My journey to Machu Picchu, with my adventure travel friend Kathryn, was in short, EPIC!

We did the Salkantay Trek there without a guide, and then walked the whole way up, all over and down.

To read about our experience on the Salkantay Trek, click HERE.

On December 17 in the year 2000 and something after many days of trekking, Kathryn and I woke up at 4 AM to be to the gate by 5 AM to get to Machu Picchu by 7 AM.

When you wake up in the morning, it will be cold. At least in December it was. And so you will want to layer up. Don’t do that. You will get real hot real fast! Like I did.

The walk up the thousands of Inca stairs is not easy! And it was drizzly. By the time we got to the top, my Chacos had rubbed my feet raw (again this was after 5 days of trekking). Thus I did the full day in bare feet. It wasn’t that bad!

Once you get to the gates of Machu Picchu, you will have to present your entry ticket.

You will want to buy your ticket in advance. We bought ours in Cusco at a tourist information booth. The ticket is very specific about when you have to be there. Our tickets dictated we needed to hike Mount Machu Picchu at 7 AM. That helps prevent over crowding.

You may wonder “Are Machu Picchu tickets refundable?” and I would say “nope!” They are also not cheap. Mine was $142

Our first stop once we got to the top was to keep going up. We had bought the early morning tickets to go summit Mount Machu Picchu. When you go and if you are able to do a hike like that, I’d highly recommend it!

It is a long hike, especially in bare feet, but it is so worth it!

When we got to the top, the city was shrouded in clouds. As it got warmer, however, the mist burned away and there she was! It was such a beautiful site.

I swear, the Inca civilization had some of the best civil engineers on the planet. Everything is perfect… The stairs, homes, gardens, layouts, temples, buildings, water ways… When you go, you will see!

I will be photo dumping below.

We kept running into travelers we had met earlier on the trail. It’s nice seeing a friendly face in such a magical place!

I am pretty sure I saw all it had to offer up there. It was truly awesome and very surreal actually being in a place I’d only seen in pictures.

As I mentioned earlier, I did the whole hike bare foot.

At first It was because my feet were in so much pain but it evolved into a truly spiritual experience. I know… It sounds silly but it’s true.

What I wish we would have known before we did Machu Picchu…

• Water up there is super expensive.
• There is no food (that I saw).
• It get’s really hot.
• A guide would have been a good idea.
• Can’t take large packs but you can take back packs.
• Don’t wear long pants and a long sleeved shirt.
• Bring a lot of water.

Happy Travels Travelers! Please share your experiences, questions, and comments with me 🙂