Day four of the trek was our last day that Filio would wake us with our coca tea at our tent. Kay jammed on his clothes and practically ran out of the tent to see if the sun was coming up yet. He was really excited to see this view.
I on the other hand, took my sweet time putting my clothes on and properly waking myself up and rolling up my tent things before I came out with my big camera. 
No stress, the sun was still rising!
Kay still enjoying his coca tea.
The view was pretty spectacular and the photos don’t really do it justice. We were waiting for the sun to rise high enough to just hit the peak of Machu Picchu in the valley below.
Behind the campsite we could still see bits of mountains we’d left behind.
I have to say, not just for the photos at sunset and sunrise, but we were really lucky that it never was raining while we were at the campgrounds on our whole trail. Even though we were often walking in rain, it wasn’t an issue when it came to relaxing or going to bed. Thank you, mother nature!
This view was almost as amazing as Salkantay on the first day.
Around 7am we got on the road on the way down to the hydro power station on the way to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu.
Signs that we were getting closer, the excitement in the group rose! By this point, we were also having a really nice time talking with everyone in the group. It was a great mix of people and Kay and I both really enjoyed our walking partners.
Once we got to the tracks we started walking along them, which admittedly was not really as fun as the rest of the trail. This part was a little boring, but it happens as soon as you get close to the tracks to Aguas Calientes.
We also had to watch out a bit for cars and trains at the last point. We had enjoyed almost our entire three days of trekking as the only trekking group in the area, so it was kind of weird to be around people again.
We arrived in town mid-day and were checked into a hotel for the night before we were given the afternoon off to explore town and visit the local hot springs.
Kay and I ended up being the only ones who thought that soaking in natural hot springs sounded like a great way to soothe our poor muscles after four days of hiking. We also both got a full body massage in town before dinner and it was… heaaaven. I think I forgot which country I was in.
It doesn’t look it from these pictures, but the weather was actually really sunny and warm and gorgeous in Aguas Calientes. We crossed our fingers that it would stay like this tomorrow for the big trip to Machu Picchu!
For dinner, we had a farewell dinner in a restaurant with Alpaca Expeditions. Our porters and chef would be going home from here and only our two guides, Valentine and Filio, would be taking us on to Machu Picchu the next day.
We made sure to order Pisco Sours for the table!
After dinner we all walked back to the hotel for an early night because like many others, we planned on taking the first bus up to Machu Picchu in the morning.
Up next, the grand finale!
Alpaca Expeditions was founded by a retired porter and Inca tour guide. Their fantastic, professional tours specialize in sustainable tourism both by supporting local farmers and by paying fair wages to local porters, employee health/life insurance, and respecting local labor laws. The company also has social projects for children’s needs and they even work to help porters and their families to visit Machu Picchu, something that many locals in the area are never able to do on their own. By supporting Alpaca Expeditions, you can help them give back to the community and support the local Andeans.
More from our trip to Peru:
I just caught up on your Peru trip. Fantastic pictures and what a great trip. And holy hell my legs and lungs are exhausted just from reading how much you hiked and walked. What a great experience overall.