Inca Trail - Day 3 Chaquicocha to final campsite

We had the easiest day on day 3 and got up a bit later. The plan was to walk, mainly downhill to the third and final overnight campsite before Machu Picchu. Mairi and I were feeling fine but Naomi not so good. The day was dogged by bad weather, especially later in the day, not surprising as we were in cloud forest most of the way.



The path starts out going steeply uphill and some Inca paving then leads to a tunnel around 16m long which goes through a fault in the rock.

Inca paving


Going up to the third pass there are supposed to be tremendous views from the campsite you pass through. Unfortunately we were surrounded in swirling mist.




Passing over the top of the col we came to the next Inca site - Phuyu  Pata  Marca, which means 'Cloud Level Town'.The name did not disappoint.
A long staircase descends through the different levels. On one side are six Inca baths, which were probably associated with worship of water. The stonework here is a lot better than seen in the previous ones on the trail.



Much to everyone's delight there was a small herd of llamas at the top who seemed to be a most chilled group.








The path continued down through the terracing and into a long set of Inca steps leading down through dense cloud forest. Here it was damp and festooned with Spanish moss and bromeliads.



At one point the sky cleared and we could see the agricultural terracing of Intipata on the hillside in the distance.






As we approached Intipata we got some views of the River Urubamba beneath us, which we had rejoined and also a first glimpse of the campsite. Intipata seems to have mainly been used for agriculture as there are few buildings on the site.


Mairi overlooking Intipata


Joseph Cheryl and Don


As we walked down through Intipata the weather got worse. We arrived at the last campsite - the Trekkers Hotel (hotel shut down) in time for lunch and an afternoon of rain. We stayed in. Mairi played cards with Naomi who was not feeling any better.



We were supposed to be going to the last Inca site before Machu Picchu at 5.00 but it was still lashing down, so it was around 6.00pm and getting dark before we set out. This site is called  Huinay Huanay which means 'Forever Young' (there is an orchid that grows here called after it). It is the most impressive site on the trail preceding Machu Picchu and was probably used for ritual cleansing before presenting yourself there.
We arrived there to more mist, but in the gathering dusk Huinay Huanay seemed the more mystical. At the top of the complex there are several buildings and steps lead down through terracing and a set of 10 Inca baths. A waterfall could be seen tumbling down the mountain at the rear of the site.








We crept back to the campsite by torchlight and had another great dinner with an enormous pink and white iced cake served for pudding! We assumed the chaskis had brought it up with them at the beginning of the trail. We then got to bed smartish as we had a 3.30am start to look forward to.























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