Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, Days 3 & 4

[ day 3 ]

With another early start at 5 a.m., we quickly drank our coca tea, packed up the tent, and sat down for a breakfast of bread, omelettes, and oatmeal. The pain from the first two days was beginning to catch up to us as the foot blisters started to set in. The mules that had carried our tents and supplies would turn around at this point, and additional transport would take the gear to our next site. The third day we would follow the river just over 10 miles until we reached the small village of Santa Teresa. There, we would have the chance to soak our muscles in the hot springs just outside town. The walk through the jungle was amazing since just a day before we were trekking through snow and rain in a mountainous landscape. We set out by 6 a.m. fully covered in bug spray and sunscreen.

The bridge that used dirt as its glue

Looking back at our camp

Amazing views of the valley soon after leaving camp

Salkantay Shanta

Three waterfalls

The jungle

Shanta navigating the steep terrain

Roadblock

With my lucky England shorts anything is possible

Interesting flora on the trail

The first course at lunch

The hot springs felt amazing

Our group getting wild by the campfire

[ day 4 ]

Day four started just like the rest, except for feeling a little tired from the campfire the night before. We shook it off with some coca tea and hot breakfast. The plan for the day was different for each person in the group. Some would go zip-lining, others would take the bus with the zip liners, and the rest of us would hike. Shanta and I wanted to hike the entire route so we opted to forgo the ziplines. We were all going to meet up at the midway point at the hydroelectric plant and hike to the base of Machu Picchu at Aguas Calientes. The twelve miles of hiking was well worth it. The views were amazing, and with a smaller group of hikers it allowed us to move at a quicker pace. 

                                                                                                                 

The last of the hikers
Waterfall that cuts through the center of the mountain
Quicksand, my deepest childhood fear
Another amazing waterfall
We lost Shanta
Getting closer to our goal
This picture does not do justice to the scale of this rock face

After our small group made it to the hydroelectric plant, we waited over an hour for the rest of the group to meet up. Shanta and I decided to buy a lunch while we waited for the group to bring our second helping of food. After the group caught up and we had our food, we set out with our main packs for the final push to Aguas Calientes. It was a fairly easy walk, however the weight of the packs did not make it a breeze.

Setting off again after lunch
Look at that smile
One of the options to get to Machu Picchu, sit on a train
Guardian of the train tracks
We made it to Aguas, all that was left was Machu Picchu