Inca Jungle Trek | Part III

Day 3 of the Inca Jungle Trek.

After breakfast, most of our group went zip lining, which we chose to skip since we did something similar in Costa Rica, and we didn't want to pay extra for it. Instead, we took a post-breakfast nap until we were kicked out of bed by the housekeepers at 8:45am. Talk about an early checkout time. We got coffee and read on the patio of a cafe until our group was back.

We spent the day walking from from 10am to 4pm, Hydroelectrica to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu  I say walking instead of hiking because it was a flat trail, mostly along the train tracks. There was a 2 hour lunch break (way too long) somewhere in the middle during which our guide went missing. We spent a lot of time complaining about the guide, being in a group, and how busy the entire trail was. We just aren't made for group tours. I kept reminding myself it'd be worth it once we made it to Machu Picchu.

The scenery changed dramatically in one day. It was cloudy, drizzling rain, very jungly, and lush, as opposed to sunny, hot, and dusty the day before. The foliage was incredibly beautiful. I went overboard photographing the tropical flowers and crazy hanging ferns.

By the end of the third day, I had developed 3 big blisters despite wearing hiking boots that were well worn. Nothing could dampen the excitement to see Machu Picchu though.

Aguas Calientes is a pretty big city, compared to the ramshackle towns where we had overnighted the first two nights. It was buzzing with excitement—half the people in town preparing to see Machu Picchu the following morning, the other half having just come down from seeing Machu Picchu. It was fun to guess who was in which group.

- Julia