Hiking the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu & 7 days in Cusco

We're at the airport. It begins. Boarding plane number one. First flight is like five hours or something? Five hours. Yeah. So our journey to Peru began with a flight from Vancouver to Newark. Now that was about five hours and 45 minutes. Once we arrived in Newark, Maggie convinced me to go to New York for literally two hours because we did have a seven hour layover. And it was about an hour there. We went and had something to eat because we were really hungry and then just went straight back to the airport. But it was honestly fun to just go into the city for a little bit. We made it back on time anyway. And then flight number two was from Newark to Bogota. It was an overnight. It was like just over five hours. Then our last flight was from Bogota to Cusco. It was about three hours. And then on June 9th, we finally arrived in Cusco. Hello and welcome to our room. So this is our hotel for one night in Cusco. And then we're going to a different one, but it's genuinely so beautiful. The bathroom. Beautiful, spacious. We have a shower. Lots of room. Lots of room in here, especially for these tall ladies. And it echoes great acoustics. Oh! And then we walk into the main room. It smells really nice in here. It's like wood. Yeah. We have a beautiful coat rack. It looks so beautifully crafted. This is our room. Literally gorgeous. We have a nice king size bed. It's, oh my goodness, look at all these hats. They gave us two cups of tea, which I won't be having now. And look at this. Well, we do have a view of someone else's door, but view of the beautifully crafted wood, might I add. Oh, whoa. Push it out. Ow. Wow. Anyway, time to shower and have a literally really long nap. Yeah, I need a nap. Yeah. Oh, are those like hot towels? Yes. I need to get myself one. Oh, they're so cozy. We should turn the heat on. It's kind of cold. I'm not cold. We had like a three, Maggie and I had like a three hour nap and now we're getting room service because we feel really funny and my fingers and toes are tingling and I don't feel like a human being yet. Oh, here's our dinner. Beautiful. Neither of us have much of an appetite because of this altitude, but this looks delicious. We got a little chocolate cake and what is this called? Loma Saltado. Beef and onions and peppers and shrimp. Yum. The first few days in Cusco were spent trying to acclimate to the altitude. We had a lot of walking around. What was really cool to see was the parades and everything going on because we were there just around the winter solstice, so it was very festive. A lot of things going on. We tried this cafe called the Three Monkeys. This is probably the best coffee I've ever had. If you're ever in Cusco, I would definitely recommend. And then we also did a little bit of shopping, got a couple things, and just ate a lot of really amazing food. Then on the very last day before starting our trek, we went to Awanacancha, which is a weaving center and farm with llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicuñas. Vicuñas are actually the national animal of Peru. They were so cute. She's surrounded. Everyone wants a slice. Then afterwards, our guide told us a little bit about the production and craft of traditional Peruvian textiles, and it was really cool to see a lot of the dyes that are used are natural, and everything is so beautiful and colorful. Then afterwards, we got to explore a little gift shop, which had so many, so many beautiful things. I literally wanted to buy everything. We're back from the little alpaca fun. It was really cute, and they had a little store, and I got this scarf, which I think is so, so cool. Anyway, now we have a briefing. We have a for our trek, where they're going to give us all the important information and everything that we need to know before we go, because we're going tomorrow, which is really exciting. Then we're just going to grab some dinner, come back. They give us duffel bags that we can pack up, and so we're going to pack up all our stuff, and then we leave at 4 30 in the morning. All right, everyone. It's like 4 in the morning, and off we go. Our journey began around 4 30, although I didn't get much sleep, my excitement essentially jolted me out of bed. We boarded the bus around 4 45, and had about three hours to go before we reached the trailhead. The road was winding and a little bumpy, which meant catching up on sleep was not really an option, and I also didn't really want to miss out on the views as the sun began to rise. Around 7, we stopped for breakfast, where we had eggs, bread, cheese, and some coca tea. We hopped back on the bus for another hour or so before finally arriving at the trailhead to begin the trek. All right, we're starting the trek. First, we're doing seven kilometers up to where it was going to camp, and then we're doing another three to Humantai Lake, so very exciting. The first 700 meters of the hike was essentially straight uphill, so it was a little rough. We gained almost 200 meters of elevation, and with the altitude, it was honestly pretty brutal, but luckily we took it slow, took lots of stops along the way, and shout out to Susemo, who was our guide. He was amazing. He was very accommodating to everyone and made sure we were all doing okay, and then after that uphill, the rest of the way to camp was fully flat and just over seven kilometers, which was definitely a nice reprieve from a rather grueling start. Humantai Mountain. Oh, we're gonna be walking over there. Welcome to our home for the night. It's like a little igloo. This is my bed, Maggie's bed. We got our sleeping bags. We're at 3,900 meters, and we just had a very, very lovely lunch. That was honestly so good. The food was like incredible. Exactly what we needed. Now we have a little rest before we're gonna go up to Humantai Lake, which is one and a half kilometers straight up, and