What to Expect on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu – Day 1

In a series, I did a day-to-day account of my experience hiking the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. This post covers what to expect on the classic Inca Trail on Day 1.

Disclosure: Booking your tour via the links in this guide will earn me a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Earnings will go back to the maintenance of the travel guides provided on The Thrill of Pursuit. Thanks for your support <3 Dominique.

Updated August 2023

Hiking the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is one of the toughest and most rewarding things that I have ever done. The wealth of Inca history encountered on the way with the backdrop of a diverse Andean landscape, truly makes this experience unforgettable. No words or pictures could ever convey the feels induced by this magical place. You simply have to see it to believe it!

My adventure on the classic Inca Trail is the driving force for me to create The Thrill of Pursuit. I was absolutely swept away by the beauty of the Andean highlands and was consumed by the rich history of the region. I recommended it to all my friends and anybody who would listen! And to ensure that everyone enjoys it as much as I did, I created a space to share all the research and preparation I did for this adventure.

In hopes of sharing the excitement and my love of this cultural treasure to all humanity, here is Day 1 of my breakdown of what to expect when hiking the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu trek.

Inca Trail Day 1: Ollantaytambo, KM 82, Willka Raqay, Patallaqta, Wayllabamba

Ollantaytambo

Wake up call at my hotel in Ollantaytambo was at 5:00 am. I relished that morning’s shower as I was not going to have access to a hot shower for the next three days on the Inca Trail. The water pressure was absolutely delicious. It was the best one out of all the places where I stayed during my time in Peru!

How I Organized My Personal Belongings for the Trek

I came down to breakfast with my essentials for the trek. My Inca Trail tour operator provided me with me a duffel bag to carry my essentials. This duffel bag was also supposed to fit an air mattress and sleeping bag that I had rented from the tour operator. The duffel bag couldn’t weigh more than 6 kgs as per the tour operator’s terms and conditions. This condition is in place to protect the porters who would be carrying all the trekkers’ duffel bags. All I had in my duffel bag was a packing cube of my clothes, toiletries, and sandals.

My backpack contained the things I wanted with me as I hiked the Andes (passport, water bottles, first aid kit, snacks, camera, cellphone).

My luggage containing everything else not needed for the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu was in luggage storage in a hotel back in Cusco.

For more info, read: The Essential Inca Trail Packing List

After breakfast, I met our Inca Trail guide with the five gentlemen I was doing the trek with. The Guide will be with us for four days on the Inca Trail and will also be giving us a tour of Machu Picchu.

We walked from the hotel to the entrance of the Ollantaytambo Fortress. From there we hopped on a van that drove us to KM 82 – also known as the entrance to the classic Inca Trail.

KM 82 – the start of the classic Inca Trail

The van dropped us off at a parking lot near KM 82. It seemed that the daily Inca Trail limit of 200 trekkers (and the 300 supporting guides, porters and chefs) were all there at the same time.

Our rented gear (air mattresses and sleeping bags) were laid out on tarps for us to pick up and put in our duffel bags. Once packed, my duffel bag was weighed to ensure that it did not exceed the 6 kg weight limit.

There is a strict weight limit on your gear for the Trail, specifically. The classic Inca Trail is a protected historic site. Unlike the Salkantay or Lares trails to Machu Picchu, pack animals carrying trekking gear are not allowed on the Inca Trail. This is to preserve the ancient stone pathways. Porters were going carry our duffel bags in addition to their personal belongings and the group food and camping supplies. Hence, the strict weight restriction on the duffel bags.

I also picked up my rented trekking poles at the tarp. These poles would ultimately save my knees and my (supportless) ankles on Days 2 and 3. My tour operator gave each of us a brown paper bag of snacks. I wasn’t expecting this and had to rearrange my backpack to fit the snacks (which would come in handy on day 2).

There were toilets at KM 82 available for 1 sol. Ladies, cherish this if you’re reading this blog for research…

Tip: gear rentals and snacks vary between tour operators. Ask tour operators what their inclusions are when planning your trek. I booked this exact tour via G Adventures if you wanted to follow this guide to the T.

My group crossed a bridge over the Urubumba River over to the first checkpoint. We were officially on our way to Machu Picchu!

Things we learned on the Inca Trail

Day 1 is orientation day on the Inca Trail. It is meant to determine if you are adequately prepared for the rest of the trek and if you are sufficiently acclimated to the altitude. This would be the day to assess if you want to back out of the multi-day trek.

Flora and Fauna on the Inca Trail

We stopped at the visitors’ centre to learn about the wildlife that live in the area. There are plenty of bird and butterfly species that we can expect to see. Coatis (a cousin of the raccoon) live along the Trail. Llamas, vicuñas, pumas, snakes and spectacled bears live there too. Note: encounters with predatory animals on the Trail are unlikely to happen as they tend to avoid humans.

Our Guide showed us the cochineal parasites that live on the cacti along the Trail. Blood from the cochineals were traditionally used in dyes found in food colouring, fabrics, and cosmetics. Before the development of artificial dyes, cochineal was a lucrative commodity for the Spanish Empire. Our Guide drew Andean animals on each of us before continuing with our trek.

