Hiking Rainbow Mountain + Machu Picchu with Alpaca Expeditions
Rainbow Mountain
Acclimate to the 11,500 foot altitude, they say. Give yourself at least a day to rest, they say.
Well friends, we gave ourselves approximately 18 hours (including sleep) to acclimate before we hiked to a summit of 17,000 feet. Hiked is a loose term. A small Peruvian man or woman pulled us along as we rode on their tiny horse for a fee. Although I am scared of heights, horses, and strangers, it was a great experience. And because the horse can only take you up most of the way, we did hike the last part together, which is where the steepest incline is. I had envisioned this day going several different ways, most all of them ended with me being helicoptered out of the area, explaining that I can’t afford health insurance in any country, but at least my eulogy will end in a good story. But with the help of “magic water,” our tour guides, my friends and the other hikers camaraderie, everyone made it to the top! The whole 360 degree view was gorgeous. You can see the colors in the mountains on one side, and the glacier-topped mountains on the other. It was breathtaking, in more ways than one.
Machu Picchu Mountain
So, then we gave ourselves around 10 hours of recovery time before we were picked up for our Machu Picchu excursion. In it to win it!
We did the two day, one night Inca trail trek, and booked with Alpaca Excursions. I could not recommend this company more. I felt very cared for throughout the two days, and whatever doubts I had about finishing the hike diminished with the help of our guide, Henry, and his assistant, Mr. William. Henry filled the hike with history, information on the landscape, and stories from his past treks. One of my favorite parts was sitting around the dinner table and Henry retold us stories on love found and lost on the Inca trail. It was amazing and he’s writing a book.
After our day of hiking, we camped just outside of the nearest town, Aguas Calientes. We are not avid campers, but it was all part of the experience. Alpaca Excursions provided and set up everything. The next day we took the bus back to Machu Picchu, where Henry gave us the full tour inside the city, and explained what life was like during the time of the Incas. The whole experience was amazing, and I’m so glad my friends push me to challenge myself and do things I never envisioned myself doing. Time to plan our next adventure!