Peru: Cusco, Rainbow Mountain & Machu Picchu
Cusco is the gateway to two of Peru’s iconic hikes: Rainbow Mountain and Machu Picchu, so I arrived full of anticipation for the next week of adventures.
To get to Cusco we got an overnight bus from Huacachina, which was pretty long but got it over with in one trip, and also cost us next to nothing considering how lengthy the journey was. For pretty much all the buses we've used www.busbud.com and the best companies to go with are Tepsa or Cruz Del Sur, the seats recline just a little further than the others so you can sleep better.
We spent a full week in Cusco, and hopped around hostel wise. Loki hostel is where we started, it's a party hostel with no off button! So if you're looking for a hectic time, it's the right hostel for you. Wild Rover is equally as party vibe, but the rooms are slightly further away from the music so it allows you to be able to sleep whenever. Kokopelli Hostel is a great middle ground, and we finished the week off at Intro Hostel which was the perfect end to a crazy week - super chill hostel with cheap private rooms.
Cusco is a hub for activities, lots of the main attractions in Peru are done from this town. It is a small, bright and colourful town which is full of life day and night, and the best thing is it's still pretty cheap. The main thing to do within the city is the markets, whether it be the stalls dotted around San Blas (the more wealthy part of the city), or a trip to San Pedro market, you can lose a day shopping for souvenirs, fresh produce and jumpers made from alpaca fur. We particularly enjoyed San Pedro market; as you walk through the main door an array of senses hit you all at once. The bright colours, delicious and bizarre smells, soft touch of the alpaca jumpers, loud shouts of the vendors trying to attract customers, it's almost impossible to know where to look! There are clothes sections, souvenir sections, a whole fruit area, ladies moulding cheeses, fresh fruit juice stalls, and our favourite bit - the food area. There were so many options where you sit down and pay 10 soles (£2.50), and they provide you with a hearty bowl of ceviche, chicken and rice, or fried fish and plantain. Definitely the cheapest way to eat, and also the most local experience we had whilst there.
Rainbow Mountain
Whilst in Cusco, a must do is the trek up to Rainbow Mountain. Most local tour companies offer the same tour, it should cost around 60 soles for the day, which includes breakfast, lunch, and a professional guide. We woke at 4am and headed on the bus for a few hours before stopping for breakfast. The guide then announced that we were stopping off to buy altitude sickness tablets, and gave us each a hiking stick to help with the altitude. This is when the nerves kicked in!
We started the walk up, and although the weather wasn't great the scenes were still pretty incredible. The actual walk itself wasn't physically challenging, however the altitude made it one of our hardest treks yet. At 4500m, our breath tightened and we had to continuously suck on coca sweets, and smell the special oil the guide gave us to help with the light headed feeling that altitude gives you. He even had brought a tank of oxygen for worst case scenario, which bizarrely almost made us more nervous. On reaching the summit, we bought ourselves a beer and sat looking at rainbow mountain in awe. The colours were beautiful, it looked so unnatural we couldn't believe it was real. At 5200m we weren't able to stay sat down long, the altitude is the strangest feeling, it's like you constantly can't get enough air into your lungs. The walk down was fine, although some travellers opted to take horses down for a small cost, which also looked pretty fun.
Machu Picchu
There are a few options when planning your route to Machu Picchu. Being on a tight budget, we went for the cheapest which included a 6 hour bus from Cusco to Hidroelectrica, followed by a three hour walk along the train tracks to the small town of Aguas Calientes, which is at the base of Machu Picchu. Those who have more money to spend may decide to take the scenic train from Cusco, or even embark on one of the 4 day treks which include various activities such as white water rafting and cycling. Pretty much every tourist agency in Cusco offers their own version of each of these tours, and they all cost around the same price. The basic tour that we took included all transport, 3 meals, a hostel in Aguas Calientes, and a professional guided tour, and for this the average price is $100USD. The journey to where we started the walk was a windy one. In a small bus bumping over the mad roads, we all got off looking pretty green.
Before inclining up the mountains we stopped off for some coca tea at a cute family home, a drink which we are getting pretty used to the taste of being our third trek in 10 days! We were told by the driver as we got back on the bus that the altitude on the journey was going to be intense, and so if we felt nauseous we were to just tap him on the shoulder and he'll pull over! We didn't quite know what we were in for, however, luckily we all got there in one piece and stopped for lunch at a cafe where our walk would begin. Having done quite a few treks recently, the walk to the town of Aguas Calientes was a very easy one. Although it was three hours long, it was totally flat and surrounded by beautiful scenery. Walking along the train tracks reminded us of a scene from The Railway Children, there were even a few tunnels along the way which we ran through half laughing/half scared of being chased down by a train coming from the other end.
On arrival in the town, it felt as though we had arrived at a cute French ski resort (minus the snow of course). There were so many pretty boutique hotels and quaint wooden buildings, restaurants. We headed up the hill to our hostel where we were to spend the night before getting up at 4am. The room was basic but comfy, and perfect to rest our legs in before the next step of our journey. The alarm went off at 4am the following morning and we begrudgingly crawled out of bed, definitely ready to have some time off of trekking after this one! Once we stepped outside, the excitement kicked in... it hadn't really sunk in yet that we were about to climb one of the 7 wonders of the world! Each day out here brings something even more amazing than the last, we keep trying constantly to capture visual images and print them in our minds making sure we remember these days forever. The guide had told us that it was only an hour and a half walk up, in hindsight we certainly were not prepared for how much of a challenge it was about to be! The walk up from the town consists of what feels like an endless climb of pretty steep steps all the way to the top. Unlike Laguna 69 and Rainbow Mountain, Machu Picchu is not as high altitude wise at only 2430m, but this time it was the actual fitness part that was challenging. On arrival at the top, the clouds cleared to reveal the incredible Inca ruins, surrounded by towering mountains on all sides. There were alpaca's roaming around the place, and of course many other tourists all looking wide eyed around at the incredible view.
Our guide walked us around and explained some of the history of the ruins which was really interesting. We were surprised to hear that Machu Picchu never discovered during the Spanish conquest of Peru, and was left dormant for around 400 years before being rediscovered by the American explorer Hiram Bingham, who stumbled upon it in 1911. It is now visited by on average 9000 tourists per day! After spending an hour or so on top, we headed back down to the bottom, and couldn't quite believe the amount of steps we had just climbed up. We grabbed some food for fuel in the town before taking it slow back along the railway tracks, our legs totally shot from the steep inclines. We checked into a super chill hostel called Intro Hostel and crashed by 9pm, totally exhausted but feeling super fulfilled with the day we had just had.
Where to Eat
In our week in Cusco we spent a lot of time checking out the local restaurants, and here's the best ones we found:
Jack's Cafe: a very popular spot among the Gringo's, and understandably. It has the BEST brunch.
JC's Cafe: very close to both Loki and Wild Rover, great for breakfast
Uma Cafe: equally close to Loki and Wild Rover, has amazing coffee's and hot beverages
Botanika: a salad restaurant serving the most beautiful salads garnished with pretty edible flowers, almost too cute to eat
La Sanguichería: Sandwiches for days! Delicious and v affordable
Museo Del Café: cute spot in the town centre for coffee and cake, outside tables with a beautiful view of Cusco
Limbus Restobar: This was a favourite of ours, it's pretty hidden down a cobbled street but once you get there it opens out to reveal a 180 degree view of Cusco, and the food is incredible.
There's also so many small restaurants in the town centre offering 'Menu Del Día' which includes 3 courses and a drink and will cost you the equivalent of £5.
