What to Expect on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu – Day 2

In a series, I did a day-to-day account of my experience hiking the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. If you missed Day 1 you can find it here. This post covers what to expect on the classic Inca Trail on Day 2 – the climb to the infamous Dead Woman’s Pass.

Inca Trail Day 2: Wayllabamba, Warmiwañusca (also known as the infamous Dead Woman’s Pass), Inca Trail Toilets, Pacaymayo

I had a very good sleep on my first night on the Inca Trail. Renting an air mattress was so worth it.

Wake up call was at 5:00 am. The porters left a bowl of hot water outside of my tent so that I can freshen up, along with a cup of coca tea. 

The Andeans use coca tea to combat altitude sickness. I was taking anti-altitude sickness medication so I can’t confirm the effectiveness of coca tea in that sense. I CAN confirm that it energized me.

Prior to my Inca Trail trek, I was warned that Day 2 will be physically and mentally tough. This is the day where trekkers climb to the highest point of the Trail at Warmiwañusca (or Dead Woman’s Pass).

Dead Woman’s Pass sits at 4,200 m/13,780 ft above sea level. On Day 2, trekkers will ascend 1,000 m/3,280 ft. They will need to descend at least 500 m/1,640 ft from 4,200 m/13,780 ft shortly after as oxygen levels are dangerously low at that altitude.

The human body cannot digest large amounts of food when climbing up to those altitudes. Eating a big meal prior to climbing to Dead Woman’s Pass would be a recipe for altitude sickness and/or digestive issues. Therefore, lunch wasn’t scheduled until after we descend from the Pass. The tentative plan for my group was to leave camp around 6 am and have lunch around 2 pm (lunch was dependent on how fast we can make it to the lunch stop from Dead Woman’s Pass).

I was assured that after this day, everything will be a “piece of quinoa”.

The ascent to Dead Woman’s Pass

Looking back, the climb to the Pass wasn’t as mentally challenging as I anticipated. I took MULTIPLE breaks on that final, steep stretch to the Pass.

During my breaks, I cheered on discouraged-looking trekkers as they passed. Many did the same for me. I passed on some wisdom that was given to me on the Bolivean Altiplano: if you feel like you’re not getting enough oxygen, take a deep breath through your nose and slowly release through your mouth.

So essentially, take deep breaths to slow your heart rate down. This advice was a game changer for me and I hope that it helped other trekkers out too.

My group had asked our Guide for Quechua phrases to encourage the porters as they passed by. The only Quechua phrase I remember is “Haku!” which means “Let’s go!”. Seeing some of the porters’ faces light up when their efforts were acknowledged was priceless!

Climbing up steep Inca stones had my muscles working overtime and I was overheating. The last stretch going up to the Pass had no tree coverage and I was exposed to the intense Andean solar radiation. I was thankful to be in convertible trousers!

Whenever the climb felt daunting, I looked back to see how far I had come. Somehow looking back at Mount Veronica and our starting point inspired me to move forward.

Warmiwañusca – the infamous Dead Woman’s Pass

If timed perfectly, the view from the highest point of the classic Inca trail should look like this on a clear day:

The clouds started to set in as I got closer to Dead Woman’s Pass. Everything was completely engulfed by clouds by the time I arrived. I didn’t get a good view from the highest point on the Inca Trail =(

The descent from Dead Woman’s Pass

My trekking group hung out at Dead Woman’s Pass for 30 minutes. You shouldn’t stay up in the Pass for longer than that as oxygen levels at that altitude (4,200 m/13,780 ft) are dangerously low.

After 30 minutes, my group started the 1,000 m/3,280 ft descent to camp. To me, this was worse than the climb up!

This is the one stretch of the Trail where I got bit by mosquitoes! Multiple microclimates can be found through the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Apparently, the microclimate on this portion of the Trail is where all the mosquitoes thrive! The rest of my group ran through this portion. They risked slipping/rolling an ankle on the ancient Inca stone in order to avoid the bugs altogether.

I think this part of the Trail is where a cloud forest begins. The clouds leave moisture on the Inca stones which make them very slick and slippery. Godspeed to anyone who hikes this stretch in shoes with poor traction.

I found climbing down the Inca stones to be really hard on my knees. I do not have a pre-existing knee condition but I can only imagine how tough this would be for those that do. The trekking poles really helped with alleviating some of the pressure off my knees.

At this point, I no longer found the view behind me inspiring. I was engulfed by clouds and had zero visibility beyond a meter radius. I WAS inspired by the promise of a warm lunch at camp though. So I trudged onwards to camp at Pacaymayo.

Now for some very personal notes on the toilets along the Inca Trail…

From Day 2 onwards, the toilets encountered on the Trail are Government-owned. The good news: toilets are free of charge! The bad news: they are squat toilets and aren’t the cleanest. I encountered my first such toilet at the Pacaymayo.

I had to pee while descending from the Pass. Along this narrow portion of the Trail, I saw one lone, luscious bush. I contemplated peeing behind it but shyness stopped me. Plus, I reasoned that camp would have proper toilets.

When I reached camp, my system was holding 3-4 hours worth of liquids.

It’s not the cleanliness but the smell of the toilets that shocked me. It was like someone mopped the floors with stale, asparagus pee. All toilets from this point would be like this until you reach Machu Picchu.

I was jealous of the men in my group who opted to pee outside to avoid the toilets altogether. I thought about following suit. The Trail from this point onwards was narrow and privacy was an issue. This is why that luscious bush is so memorable!

As no toilets were available for at least three hours on the Trail, there was a long line for the Ladies at Pacaymayo. I peed myself a little while waiting.

I think the smell is strong because of the squat toilets. Not all Westerners are accustomed to squat toilets and it seems many missed when doing Number 1. Having to squat presented a problem for my thighs, as I had just climbed 2,000 m worth of stairs! My quads and knees burned! I had to mentally will my body to not fall on the urine-soaked floor.

For me, this is what made Day 2 mentally challenging!

After that initial bathroom trip, I needed a moment alone before joining everyone for lunch.

Pacaymayo Camp

Setting that unpleasant mental picture aside, Pacaymayo was probably the most beautiful campsite we stayed at.

From my tent, I took in the panoramic view of the surrounding mountains covered in lush forest. We were so high up in the mountains that clouds would roll in and out through the campsite. Pacaymayo is the highest campsite along the Trail. It is also the coldest because of its elevation.

A mountain stream, providing a relaxing, natural white noise, split the camp into two sides. Day 2 ended around 2 pm for us. The clouds and the stream lulled me to sleep after lunch. I woke up for tea time and dinner.

In between tea time and dinner, we watched the moonrise over the mountains.

We slept above the the clouds that night and it was magical. 

Summary of Inca Trail – Day 2

Who wants to keep the discussion on the toilet situation on the Inca Trail going? Just kidding… If you want to for real though, we can start a conversion in the comments below!