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netGallery > Jon and Sarah > World_Tour_2006 > Peru > Inca Trail Day 03 to Machu Picchu

Inca Trail Day 03 to Machu Picchu

Peru

December 2006
1 days

Day 03: Pacamayo to Wiñay Wayna (15km)

Ahhhh nice...tea in bed once again, feeling healthy and looking forward to getting this over and done with! By now we had´t washed or showered in three days and we weren't about to start now so with a quick spray under the T-shirt we were fresh and ready for breakfast.

From our breakfast tent we could see all around and we were now snug in a small dip between two massive hills. We could just see the top of Dead Mans pass that we had conquered yesterday and from that we could just make out parts of the steep path down from there to here that had taken us hours to descend. On the other side we could see the next challenge, although we were told that it was just two hours of uphill and the rest of the day (another 8 hours) would be flat or downhill, that was ever so slightly encouraging.

From Pacamayo we climbed up to the ruins of Runkuracay. These small circular ruins occupy a commanding position overlooking the Pacamayo valley below. These were the first decent ruins we'd seen in a while and it was nice to stop there for half an hour and be informed about them and take time to study and admire them. It was here that we were shown an actual Inca Spirit level which was a long flat stone with a hollowed out rectangle that would have been filled with water as water always finds it own level. Clever little Incas!

We climbed further and passed a small lake only to spot two small deer drinking from the other side. We got some shots but a more powerful zoom was definitely needed here. A further hike brought us to the top of the second pass: Abra de Runkuracay (4,000m). We'd made it.... yes yes yes!!! We really now felt we could do this even actually enjoy it.

At this point we were literally walking along the trail of the Incas with the paving being mostly original. I was now on top form but it was poor Sarah's turn to feel under the weather. She had nausea and felt sick during the descent down the steps from the pass as it was extremely steep.

But now the scenery was really starting to get great with this section of the trail, up until the 3rd pass, crossing high stone embankments and skirting deep precipices. For an hour we walked this raised embankment which had built built up alongside the mountain rock face and had a huge drop the other side. It clung to the contours of landscape and at times was even tunneled through carved out sections of rock complete with internal staircases which were all carved out of one piece of stone. Amazing and fun!

After the 2nd pass we arrived at Sayacmarca by way of a superbly designed stone staircase. The name Sayacmarca means 'Inaccessible Town' and describes the position of the ruins perfectly, protected on three sides by sheer cliffs. No one knows the exact purpose of these ruins. After this we stopped for lunch and relaxation for an hour.

To rejoin the trail we had to backtrack a little as the trail passes Conchamarca, a small Inca dwelling situated in the shadows of Sayacmarca, which was probably a tambo for weary travelers on their way to Machu Picchu. From then on the path descends into magnificent cloud forest full of orchids, hanging mosses, tree ferns and flowers. The views along this section were breathtaking but we didn't have time to stop for long. We had a deadline!

The trail then climbed up to the 3rd pass (3,700m). The view from the pass offered views of several snow-capped peaks including Salkantay (6,180m) and Veronica (5,750m). A few minutes after the pass was Phuyupatamarca, the most impressive Inca ruin so far. The name means 'Town in the Clouds'. Access to the ruins was down a steep flight of stairs passing six 'Inca Baths' probably used for the ritual worship of water.
We left the site via an impressive Inca staircase leading from the west side of the ruins and descended the thousands of steps. We were told this section would take about 4 hours in which time we would step down over two or three thousand large inca steps. This section really took it out of Sarah and she regularly stopped in an attempt to be sick. Maybe some kind of vertigo or motion sickness from the crazily paved mozaic before our eyes constantly changing shape as we moved further down each level. This really was hard work and some steps were up to your knee and falling or missing your footing could have resulted in a twisted ankle or broken leg quite easily. It lasted for over 5 hours at our mediocre pace and was mind numbing but eventually after walking through cloudforest we caught a glimpse of the tin roof of the Trekkers Hostal which was next to our campsite...although we had seen it, it would be another hour until we got there. Wiñay Wayna is the last official campsite before Machu Picchu, which in itself was a very exciting prospect.

We were due to meet the group and arrived just in the nick of time to accompany them to the ruins of Wiñay Wayna. The name in Quechua means 'forever young' and is named after a variety of pink orchid which grows here. The ruins comprise magnificent agricultural terraces set in an impressive location. There were many buildings of good quality stonework and a sequence of 10 baths, suggesting that the site was probably a religious center. Ritual cleansing may have taken place here for pilgrims on the final leg of the trail to Machu Picchu. This must have truly been a beautiful and peaceful place to live.

This campsite had showering facilities a bar and tacky discotheque of which we only made us of the bar! Our first beer and you really don't know how good that felt. We knew now that we only had to survive tonight, wake up horribly early tomorrow and walk the final hour to the wonderful site of Macchu Pichu. We ate our last supper and said good bye and thanks to our chefs and porters as they would pack up in the morning and leave us after breakfast. We elected a spokesman to convey our deepest thanks in Spanish (thanks Marco) and we tipped them.

Being quite jungley we were all a bit nervy about the large insects that were buzzing around and a few girls screamed climbing in to their tent when a grasshopper or cockroach the size of a Mars Bar leapt out at them. We fell asleep but were awoken during the night to torrential rain praying it would ease up by 3:30am when we were expecting our alarm call...... Did it?...........