Inca trail Day 4 - Machu Picchu

 

Our Hiking Tour group was – Alpaca Expeditions. We had 3 Guides – Nilton, Adolfo, and Romario. Chef – Walter who was absolutely amazing! Every meal was flavorful and fantastic. 21 Porters to carry everything and prepare the campsites each day. We had 14 hikers in our group and there was always a guide close by. Really the guides were quite attentive and intuitive to our needs. We frequently stopped for rest/photos and a brief history of the area and/or the plant life.

Inca Trail Day 4: May 12,2022 Winay Wayna to Machu Picchu then Aguas Calientes and back to Cusco!

This was the day I had been waiting for. a 5 km hike and the pinnacle of my trip - Machu Picchu with an elevation of 2400m/7873 ft. It did not disappoint! 

 

We started very early, even before the sun rose.

and we had our steepest climb - it was short but more like a scramble than a hike. 

looking up when we were almost to the top:  

                                        

Looking down the pink hat is me.. if you look behind me that to the people at the bottom of the 'climb'

                                            

 We made it to the sungate and our first look at Machu Picchu. It made all the struggle worth it. 

As we hiked we kept getting closer. It was hard not to stop and take a photo every few feet.

                                        

                                        

 

Sophie and myself meeting up again on the last day!

 

Finally we got to the guardhouse area and saw that classic Machu Picchu view.

 

                                        

 Nilton our lead guide talking about the history of Machu Picchu:

Walking around Machu Picchu was magical. We saw Llamas.

and the lone tree it is unsure why it was planted there -

It is located - in the Middle of the ruins,near the residential sector where it is surrounded by the mountains. Per our guide this tree was not originally from the Machu Picchu, it came from the Sacred Valley, and was planted there the reason remains unknown. 

 

The mountain in the background here is Huayna Picchu - you can take a side trip to climb it, I did not.

It was amazing to explore the grounds.

I wish I could post every picture I took, the architecture and views were so amazing.

The lone tree stands tall as we continue winding our way through the ruins.

This was one of our last photos taken in Machu Picchu. I was touching the stone and taking a moment to breathe in the area and say goodbye as we walked away.

 

On our way back to Cusco the bus made a bathroom stop and we saw this amazing cat house.