What an incredible day this turned out to be. We had read about Wayna Picchu in the guide book and how they only allow 400 people into this site a day. We (and by we, I mean Z) was eager to make sure we got to this part because the hike is to a prominent peak which gives you amazing panoramic views of the Machu Picchu site and the surrounding Andes mountains. So, the day started with a 5am wake up so we could get ready and on one of the early buses up to Machu Picchu; the buses are on a first come, first serve basis even with a bus ticket. The bus ride is about 30 minutes and winds up the mountainside with some crazy hairpin turns; there aren’t a lot of guardrails and you’re sometimes looking straight down a cliff. Thankfully the driver was experienced and manoeuvred through the dirt road with great skill.
We arrived and quickly walked to the guarded kiosk controlling entry to Wayna Picchu. It opens up at 7am and we were there just as it was opening…..turns out we were entrants 32 and 33...guess we didn’t need to get up that early after all, perhaps in peak season. This hike was mostly straight up the mountain to the peak. Now, before I go on, Machu Picchu is situated at about 2500 metres and so this sea-level city girl had a little difficulty with the thin air. Thankfully, I acclimatized during our stop over in La Paz, but still hiking at this altitude did take my breath away. I was quite winded anytime we had to ascend up a bunch of nature‘s stairs. It took us just over an hour to reach the peak. This peak is probably a couple hundred metres higher than Machu Picchu itself ,but unfortunately there was nothing the altitude here. As it was still very early in the morning, the clouds were still blocking most of the view across to the citadel; but we did get a few good glimpses. There is a cave we wanted to check out as well, so on we went to find it. The weather was actually perfect for this hike because it was overcast so we did not have to contend with rain or extreme sun/heat. What we didn’t quite expect was the amount of time it would take to reach the cave, mostly because I needed to go slow. This hike is not for the faint hearted to say the least. At times I felt like my heart was going to explode it was beating so fast. The other thing that I chose to ignore was that climbing down the mountain to the cave meant eventually we’d have to climb back up again. The pathways are in quite good condition thankfully and they do a good job in maintaining the site overall. The trail leading to and from the cave took us virtually around this mountain peak, going practically all the way down to the bottom by the river and back up again…it took us a good 4 hours to complete. The cave was quite cool and looks like it was inhabited a very long time ago. People were leaving Inuksuk-like statues there, so we made ours and left back to climb up the mountain. I think I climbed enough of nature’s stairs on this hike to last me for awhile. The scenery was absolutely incredible though and while I was quite disheartened at times seeing yet another set of stairs, it was definitely worth it. It’s not every day you get a chance to hike around in the Andes Mountains.
We had read that you are not supposed to bring water or food into the ruins. This is not exactly accurate information. You are able to bring small items of food and water along, but are supposed to only leave footprints and take all your belongings out with you. It’s a good thing that we asked about the water, because I would have died on this hike if we didn’t have water and a granola bar along. As you can imagine, we were both quite hungry after hiking Wayna Picchu so we head to the snack bar for a quick lunch before heading back into to explore the Inca ruins. Prices at the snack bar are a little over inflated, but not unreasonable once you factor in the exchange rate of 1 to 2.8.
Machu Picchu is definitely worth the title of one of the 7 Wonders of the World. These ruins are very well preserved. I was absolutely astonished at how the Inca people build this citadel. I think they were quite a sophisticated society for their time. We learned the Inca people existed from about 1200 to 1500 A.D. and during this time built Machu Picchu and many other habitats in the surrounding Cusco area, known as the Sacred Valley. I was amazed at their precision in building the walls for their buildings. The large stones are all intricately placed without mortar and there are no gaps. Each stone block lines up perfectly. I was fascinated by these walls. The ancient city of Machu Picchu was well laid out according to the ruins. They had their agricultural terraces, which also served to provide stability for the city, a scared temple, their astrological area which helped them determine the seasons depending on sun position, their living areas and an impressive water system that ran throughout. This place is very tranquil as well. You can just sit there and take in nature’s surrounding beauty of all the mountain ranges, the river and valley below for hours. We are truly blessed to be living on such a beautiful planet. Hiking and exploring Machu Picchu was well worth the physical pain and exhaustion I felt once the day was done.
Machu Picchu Pueblo, the town where you stay if you overnight, is a tourist driven town for sure. The restaurants cater to tourists and have wide ranging types of menus to satisfy any appetite. We stayed at Hostel Chaska, which is situated relatively close to the train station. Our host was Marta and she spoke only Spanish. She was fabulous and was available basically anytime you needed something. Breakfast was included, and she would have it prepared at whatever time you requested. So the early 5am wake-up had breakfast waiting for us and she was sitting there when we returned from the ruins at around 5pm with her friendly smile and greeting. This place was clean and great to stay at; it‘s across the creek away from the main area so is rather quiet. The town itself is split by a creek running into the river. There are markets all over the town, with one just a short distance from where we were staying. Across the creek you find many restaurants and more market shops. The town is situated in the mountains so having to walk uphill is unavoidable. This proved to be problematic for me after returning from our Machu Picchu adventure. It is still low season and so restaurants in particular are all vying for the limited business. We ate at two great restaurants and like many places in South America were seated outside. The entire experience was extremely memorable. I’m glad it re-opened in time for our trip. I know I would have been rather disappointed if we travelled all this way and were unable to visit this magnificent place.
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