though, although I threw up all of my lunch midway through the rapids – probably the highlight for everyone involved. There’s definitely something magical about drifting down the Urubamba. The river is held in high esteem by the locals, and was incredibly significant to the Incas during the time of their civilisation.
The second day was a full day of hiking, which I’ll admit I wasn’t really looking forward to. Anyone who knows me can tell you that walking in general is one of my least favourite things to do, so when I was forced to walk pretty fast, mostly uphill, and in humid, jungle conditions, it was a recipe for disaster. It didn’t really go that way though, and I began to actually enjoy it, especially as we gained altitude and the scenery became an easy distraction for tired legs and aching feet.
The friend I was travelling with struggled for a small part of the journey, when his fear of heights left him clinging to walls, very tentatively making his way along an extremely narrow ridge which had an extremely steep drop with guaranteed death on the other side. He did it though, and I was really proud of him. It’s not easy to continue in the face of the thing you fear the most – something I know only too well from the time when I was sitting a mock GCSE English exam and there were two massive bumblebees in the room. They weren’t even flying around, just crawling eerily up the walls. It was terrifying, and I failed.
After a long, tough day of trekking we had one last river crossing to overcome before reaching the promised land of the thermal springs in Santa Teresa. We were winched across in twos, dangling over the river in a small box attached to a wire rope. It was great fun. It wasn’t long before we arrived at the thermal springs. God it was good! Thermal springs are decent at the best of times, but feel that little bit more special when you’ve really earned it.
Our final day of trekking was the walk to Aguas Calientes, which is the town at the foot of Machu Picchu. But first, we had one final activity, Zip-lining, to do in the morning. It was nuts. The basic premise is that some crazy Peruvians fix a steel cable across a canyon. You then attach yourself to this cable and pretty much jump off the edge of a cliff and hope for the best. It’s the kind of thing that, were you to stop for a second and think about exactly what it is you are about to do, no rational mind would agree to it and continue. My aforementioned travel companion took one look at the height and backed out, but I decided to go ahead, and there are definitely no regrets on my part. There’s nothing like the adrenaline induced by almost certain death to help you appreciate everything a little more.
Apart from the five different zip-lines that we were launched along, there was also an incredibly rickety bridge that we had to cross. Picture an Indiana Jones movie where there are loads of planks missing along the way, with the bridge swaying violently from side to side. It was hilariously dangerous, and the massive gaps between each plank meant that you had no choice but to look down at the ground hundreds of meters below. Fun!
After the zip-lining we had to walk to Aguas Calientes, which was probably my favourite part, Machu Picchu aside, of the whole trip. The majority of the trail followed the train track which runs into the town, and, with huge, imposing mountains on either side and a raging river flowing steadily all the way, it really felt like we were heading toward something special. The walk was also flat and I had some good music to keep me going, so it was pretty much as perfect as it gets.
We got up the next morning at about 5am in order to reach the gate of Machu Picchu at 6, where we met our guide and had a quick tour before wandering around by ourselves for the rest of the day. It’s such an incredible place, and watching the sun rise over the ancient ruins was unforgettable. After an action packed few days through the mountainous jungles of Peru we had arrived at an oasis of calm and cultural significance. I love nothing more than a good sit down, and for once it felt justified.
By Malek Murison