Day 5 - Machu Picchu: hike to Sun Gate and Inca bridge
Arrive early for a hike to the Sun Gate - entry point from the Inca Trail and a most doable family hike. Then get your adrenaline rush with a side trip to the Inca bridge...
After overnighting in Machu Picchu Pueblo, we decided to return the next morning for a hike. Machu Picchu tickets fall into one of two sessions - 6am to Noon and Noon to 530pm. It is really hard to fit everything in that you might want to do in a half-day, so plan on returning very early the next morning (we were in line for buses by 630am). You can even try earlier to catch the sunrise, but you will find people almost camped out in a huge line for that first bus up to Machu Picchu at 530am. Clouds can often obscure the sunrise anyway, so be aware of the risk of getting up at zero dark thirty for nothing.
The second day at Machu Picchu is a perfect time for a hike. The most popular one is Huayna Picchu (and the "stairs of death"). Even though this is limited to 400 people a day, it can still feel crowded in high season. Going up takes about 1.5 to 2 hours and coming down, 45 to 60 minutes. Another option (with the same limitation of 500) is Machu Picchu Mountain, which actually overlooks Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu. This is about a 4 hour round trip and quite strenuous. It is higher, though less vertigo-inducing than Huayna Picchu. Both of these hikes require special tickets at extra cost and advanced planning, as there are guard posts to gate the traffic.
We opted for an option that also worked out quite well for us: the free hike to Inkti Punku, or the Sun Gate. The climb is about 1,000 feet (higher than Huayna Picchu!), but the incline is quite gradual, along the side of Machu Picchu Mountain. There are tremendous views along the way and places to rest. At the top you will see where the Inca Trail hikers enter Machu Picchu after their 4 day strenuous hike. Most will seem in need of a hot shower :-).
If you spend about 20-30 minutes at the top of the Sun Gate, you still have time to make the side trip to the Inca Bridge on the return trip. This is the detour for adrenaline junkies. There are sheer drop-offs along the way, with either nothing or only a low stone wall between you and certain death. It was exhilarating and worth it … just don't look down over ledge and the 2,000 foot drop!
We were able to do the Sun Gate hike and Inca Bridge visit all in about 2.5 hours. Starting at 630am and taking into account the bus lines and the bus rides up and down, we are able to get back down to Machu Picchu Pueblo and have a nice lunch before our 1:37 pm train back to Ollantaytambo. The train and the van ride got us back into Cusco at about 530pm where we would happily spend the next two nights in the same hotel for the first time.
TIP OF THE DAY: either on your first or second day in Machu Picchu, don't forget to look for a little kiosk where you can add a Machu Picchu stamp to your passport. It's a pretty cool way document your "bucket list" accomplishment. And when your passport expires, either keep the whole thing or carefully cut out the Machu Picchu page.
FUN FACT: we brought along some jerky as a hiking snack and our guide Alex noted it sounds like "char'qui" the Quechua world for dried meat. Sure enough, according to Wikipedia, "jerky" comes from the Quechuan word, so you've been speaking Quechua all this time!
HOTEL: Hotel Monestario in Cusco, where our bags were waiting - along with a free upgrade to a suite! (and that was sweeet!)
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
1 day ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
2 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
3 days ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week