Machu Picchu is the site of an ancient Inca city in the Andes Mountains and is often referred to as “The Lost City of the Incas”.

Machu Picchu is located about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Cuzco, Peru. The Incan city was built in the middle of the 15^th century in the remote mountains at an altitude of 8000 feet (2450 meters) above sea level in the middle of a tropical forest. Machu Picchu remained relatively unknown to the outside world until 1911 when local farmers guided Hiram Bingham III to the site.

The Inca Trail

Machu Picchu is a very hard place to get to because of its remote location in the mountainous cloud forest of Peru. Basically, there are only two ways to get to Machu Picchu. The first and most common way is to take a train from Cusco to the small town of Aguas Calientes then take a bus up a series of cutbacks to the entrance. The second way is to hike along the Inca Trail.

The Inca Trail connects Cusco to Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate which is the entrance to Machu Picchu and the first place to view the site. The photos below are from the Sun Gate and along the entrance to the ruins.

Exploring the Ruins

The remains of Machu Picchu are extensive and well preserved. There are many wall and buildings that appear to be completely intact with the exception of the roofs which I believe were made of straw. A few buildings have straw roofs restored to show how the city would have looked when it was inhabited.

Terraces

The city is built in a natural setting on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains with lots of terraces and ramps. All of the buildings are built at different elevations and are connected by ramps so it seems like almost every step is either up or down when exploring the site.

Built using the ashlar technique

The entire city of Machu Picchu was built without the use of mortar. Instead, they used a special technique called ashlar which involves cutting stones so precisely that they lay on top of one another without any space between them. The interesting thing about this to me is that none of the stones are cut with square angles. All of the stones are uniquely shaped and they fit together like a puzzle.

Views from Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is located high in the Andes Mountains and the views are truly spectacular. A few of my photos that show the views of the Andes Mountains looking out from Machu Picchu are shown below.

Huayna Picchu

The towering peak seen behind Machu Picchu that makes photos of Machu Picchu so stunning is known as Huayna Picchu. The trail to Huayna Picchu is made of stone steps that are steep and narrow. Huayna Picchu is located about 500 meters (1,650 ft.) higher than Machu Picchu and it takes about one hour and a half to climb the approximately 1,700 steps.

Despite the challenging climb, the effort to reach the top is more worth it for the amazing scenery and to get a unique aerial perspective of Machu Picchu.

Other notable feature

Sometimes I find certain features distinctive and noteworthy so I like to include those features at the end of my post. Two of the feature at I found interesting were the stone gates or entrances and a stone slab that was carved to replicate the mountain ridge in the distance.

The Dust on My Shoes

Machu Picchu is one of the most familiar symbols of the Incan Empire and is one of the most spectacular ancient ruins in the world. Even though it is in an extremely remote location, it is the main attraction for travelers that visit Peru.

Hiking the Inca Trail and getting the view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate were remarkable experiences. Seeing photos of Machu Picchu don’t come close to having the experience of being there. The surrounding is stunningly beautiful and exploring the site is more challenging than most places because almost every step is like walking up and down stairs due to the site being built on the side of the mountain.

Hiking to Huayna Picchu was one of my top memories of my visit to Machu Picchu. Sometimes in my travels, I do something that I am extremely glad that I did it but I would not want to do it again. Hiking to Huayna Picchu is one of those experiences. The trail is a constant elevation increase of 1700 steps that has multiple switchbacks to reach the top. The trail starts at an elevation of 8,000 feet and goes up an additional 1,650 feet. For people like me that live at sea level and are not conditioned for high elevation it is hard to make the hike without stopping multiple times to catch my breath. That being said, I am extremely glad that I hiked to the top of Huayna Picchu because every time I see a picture of Machu Picchu I always think “wow, I stood on top of that mountain”.

Seeing world famous places are always exciting for me but coming home with the feeling of having physically experienced a special place is even more thrilling!

Related Posts