This woman's trip to Machu Picchu was "literal hell"

Machu Picchu is a dream to many but ended up being a nightmare for this traveller. Photo / Getty

WARNING: GRAPHIC

Sydney woman Renata Yannoulis was on the trip of a lifetime in South America when she and her friends all became violently sick.

They were completing a five-day trek to Machu Picchu, an ancient Incan city perched in the Andes Mountains, which was supposed to be the highlight.

"It was hell. It was literal hell," the 26-year-old told news.com.au.

Ms Yannoulis, who works in advertising, believed she was well prepared.

She'd had all the relevant immunisations, she was fit and healthy, and she'd arrived in Peru with plenty of time to acclimatise to the high altitude.

However, she made one dangerous mistake.

"We chose one of the cheapest companies we could find to take us there. In retrospect, that should have been an indicator of what was to come," she said.

"The porters who were preparing our food for us along the camping experience probably weren't using any hygiene standards. A couple of times I saw them cleaning our dishes in water next to the public bathrooms, and that was probably a red flag."

On a rugged track on the side of a mountain, with no food of their own and a language barrier, they had no choice but to eat the food they were given.

Things turned very bad, very quickly.

An explosive stomach bug broke out, taking them down like dominoes.

"We were all so exhausted," Ms Yannoulis said.

"One person tried to get up and get to the toilet at the campsite in the middle of the night, and our of sheer exhaustion actually sh*t themselves in the tent.

"We cried with her. We were all in it together."

The group became so weak even walking became an humiliating struggle.

"While we were hiking, there were hundreds of other people with these other companies hiking alongside you on the same trail.

"I think a lot of people have the misconception that you're alone on this pilgrimage up there, and a lot of people say 'Why don't you relieve yourselves along the way?' But you're literally sh*tting in front of 200 other people.

"You have to clench your bowels the entire time."

Some were so ill they became delirious, and since they were exposed to the elements and desperately needed energy to survive, they had no choice but to keep eating the same poorly cooked, unhygienic food.

Since they had no travel insurance, and not enough money to pay for help down the mountain out of hand, they battled onwards and upwards.

"The costs of getting extra porters to help take us down was ridiculous. It was going to end up costing us thousands of dollars if we actually wanted to call it quits."

The biggest heartbreak came when they arrived at the top.

Machu Picchu is one of South America's most famous sites, visited by approximately 1.2 million people per year — and as many as 5000 people per day during the high season.

It's so popular the Peruvian government has built a train all the way to the top, allowing anyone to access the site for day trips, regardless of age or ability.

With hindsight, Ms Yannoulis said they would have taken the train, but she and her friends opted to hike, believing it would make their visit more meaningful.

However, after everything they'd been through, they barely gave it a glance.

"We were all so exhausted. I felt almost delirious getting here, and then we had three hours to enjoy the site and take it in," she told news.com.au.

"Basically, I took a couple of photos and then pretty much took a nap on the ruins. I feel like I didn't get to have my 'wow' moment because we were all so exhausted and sleep-deprived and sick."

New research from Southern Cross Travel Insurance reveals more than a quarter of Australians have had bad food experiences while on holiday.

Seven per cent have been hospitalised abroad for things like severe gastro, bacterial infections, allergic reactions and choking — and some travellers have forked out up to $200,000 to cover medical bills from their food-related disasters.

Travel medicine expert, Dr Deborah Mills, said Australians need to be more aware of the risks they take when trying new foods overseas.

"Illness and medical upsets are a known factor of travel, yet many Aussies remain naive to the things that can go wrong when away from home," she said.

"Everyone is taught to watch out for Bali belly, but they may not be aware that other bacterial infections and parasites can be just as common across the globe.

"While some problems are minor, and easily treatable, it's important travellers know how best to prevent these illnesses before they turn into a more serious problem overseas."

A year later, Ms Yannoulis told news.com.au she's able to see the funny side.

"It was a fantastic trip, and you know what? I can laugh about it now."