Machu Picchu

We finally limped into Machu Picchu and, weather be-damned, it was an impressive sight, and a massive achievement - 42km trekked, up and down over a kilometre in altitude and considerably more in real terms.

The misty, rolling clouds added considerable atmosphere to the ruins and it made for a fitting and to our trek. Our guide took us through the history of the site before giving us time to explore ourselves. We wandered the ruins for as long as our legs would allow, in particular looking at the intact walls held together with impressive craftsmanship and no mortar at all.

We headed down to Agua Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu, by bus. A bit of shopping followed by a fabulous frozen lemonade over looking the Urabamba River before boarding the train back to Ollantaytembo, and finally getting a bus back to Cuzco. The train journey gave spectacular views of the route along which we had walked and the Urabamba valley, but staying awake proved the real challenge.Read more