Travelling to Machu Pichu had been on my bucket list for years. Despite living in neighboring Ecudor for years, I never made it across the border and over. As with many destinations that are so hyped that the actual visit actually comes up short of expectations, this was far from the case here. The combination of the ruins, the history, the surroundings, and on that day the weather, made it truly incredible, almost magical.
For those coming from abroad, the typical approach is to fly into Lima, Peru and make their way to Cuzco (train, plane or even car). From there, only two options open to get to Machu Pichu, at present. Take the train (1 1/2 hrs), or hike the Inca Trail (apx 4 days). Both embarkation points are about 2 hours from Cuzco. Before heading off to Machu Pichu, I would strongly recommend spending a couple of days in Cuzco. Beautiful town, with some great museums, Inca ruins, Spanish colonial buildings, galleries and more. Worth at least a couple of days.
We had a private tour guide take us around a few places in the Sacred Valley of the Incas (Moray and Salt Mine of Maras stand out) before arriving at Ollantaytambo (which itself has some incredible Inca ruins) to hop on the train to get to Aguas Callientes. Small town, average lodging, average food, but got us an early 6:30 AM start to get up to Machu Pichu. Our guide met us, took us to the bus which made the zig-zag, multi, multi switchback approach up the mountain. Our guide took us for a bit of a hike to where we overlooked the ruins and we looked down and saw...mist and fog.
We could see the mist start to burn off, and around us the nearby peaks were poking out, and we could begin to see how high up we truly were. Beautiful scenery and as you can see from the many pictures of Machu Pichu, really does seem magical. The Incas chose well. Then the ruins began to emerge, and it was awesome, made even more so with how the ruins seemed to emerge from the mist. We then went on a 2 1/2 hour walk through the ruins, which really were spectacular, details for which are everywhere, made our way back to the bus.
We did not make the hike up the rather daunting Huayna Pichu, that almond shape mountain directly behind Machu Pichu. I have understood that the view is even more spectacular than from Machu Pichu, but the cliff hanging steps to get there, no thanks. If heights are of drama to you, take time and check it out.
Getting back to Aguas Callientes, we had lunch, caught up on emails (!), and got on the train back to the terminus then connected with our guide back to Cuzco. Another day in Cuzco (yeah!), then off to Lima for a couple of days, which I would strongly suggest, then a flight up to Quito, Ecuador, my former home, for a few days. I realize I have not gone into much detail about Machu Pichu, but there is enough on this incredible destination out there. What I want to convey here is that it is well worth the time and effort to get there. You will not be disappointed at all.
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