Trekking on the Inca Trail, Ecuador

Whenever I think of the Inca Trail, Peru comes to mind. While in Cuenca, Ecuador, I found out that the Inca Trail actually extends up to Ecuador. Through Twitter I discovered a tour company called TerraDiversa that does trekking tours on the Inca Trail and to the Ingapirca ruins.

I barely had enough time for breakfast when our guide, Adrian and driver, Pedro arrived at our place. It was 7:00 AM sharp when they pulled up. I got into the van and then slept for most of the 2 hour drive. At one point we stopped for a coffee break. I didn’t drink anything; instead I watched a woman degut a whole pig across the street. To say the least, it was pretty gory.

After our stop, we drove a bit more until we were at a national park. Since it was still early, it was cold out. Thankfully, I brought my Bolivian Chullo beanie.

The first 30 minutes of our trek was mainly uphill. The altitude didn’t affect me too much because I had been in high altitude regions for 2 months already. Our guide explained where we were going and what we were going to see.

After around 45 minutes of mild uphill walking, we made it to the Inca Trail. It was a bit crazy to think that over 500 years ago, Incas were traveling along the exact trail that I was walking on. Only a few of the original rocks along the path were intact, but there was still a prominent clearance where the trail once was.

From then on, the trail was either flat or downhill. The trail was surrounded by mountains on every side. There weren’t any trees around – only shrubs. Along the way, we passed by several springs and streams. I felt like I was eating during the entire trek. I brought 3 bottles of water, 2 Clif bars, crackers and granola so for most of the time I was snacking and enjoying the view.

Towards the end of the trek, most of the ground was really wet. I was wearing a pair of Merrells with Gore-Tex technology, but both shoes had a hole respectively near the toe box. I ended up having to tip toe around muddy patches. In the end, my feet got a bit wet where the water seeped through the holes.

After 3 hours of hiking for 9 miles we neared the end of our trek. The Inca Trail would eventually lead to the Ingapirca ruins, but instead of continuing, we met up with our driver, Pedro and drove to a restaurant for lunch. We would later drive to the Ingapirca ruins.

At the restaurant, I dried my shoes and socks off in the fireplace then recharged by eating a trout dish. Overall, the trek was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to experience the nature and history in Ecuador. You can see more information about my tour at http://www.terradiversa.com/inca-trail-ingapirca/.