then we come back down when we have dinner, and then we go to bed. So this is the plan for the day. It's so beautiful here. It's like actually insane. Maggie, how are you feeling? Never been better. Never been better. I had a bit of a despairing night. Are you gonna tell the vlog what happened? I threw up in the first half kilometer. So it's been a rough start for me, but I actually feel okay. We've passed the state of despair. Yeah, so we're all doing great. I feel like I'm kind of feeling the altitude now. I feel like I'm high. Yeah, I have a minor headache, but that's it. After a little bit of rest, we started our hike up to Humantai Lake at around 2 30. Now, it was straight uphill, but the views were definitely worth it. We just got back from Humantai Lake. It was very pretty, and I'm gonna now go get ready for dinner because we're having dinner at like six. It's like five now. It's a casual view from our room. You guys, we're literally in the mountains right now. It's like 8 p.m, and we're going to bed because we gotta wake up at 4 30. So it doesn't feel like 8 p.m. It feels like 4. It feels like 2 a.m. Yeah, I know. It feels so late, and see you tomorrow morning. As for little end of day stats, we ended up hiking just over 11 kilometers, gained 754 meters of elevation, and walking time was just over three hours. Good morning. It's 4 37. We got some tea, which was nice. I feel like I slept very lightly last night, but still got some sleep. Today's our biggest and hardest day, so we gotta pack up, get dressed, and go have some breakfast and get started. We're like starting hiking at 5 30. Potato bread. We started day two of the trek just before 6 a.m. Day two is considered the most challenging section of the hike due to the altitude and elevation gain, but I would also say that it's the most rewarding. We got to see llamas and alpacas and stunning mountain views. The first seven kilometers were uphill, and at altitude, I often found myself out of breath, but I think that was also because I came down with a minor sinus cold and could barely breathe through my nose, which definitely did not work in my favor. But luckily, Susamo provided us some coca leaves, which helped ease the effects of the altitude. We reached the Sakantai Pass just after 9 a.m., which sits at just over 4,600 meters above sea level. All right, we just reached the top, or not the mountain, but Sakantai Pass. A little chilly. This is genuinely gorgeous. It's a lot colder than yesterday, but it is so pretty. Like it's actually unreal. I've never seen anything like this, and now we're just going downhill for like most of the time, which is really nice. To get to Sakantai Pass was like all uphill, and it was a bit difficult at times, but now we're chilling. Okay, we just finished lunch, and now we're going to our second accommodation. Now we got about two hours, two to three hours to go, I think. Yeah, but we're going pretty quick, actually. After a delicious and hearty lunch, we started our descent into the rainforest. We had about 10 kilometers left to go, and it was pretty incredible to see such a variety of landscapes all within the span of one day. We actually hiked through three different biomes, which was pretty cool. These are our rooms. Genuinely gorgeous. We have our own bathroom too. Gorge! We arrived at our camp for the night. It's genuinely so beautiful, like I actually can't get over it, and I just had a shower. I feel lovely. I feel refreshed, and then dinner is at six, and then honestly just gonna come and go to bed because I am so tired. Long day, and I didn't get much sleep last night, so really looking forward for a good long night's rest tonight. Maggie, what do you feel? Your sunglasses tan is crazy. My tan is so bad. You did actually get quite burnt. Maggie always gets really burnt wherever we go. It's honestly like... And the side of your neck too. Yeah, I know. At least the back of my neck isn't... I feel it, I feel it here. A little, a little bit, but like... Is it bad though? No, it's not good. Yeah, it's only that side. I can feel it a little bit. It kind of hurts. Well, because that was the side we were walking on. I guess so, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Anyway, anyway, happy hour soon, guys. We're really excited. This room is actually insane. I actually can't get over it. I don't think I ever will. This will be in my dreams forever. Dinner was really good. So excited to go to bed. So excited. So excited to go to bed. We're both really tired. We have to wake up at 4 45 tomorrow, so a little bit of a sleep in compared to this morning. Well, a whole half hour. Yes, but very exciting. This has been like one of the craziest and coolest experiences ever. All the people that we're meeting and that we're with are also like kind and sweet and this experience and like our guide is like the coolest person ever. He's great. And it's just, again, very, very, very grateful for this experience. Oh yeah. And it's so fun to take you all along with us on this beautiful journey. So good night and see you tomorrow morning at 4 40. That was for end of day stats. We did just over 22 kilometers, gained 1101 meters of elevation, and the walking time was six hours and 26 minutes. Good morning. It's 4 45. I was having such a lovely sleep. I'm so, oh, I could sleep another 12 hours. On day three, we were up bright and early yet again. Day three of the trek is said to be the easiest and I definitely agree. We had about 15 kilometers of hiking to do and it was relatively flat for most of the way, which was a nice break because the legs were starting to get a bit sore. But this day of the hike did have its challenges. As someone who does not love the idea of falling off the side of a cliff, there were definitely some narrow passes that freaked me out ever so slightly. But again, Susamo was incredible and made sure I was okay. Checked in constantly when I was feeling