The 4-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was to be the key highlight of my trip, and it did not disappoint. It was a total of 45kms (28 miles) from Km 82 to Machu Picchu, starting from an altitude of 2,800m / 9,200 ft, climbing to the highest point at Dead Woman's Pass at 4,200m / 13,800 ft on the 2nd day, before gradually descending to Machu Picchu at about 2,200m / 7,200 ft on the morning of Day 4. Thirteen of us went (Martin could not get a pass for the Inca trail and hiked the Lares trail instead, Nimue opted out of the hike), together with 2 guides, and a crew of 20 porters, chefs and waiter. Each of the porters carried a load of 20 kgs / 44 lbs, comprising our food supplies for 4 days, gas canisters, pots and pans, crockery and cutlery, tents, and our duffel bags (we were limited to 6 kgs (13.2 lbs each, including the sleeping bag and mattress, which were 1kg / 2.2 lbs each - which meant only 4 kgs / 8.8lbs for clothes and personal effects) - it was incredible how quickly they made their way up and down the trails in their basic sandals, whilst we took one slow step at a time in our hiking boots, partly due to the steep inclines and partly due to the altitude. The views were beautiful, and varied from relatively sparse vegetation to tropical forests (some of these forests were in higher altitudes which surprised me) due to the different micro-climates at different parts of the Inca trail.

We were woken up at about 5:30am each morning (4:30am on the last day) to begin the hike early, walking between 4 - 6 hrs each day, and covering about 12 to 16 kms (7.5 - 10 miles) per day, except for Day 4, which was only 5kms / 3 miles (a couple of hours) to Machu Picchu. Day 2 was probably the most strenuous day, as we had to ascend 1,200m / 3,900 ft to the Dead Woman's Pass, although I found the 3rd day most difficult because of the prior day's exertions, and also because it was a cold, rainy day .... my poncho did a horrible job of keeping out the rain. The wet stones were slick, making our progress slower as we trod carefully down the steep, narrow steps.

Day 4 was to be the highlight, but it began miserably with heavy rain. We were all gutted when we got to the Sun Gate, as all we saw were clouds (that was what we woke up at 4:30am for???!!!) - visibility not exceeding 50 feet. We made our way down to Machu Picchu, still not seeing very much - and exited to register at our final checkpoint, our spirits low. We stood under the eaves of the Machu Picchu lodge for about 2 hrs, to keep out of the increasingly heavy rain, before it finally abated, and the clouds began to lift. We ventured back into Machu Picchu then, and it was the most beautiful sight as the city came into view as the clouds drifted away. Unfortunately we no longer had Machu Picchu to ourselves, as the buses had dropped hoardes of tourists off by this time - still, it did not stop us from fully appreciating this magnificent ancient city.