Machu Picchu

The Stone Terraces

Perched on a ridge 2430m above sea level and surrounded by lush tropical jungle  Machu Picchu is one of the world’s most enigmatic places.  So many myths and legends surround the site that was rediscovered by American archaeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911 that scholars have endless theories about what the mysterious city was used for.  Set at the meeting point of the Amazon basin and the Andes and hidden from the valley below (the Spanish never found it after it was abandoned by the Incas) most people believe it was a sacred religious site for the king.  The self-sustaining city contains ornate temples, baths, palaces and houses with a second area criss-crossed with stone terraces used for different agricultural production.  There are a lot of ideas about the role the site may have played in the Incas sophisticated understanding of astrology with other ideas suggesting it served as an important post on trade routes coming up from the Amazon.  Whatever it was used for it definitely deserves its place as a wonder of the world! As I had previously walked the 4 day Inca trail, Hannah decided we should catch the train to the ruins (a good excuse to be lazy) as my memory of the site was a little hazy having arrived exhausted into Machu Picchu after completing the iconic trek. 

Botanical Garden in Machu Picchu

Our train in Agua Calientes

With only Nick to keep us company on our small tour we set off from Cusco at 9am to travel the three hours to the village of Aguas Calientes which sits at the bottom of Machu Picchu Mountain.  It took us just over an hour with a standard Latin American driver (without doubt the world’s worst motorists) to get to the train station in the beautiful Inca village of Ollantaytambo.  The train up to Aguas Calientes followed the Vilcanota River (which eventually reaches the Amazon) on a steady incline and is flanked by dramatic soaring mountains on either side, almost as impressive a journey as the Inca Trail itself!  Aguas Calientes is a little dilapidated (surprising considering everyone going to Machu Picchu passes through) although the setting of the town under Machu Picchu makes up for that with room to spare.  We were treated to an amazing lightning storm at night that illuminated all of the mountains around and after a fantastic traditional meal we went to bed early with a 4.15am alarm to head up to Machu Picchu.

The sun hitting the ruins

We arrived at the main entrance just as the mountain became bathed in light by the rising sun and we set off up a small set of winding stairs to be treated with the famous postcard image of Machu Picchu.  Last time I came was as a trip leader with a group of students and I had left feeling slightly underwhelmed, perhaps due to it being a little overcast and arriving following a four day hike – this time I had no such reservations!  95% of the ruins have been rebuilt using the same techniques the Incas used (unusually they were destroyed by forest rather than looters) but that does not detract from the view.  The ruins are set on a ridge around 1200ft above the river below that forms a horse shoe shape around Machu Picchu Mountain in the heart of the Andes.  Although the ruins are not the most spectacular we have explored, the setting is like nowhere else on earth and we spent the day stunned by what we were seeing.  We spent two hours with our guide who explained about the different temples, stone terraces and amazing astronomical achievements (there was even a stone compass that pointed perfectly in each direction accurately). In another observatory the Intihuatana stone is a precise indicator of the two equinoxes as the sun moves directly above the rock and as such it casts no shadow.  When this happens the sun is ‘tied to the rock’ to halt its journey north and the Incas held grand ceremonies.  Some of the rocks used to make the temples weigh over 50 tonnes and were cut with such precision that the mortar-less joints do not even let a knife pass between them.   

The stairs after breaking through the tree line

To stop me feeling lazy we had bought tickets to scale Machu Picchu Mountain after our tour which towers above the ruins by 2000 feet and only 400 people a day are allowed to see its unrivalled views.  The walk follows a steady 30-35 degree incline to start with as it climbs through the forest with clearings offering amazing views of the ruins below. Even at 9.30am the sun was scorching and we were grateful to be shaded by the trees that overhung the narrow path.  At nearly 10,000 feet above sea level the air was very thin and there was a lot of panting and swearing as we made slow progress. Although it was tiring we were confident of getting to the top (it is rumoured less than half make it up) but the steps soon became narrower and the drop over the edge plummeted.  After around an hour we broke through the tree line and we were treated (this maybe the wrong word) to an incredible view straight down the side of the mountain to the valley below and the snow-capped mountains beyond.  

Half way up Machu Picchu Mountain

The Summit Ridge

Reflecting upon the walk I am not entirely sure how we got up as the steps grew smaller and more dilapidated and after a particularly hairy 20 minutes Hannah stopped, some 15 minutes from the top.  An overweight American waddling pas gave me the motivation I needed to finish traversing the final narrow ledge and ridge that eventually broke out onto a small summit – there was a very real sense of achievement it making it! With towering mountains arching in a seemingly impossible 360ᵒ panorama and Machu Picchu sat below it was a once in a life time experience.  Going down was a combination of Hannah bum shuffling, flapping her arms in an apparent attempt to fly down the mountain and some amusing cliff hugging (I would like to say I did this in more style but that would be a lie!) and thankfully we made it down in one piece!  Despite the nerves and effort it was well worth the hike although we got stuck in the one way system that goes around the ruins and added an extra 30 minutes’ walk to our already exhausted legs.

The cloud forest below Machu Picchu

After a rest we decided to finish our walk off and headed back down through the cloud forest to Aguas Calientes rather than catching the bus.  The steep stone steps took us 1200 feet down the mountain to the river below although by this point our legs started to scream in objection.  Again we got amazing views of the surrounding mountains and we made it to the river just in time before the sun dipped below them and we treated ourselves to a beer at the bottom.  Unfortunately we had decided to save money by taking the cheap train home at 9.30pm and we sat with Nick putting the world to rights whilst dozing on the hostel sofas.  We eventually made it back to Cusco at about 1.30am after an exhausting day but having decided that it was our favourite of the five wonders of the world we have now been lucky enough to see.