Communities Within the Inca Trail

Early on this stretch of the Trail, we came across a cemetery. Our Guide told us that the traditions of the locals living within the Inca Trail (and the rest of Sacred Valley) marry Catholic teachings and Andean customs. He used examples from the cemetery to illustrate this point.

People are permitted to live along the stretch of the Trail that is covered on Day 1 of the trek. I don’t believe I saw the actual stone highway laid out by the Incas until Day 2. The Inca Trail is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site because a major portion of it is made up of the original stones laid out by the Incas. To protect those ancient portions, local and international governments have prohibited the use of pack animals and people living in those parts. The stretch of the Trail encountered on Day 1 is made up of dirt paths.

On this stretch of the Trail, I saw plenty of vendors selling snacks and drinks. There were also homes offering the use of their toilets for 1 sol.

Pack animals are permitted on this initial stretch. Where there’s pack animals there’s also pack animal sh!t. Watch out for this.

All through this stretch of the Trail, snow-capped Mt. Veronica was highly visible. I just had to remember to look back to admire her…

Willka Raqay/Huillca Raccay Ruins

As mentioned in Travel Guides: Preparing for the Inca Trail, the Incas built a whole system of warehouses and tambos along their royal highway. We came across lesser Inca ruins during the trek that weren’t even given a name on Day 1. These “lesser ruins” gave an idea of what the most advanced transportation system in pre-Columbian South America was like in its prime. These ruins most likely served as grain storage units or resthouses for Inca messengers.

The first significant archaeological site we came across was Willka Raqay also spelled Huillca Raccay (in Quechua willka = grandchild/minor god in the Inca culture; raqay = old building without roof/shed, storehouse or dormitory for farm labourers).

It is said that this site was either used as a checkpoint for Patallaqta or as a shed or storehouse or dormitory for farm labourers. This site has been in use since pre-Inca times.

Patallaqta Ruins

The highlight of Day 1 for me was the view over the Patallaqta (in Quechua pata = above/edge/shore; llaqta = village/town/country/nation). These ruins are close to Willka Raqay but sits so far below the Trail that not many trekkers go down there.

Patallaqta (aka Llactapata) was a settlement where the Incas grew crops. The ancient agricultural terraces at Patallaqta had ample sun exposure that was ideal for growing grains.

During the Spanish Conquest of 1536, the Inca Emperor ordered Patallaqta to be burned down along with other settlements along the classic Inca Trail. He ordered this as he retreated from Cusco – the capital of the Inca Empire. These orders were given in order to discourage the Conquistadors from going after him. This tactic would prevent the Conquistadors from finding (and destroying) Machu Picchu during the Conquests and for centuries thereafter!

For more context, read – Spotlight: Machu Picchu

The lookout point over the Patallaqta Ruins was our last stop before heading to our first campsite at Wayllabamba.

Camp at Wayllabamba

We camped at a family’s private property at Wayllabamba (translates to “grassy plain” from Quechua) . At the time of writing, it is estimated that there are about 400 people living in Wayllabamba. Once at camp, our team of porters gave us each a big bowl of hot water in order to freshen up. The porters had run ahead of the trekkers on the Trail in order to set up camp for the night and prepare dinner. The family who owned the grounds offered ice cold beer for purchase.

I had taken my hiking shoes off in favour of my Birkenstocks. It probably would have been easier to get around camp in my hiking shoes though as there were patches of mud everywhere and it was getting harder to see them as it got darker. This is why I listed sandals as a “nice to have” on the Trail on my Inca Trail Packing List rather than an essential.

In the subsequent days, you probably wouldn’t even want to walk around in sandals when using the toilets… there will be more details on this later.

Tea time was at 5:30 pm and was followed by dinner at 6:30 pm. I don’t remember what we ate for each meal during the trek. What I do remember is that each course was delicious and how amazed I was by our Chef. There was always multiple courses served at lunch and dinner!

An Ode to the AMAZING porters and Chef…

After dinner, my group had the opportunity to get to know the 14 porters and Chef who were supporting us during our hike. These men all came from the same rural community where Quechua is the more commonly spoken language. Their ages ranged from 23 to 65 and most had four children back at home. Most of these men are farmers by trade. They work as porters for extra income during peak tourism season on the Trail. Hands down, they are the stars of the Trail.

The porters carried our things and supplies for us. They raced ahead of us on the Trail in order to have lunch ready when we arrive at the lunch spot. After lunch, they would clean up and race ahead of the trekkers again in order to set up camp for the night and have dinner prepared. The porters woke the trekkers up every morning with coca tea. While we ate breakfast, the porters would pack up our sleeping bags and tents for us. We were told to let the porters do this as it would take them a matter of seconds to do so. After breakfast, the porters would pack up camp and start the entire cycle over again. I don’t think I would have been able to finish the trek without them!

Final Note on Day 1

The last privately maintained bathroom I came across on the Inca Trail was at this campsite. It would also be the last “Western-style, sit” toilet I will come across until we reach Machu Picchu. I would regret not taking full advantage of it by the afternoon on Day 2.

For more notes on the toilet situation on the Inca Trail, read Travel Guide: Preparing for the Inca Trail.

Summary of Inca Trail – Day 1

Do you have any questions about the Inca Trail? Have you recently done a trek to Machu Picchu? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!