Today we’re going to begin our adventure along the Inca Trail where we hope to make it to Machu Picchu! We started from the train station and begin our ascent up the side of the mountain following one of the trails that explorers have cleared out over the years.
Above and below are some group shots of our crew! We’re well prepared for the altitude – you never know what to expect between small storms that pop up and variations in temperature. Down at the level we started at (about 8 thousand feet) it was fairly warm!
As we quickly made our way up, you can see the rapid gains in elevation. Looking back along the water, it’s clear that the climb is not for the feint of heart!
Here are some shots of the scenery and other things we encountered along the trail. The entire time our guide is talking to us about the trail and filling us in on the job of the porters who shlep gear and supplies for tourists taking the longer (3-day) trail. We did not use their services so we’re taking our own food/water up with us.
Below is a panorama of the mountains in the area. It was breathtaking (in more ways than one – we’re up at about 9 thousand feet now!). The way the jungle sprawled through the valleys and over the ridgelines of the mountains was fantastic.
This is a smaller settlement that served as somewhat of a “gateway” into Machu Picchu. There was a regional mayor or governor who lived here with his family and controlled access along the trail and would also serve as a store house and distribution center of supplies. You can see the ridiculous number of steps that were required to transit any of the levels. That coupled with the altitude means these folks had to have some seriously strong legs!
Also, the scenery isn’t bad. Talk about a room with a view!
These llamas were Erika’s favorite. She basically wanted to pet them every chance she got. Unfortunately they are actually alpaca, but their status with Erika remained the same 😀
Below is a group shot where we were very particular about where we stood…or rather, where we didn’t stand, as that edge was definitely a ticket to disaster.
This sign was not lying…you can see the bridge we had to transit. It had held up this far…what’s the worst that could happen? Not too much longer to go until we can finally get our first glimpse of the city…
Another panorama…another unbelievable view.
We’re about three hours into our hike now, and as you can see we’ve worked up quite a sweat! But it was worth it for the first glimpse of the city behind us! We’re at a spot called the Sun Gate or Intipunku. The story is that this was the traditional entrance into the city of Machu Picchu. Guards would restrict access to those “not on the list”, which they were easily able to do given the vantage point of the surrounding land and steep ascent up to this point.
Here’s our group overlooking the city itself!
More unbelievable views…we’ve heard the weather can be spotty but it was a beautiful day that day.
Some more group shots…
…including one with our guide Eduardo! He was very knowledgable, in cases more so than the folks that actually worked the site. He also seemed to be “senior” in rank, as sometimes the workers would tell us we could not do something and Eduardo would laugh and just keep us moving along…it’s nice to know a guy!
Well, that was enough for that day, so it was time to head down to our hotel. We took a bus down the side of the mountain on a very windy road.
At the bottom, you can see that even though the sun is up, it’s dark on most of the village due to the very tall mountains surrounding it.
Finally to our hotel room, complete with a lovely desert sampler.
We decide to go out exploring for a bit before we turn in for the night.
The town exists solely for the purpose of providing support to tourists visiting Machu Picchu. Due to this, there’s a bunch of tourist-y type restaurants and stores. We didn’t mind walking amongst them though.
The city is tiered similarly to the surrounding architecture. It made it pretty exiting to travel around as there was always more just hidden around a corner or up some stairs.
Gathering supplies for tomorrow…
Goodnight until the next day – the trip into the actual city itself!