The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Peru

We will get to the packing lists and how to prepare blogs on the Inca Trail in good time, but for now I'm just going to tell you, without giving too much away, my experience of the Inca Trail.

You might be reading this because you're thinking of doing the Inca Trail, or just because you're interested in hearing about it, but here's the honest truth.

The Inca trail is hard

Waking up before 6am and walking for 5+ hours isn't many people's idea of a holiday, and it's hard work to get yourself up, prepared and motivated each morning. If you're coming from the UK you have jet lag on your side, so take my advice and keep waking up at 5am before you start the trail.

The Inca trail is longer than it sounds

26 miles does not seem long - its a 30 minute drive. People run marathons in a matter of hours! Wrong. You tackle these 26 miles at a fraction of the speed you might normally. The combination of altitude, incline, the bag on your back and the prospect of 4 more days of the same mean you need to pace yourself, and if that means going 2mph - so be it. Enjoy the scenery, stop to breathe it in, then carry on putting one foot in front of the other.

The Inca trail is beautiful

Possibly never again will you feel like or be, just a tiny speck of a person in the middle of enormous mountains and deep valleys. The wildlife, the flowers, and clouds even are all the motivation you will need and with every meter gained or lost, your whole environment will change. From clouds and rock to humidity and orchids; it's a beautiful trail.

The Inca trail is major bragging rights

Nothing will make you feel more smug than reaching the outskirts of Machu Picchu and hearing the day trippers coughing and spluttering over the few steps they've climbed to reach the perfect selfie spot. Like the marathon runners finishing alongside the 5k runners, you admire the fact they've made the trip, but there's something extraordinary about the physical and emotional journey you've been on.

The Inca trail is worth it

It's so worth it. The biggest fear I had on the Inca Trail was that once I reached the end, it would be an anticlimax. But on that morning, after the 3am wake up call, the queuing, and the final hike, reaching Machu Picchu and seeing it emerge from the clouds, as we emerged from the trail, it all came together. The challenges of the trail are worth it, and the journey is the destination.

Watch our story of the trail below.

Blissed out in Bali part 1: Ubud

28 April - 5 May

The journey was over, not only the journey from the Thailand to Indonesia, but my personal journey from home to Bali. I was praying that it was going to be everything I dreamt of!

Arriving at night is never good though, and we were driven into the hilltop town of Ubud at speed, only capturing glances of what awaited us the next morning, including to my surprise an Accessorize store! The first thing I noticed when we got out of the car though was the stars. Thousands and in patterns I'd never seen before.

The following day we visited the market, which was filled with enough trinkets to fill a house, and at some very tempting prices. The town was beautiful and filled with arty shops and cute cafés, each working hard to create an atmosphere of paradise, right down to the flowers in the waiters and waitresses hair. After a siesta, pre dinner cocktails turned into dinner in a garden which overlooks a stream and valley of palms.

The next day we followed the road to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. I had been expecting something like Monkey World back home, but the second we arrived I knew this would be different. The little rascals happily jumped on your shoulders, picked through your pockets and grabbed at the bananas we'd bought. So many of the visitors were scared or nervous, but I loved getting up close and personal with these cuties! The rains came over in the afternoon so we spent the rest of the day reading and relaxing at our home stay whilst watching it pour.

I was eager to see some of the countryside so we hired bicycles for the next two days. After packing some lunch we headed in no real direction at all in search of a good view and some beautiful scenery. We weren't disappointed, and found luscious views of rice terraces and fields before getting well and truly soaked in the rain. I can't say I didn't feel a little like Liz in Eat Pray Love as we cycled past endless fields; my bike even had a basket and a bell! They must have cut the scene of her heaving her bike up the hills in the pouring rain though!

After so much exercise we are in need of some pampering, so the next day after trading in some of our books at an independent shop, we got massages! It was honestly the most comfortable I'd been since getting out of my own bed 2 months ago, and I can feel the strain of carrying and heaving my backpack to and fro melting away.

As each day passes now, I feel more and more that I have quenched some of the wanderlust that is within me. I was desperate to get out of the UK and into the unknown, and I feel that I've accomplished that. Whilst I know I will always want to travel and see new places, I know I'll be happy to do so within the safety and stability of a regular life at home.

On our last day we decided its time to pick up some souvenirs. I'd been coveting something since the first day we arrived but the guy in the shop isn't budging on price. Luckily I found something very similar at the price I wanted soon after and left happy! At dinner we headed down one of the quieter roads and found a nice looking place that turned out to be one of the best meals we've had yet! Only when we are back at the home stay do we realise its the 2nd best reviewed restaurant in Ubud! No wonder they asked if we had a reservation.

Before we knew it we were packing our bags again and checking out of what has been the most lovely of weeks. Next we are off to Kuta where hopefully we will find some cheap cocktails and an opportunity to ride some waves!