a bit uneasy. But after about 10 kilometers, we reached our first stop, which was a farm that had a lot of fruit, fresh juices, and some snacks. We're trying some passion and they literally grow them here and it's so good. And we're in the jungle. Gorgeous. We did have to pass some areas that scared me. There were some like landslides. We had to go on like really skinny paths, but we made it. Cheers. We had about five kilometers left to go before we were picked up by the bus, which then took us to a coffee farm. Once we were there, we got to learn a little bit about how the coffee is harvested. And then we got to try roasting it, which was really cool. And also ended up grinding up some of the coffee and making some of our own. And then we got to try it and it was so delicious. I absolutely love Peruvian coffee. Maggie and I ended up buying some to bring back home because it's so good. Hello and welcome to our dome. So this is where we'll be spending the evening. It's actually so beautiful and the most crazy thing ever. Like look at this view. Look at this view everyone of the mountains, of everything. We're essentially in the jungle now. These are our beds. This is mine. This is Maggie's. Like we have an entire bathroom. This is crazy. Look at this shower. This is bigger than my shower, the shower at home. Beautiful. I should probably wash my hands. They're really dirty. Pretty freaking awesome guys. See you at lunch. All right, now it is time for some lunch. Very excited. And then we're going to the hot springs. After having a fabulous lunch, we headed to the hot springs to soak our muscles. It was about an hour drive away, but a very appreciated experience. It was really nice to just have some relaxation time after all the hiking. Okay, Maggie and I are back from the hot springs. That was so nice. We definitely, it was much needed. And now I can like really feel it in like my legs and everything. Like I could barely walk. Feeling relaxed. And then we had the most funny bus ride back ever. And it was so awesome. We have like such an awesome group and everyone is so lovely. And it's just like such a cool and amazing experience. And we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow as well. But it's like easier hiking, so. It's basically flat. It's like. Yeah. How long I don't know. We'll see. As for some end of day stats, we hiked almost 17 kilometers, gained 372 meters of elevation, and walking time was three hours and three minutes. Good morning. It's 4 45. Last day of the trek. Yeah. Day four was our last day of hiking and involved just over 26 kilometers of hiking. The day started off with seven kilometers of uphill and we climbed about 1,100 meters. We got to see some pretty beautiful views before starting our rather treacherous journey down six kilometers of steep downhill switchbacks. I know people usually say that uphill is worse, but the downhills are always really tough on your body. And Maggie and I found this portion to be extremely challenging, but we all made it through and eventually got to stop for lunch. Like six kilometers all downhill and it was very rough on the bottom. Despite the challenges, exhaustion, and tired legs, this whole trek was such an incredible experience. I am so grateful that I got to do it with my sister and such an amazing group of people. We honestly felt like we were a little family for five days. For those of you wondering, I booked the five-day classic trek with Sal Cante Trekking. I honestly could not recommend it more. The whole trip was so well organized and our guide, Susamo, was amazing. He was hilarious and he also just taught us so much about Peruvian culture and history. I also just wanted to give a huge shout out to Camillo, who organized all the transportation of our luggage, and to Justino and Gregorio, who made us the most incredible meals along the way. This was such a special experience that I will cherish forever. Everyone, we finished the Sal Cante trek and this is our finish line. A bed and a shower. We had a bit of dinner and headed immediately to bed. And as for the end of day stats, we walked just over 26 kilometers, gained 1,694 meters of elevation, and walking time was six hours and 39 minutes. Maggie and I had yet another 4 30 a.m wake up. I actually woke up and I was saying, no, no, no, because it's so early. But anyway, today is the day that we see Machu Picchu, which is crazy. And we got Circuit 2, which is apparently the best one. I actually didn't look into any of that, I just like booked the trek. But it's currently almost 5 a.m and we have to go have some breakfast and then go. My brain has started to slowly stop working. We hopped on the bus just after 5 30 and then it was time to see Machu Picchu. It was honestly surreal and I don't think the pictures will ever do it justice. We got down to Aguas Calientes just before noon, had some lunch, shopped around, and then hopped on the train to go back to Cusco. We have arrived at the hotel after a long day of travel. I have a pizza delivery for a Tanka Jahari. Have you ever, have you seen that video? No. My name is, my name is, my name is Tanka Jahari, but I never order entire pizza, anyway. We got pizzas because we're hungry. Now we're gonna shower and eat and feast and go to bed. I'm literally just feasting on this entire pizza. It's so good. It's exactly what I needed right now. On June 18th, we did a little bit of cafe hopping and really took it easy. We checked out the market, did a little bit of shopping, and just tried to rest up. During one of our last few days in Cusco, we decided we would go see the Rainbow Mountain, and it was honestly one of the most beautiful places that I've ever been. We made it to Rainbow Mountain. This is actually unreal. It's crazy. And we had one last full day in Cusco before heading back to Vancouver on June 21st. This was such an amazing trip, and I will definitely have to come back to Peru.