We hiked 4 days from about an hour outside of Cusco to Machu Picchu near Aguas Calientes. The scenery was breathtaking and I made good friends with all of the others hiking with me. What impressed me the most though was the porters. They are so hard working and helpful. It was wonderful to be able to support them through a reputable tour company that treated them well and took care of us as the customers.
If you ever have the chance to go to Machu Picchu, go. It is expected that the Peruvian government will close the site down so you will only be able to view from a distance rather than explore the ruins for yourself in order to preserve the area.
At the top of an almost 14,000 foot pass, aptly named Dead Woman's Pass. The highest point on the trail.
The reward for making it to the top of the pass is coca tea. Not legal in the US.
Wild flowers. This one is smaller than a pea.
The best part of the trail is that you see ruins the entire way along the trail.
Wild orchids on the trail as big as my hand.
After beginning our final day's hike before sunrise, we arrive at Machu Picchu just as the sun crests the mountain.
It was so much bigger than I expected.
I think it was 8,000 feet or so down to the bottom of the canyon where the city of Aguas Calientes sits.
After four days on the trail, and a terrifying bus ride down from the ruins, we splurged on pizza and pisco sours in Aguas Calientes.
