Eleven visits later, Machu Picchu retains its mind-blowing beauty and unquestionable charisma.
I have made precisely 11 visits to Machu Picchu under all manner of different circumstances. I have taken the bus, the train, hiked for one day and hiked for four days. I have seen it at the crack of dawn and as the sun goes down, in the rain, the sun, the mist and the cloud. And I have one conclusion to draw - every time is utterly breathtaking!
Bus journey of a lifetime
The very first time I had the pleasure of setting foot on this mighty land, I was alone. I wound my way up the death-defying track in the back of a decrepit, rattling bus and watched the valley grow farther and farther away as we climbed higher and higher into the mountain tops. The forest encircled us, the river rushed below us, the mountains towered above us, and we clung on tight. And thank God we did. A very long half-hour later, we reached the top. First thing you see is a rather unattractive hotel, but isn’t it always, and then a toll booth, restaurant, plenty of people and then something else. Something that paralysed me. I forgot the crowds, and just focused on what was in front of me. Here I was standing in front of Machu Picchu for the very first time in my life, and I was overwhelmed.
Four phenomenal days
My next journey to Machu Picchu did not involve the hair-raising bus journey. Shame. It involved the hair-raising, awe-inspiring Inka trail instead. The bus took half an hour and it took my breath away; the trail took four days and it too took my breath away, both figuratively and literally. You walk in an altitude of some 3000m up to a max of 4050m as you cross "Dead Woman’s Pass," and even the fittest will notice that something is missing around here – air! The views are spectacular from beginning to end. The Andes are young, rugged mountains. They are therefore very dramatic and exciting and have an energy about them, not only because they are alive with magma but alive too with emotion. And the energy is contagious. If you feel sick, aching or just weary from the trail’s tough conditions, a moment’s pause to look at the mountains around will give you the momentum, encouragement and inspiration to spur you on your way. You will make it and you will be glad that you did.
But it is not only the outstanding views I remember from the trek. I will never forget the wonderful company kept. I led a tour group along the trail and in my team had the pleasure of two experienced mountain guides and the delightful, heart warming porters. They come from local villages and for me, made the journey complete. They do not speak Spanish, but their own local language, Quetchua, a language passed down from the Incas and therefore bearing no resemblance to Spanish. So communication was somewhat limited. However, despite the lack of words, I could sense that these people were truly good people, living a humble and, I hope, satisfying life. They had a grueling job; they take our luggage, tents, food, cooking equipment, bedding and last but by no means least, toilet, along the trail. They took down our tents after we had left camp in the morning, they raced past us laden with baggage, they prepared lunch as we arrived, they packed away lunch as we left, they raced past us again and finally prepared camp and dinner for us in the evening. And they did this each day. I felt uncomfortable, embarrassed and humbled. I was not happy with the idea that these people could do so much for so little. But instead of resentment towards us, they welcomed us and never ceased to smile and laugh with us. And I grew to understand that this was a highly valued and respected job for them that was prized among their community. It was tough, certainly, but it was their homeland, and they were considerably more used to exerting themselves in altitude than us weak Westerners, puffing and panting up the mountain at a snail's pace. They are a tough, resilient race with a wonderful, kind and generous personality and I will remember them as much if not more than the magnificent views.
Mention of the sites cannot be excluded. They are dotted along the trek, one perched just in view of the next for security reasons in the times of the Incas. At any sign of trouble, the Incas would pass messages along the trail to protect the most important of all sites – the mighty Machu Picchu. Along the trail, the sites are little visited compared with Machu Picchu itself and therefore have a special sense of remoteness often lacking at Machu Picchu. Each have their own story to tell, their own drop-dead views and their own magical, romantic names - Phuyupatamarka, or Cloud-Level Town, Llaqtapata, or Town on the Hillside, Intipata, or Sun Place, and my favorite, Wiñawayna, or Forever Young. Wiñawayna was discovered in only 1941 and it is as beautiful as the name suggests. Built on a sheer cliff with forested mountains and a delicate waterfall as its backdrop, it deserves its claim to immortality.
One wonderful day
The good news is that, for those of you twitching at the thought of the full four-day trek, you do not have to experience the icy nights, seemingly interminable climbs on top of all the inconveniences of altitude, in order to see Wiñawayna. Wiñawayna is visited even if you decide to opt for the one-day trek. The train stops briefly at 105km (this will make more sense if you find yourself in the area one day, I assure you). You jump out, sometimes literally, pick up a local guide, and walk your way up into the mountains from the valley floor. This short but rewarding trek will succeed in giving you a real feel for the landscape, for the toughness of the terrain and an understanding that Machu Picchu did not stand alone in the Andes. Not forgetting that you too will be able to experience the rush when you round the corner, climb the steps to the famous Intipunku or Sun Gate and catch your first glimpse of Machu Picchu lying discreetly in the distance.
Mighty Machu Picchu
So finally, we reach Machu Picchu. This "lost city of the Incas" is perched between two magnificent peaks, Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu , and sits royally on a ledge above the life-providing Urubamba River some 1000 feet below. It is nothing short of magnificent, overwhelming, even life-changing. Everywhere you turn, you will be faced with extraordinary views and death-defying drops. But don’t forget that the site also oozes history. You will not find a more accurate living picture of Inca life and lifestyle - from religious temples to local houses, Inca sites do not come more intact than Machu Picchu. We have all to be thankful that Pizarro never found it.
Machu Picchu is squeezed between two towering peaks, Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, the first meaning Old Peak, the second meaning New Peak. No photograph of Machu Picchu is complete without at least one of them as a backdrop. But don’t just photograph them. Climb them. Neither is easy going, but nothing worthwhile in life ever is. Huayna Picchu is a sheer cliff, scaled with the help of a tight path clinging to the mountain edge. Machu Picchu is a longer climb approaching 3000m in altitude. The path winds solitarily up the mountain, you are almost guaranteed to meet no one, and at the summit you might as well be floating, so far above the rest of the world are you.
So you see there are many ways to reach Machu Picchu, each with its own rewarding moments. Either hike the footsteps of the Incas for four days and take in the sites and the solitude of the Andes. Or hike for one day and taste the mountainous terrain and the delightful Wiñawayna. Or simply catch the rickety train along the valley floor and the winding bus journey of a lifetime up to the summit. Whichever way you choose, you will not be disappointed. I adore Machu Picchu, I think it is an absolute necessity that every living soul should witness such an exquisite sight at some point in their life. Visit and you will see why.