Km 104 – Wiñay Wayna – Intipunku
We pick you up early at your hotel in Cusco and drive across the Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo, where you take the train to Km 104, the starting point of the Inca Trail. You arrive around 10:00 a.m.; here the authorities check your permit along with your original passport. After crossing a bridge and a short climb, you reach Chachabamba (2,150 m), an altar where the Incas worshipped the Sun and the Apus; your guide shows you the coca-leaf offering that local people still practice.
You keep climbing for about four hours to Wiñay Wayna (2,650 m), “forever young” in Quechua, an administrative center of Machu Picchu with terraces, ceremonial areas and the Temple of the 7 Windows. After the tour you eat your box lunch in the rest area, where you can refill your bottle and use the restrooms.
After about an hour through humid forest you reach Intipunku, the Sun Gate, with your first view of Machu Picchu between Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu mountains. Then you take the bus down to Aguas Calientes, where you spend the night at a hotel; if you still have energy, you can visit the hot springs. Summary: 11 km, 695 m of ascent, maximum altitude of 2,720 m, warm and humid weather.
Overnight: Aguas Calientes
