Things to see and do Machu Picchu

Wayna (or Huayna) Picchu is the famous peak that appears on all the postcards behind the ruins as if to enclose the landscape. This point of observation (2 693 m) in steepness costs some cold sweat and a good cardio, but offers an exceptional view on the main monuments and alleys. Count on 1h30 to 2h round trip along the numerous steps dug in the mountain, people who are afraid of heights should not go. It remains our favorite. Follow the light blue circuit 4. If you want to visit all the ruins, it will be necessary to envisage an entry Llaqta in more.

Unfortunately one cannot undertake the excursion alone (the rules and controls are very strict) and the assistance of an agency is obligatory. Those follow one another on the Plaza de Armas of Cusco and in the calle Plateros, but attention, the prices are according to the service. It is necessary to count approximately 600 US$ for the 4 days of hike (40 km), without forgetting the tip for your companions, but that includes the trains, entries, visit of the site. Be sure to check which services are included or not.

It is highly recommended to book in advance, as the number of hikers on the trail is limited to 500 people (including porters) per day. Don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise. Best season is from May to August for an arrival under the sun.

As a reminder, previously it was possible to reach the Sun Gate from the archaeological site, since the pandemic this access has not been reopened to visitors with a classic entrance. Its access is therefore reserved only to the walkers of the Camino Inca.

To travel serenely, do not hesitate to leave your luggage and your money at the hotel, but do not forget to take your passport, indispensable to enter the site of Machu Picchu. In addition, you will be able to stamp it on your way out to show off to your friends!

Circuit of 4 days

For this mythical walk rich in emotions, it is necessary to foresee four days and three nights, so much this way that followed the "chasquis", estafettes assuring the communications between the cardinal points of the empire, is marked by History. The major part of the way is paved and in good condition, with, at the end, the reward that makes forget all the fatigues: Machu Picchu! The route itself, which begins in the sierra and emerges in the selva, impresses by the efflorescence of the vegetation and by the lakes and mountains that seem to have been sown there, for the only pleasure of the hiker. The vegetation all along the route shows off its finery: puyas, orchids, fragrant essences (cedar, eucalyptus, laurel), and if you are lucky, you may see an otter, a puma or a parrot. Hummingbirds also show up very often.

The groups are generally constituted of 10 to 15 people, including an experienced guide knowing the vegetation and the History of the Incas, porters and cooks who, very often, are the same. The porters do a lot of work: they have to arrive before you at the sites to set up camp and prepare the meal, and then, once you have left, they have to break camp and run (with at least 20 kg on their backs) to overtake you and set up the next camp before you arrive. These porters will prepare balanced and varied meals (from trout to chicken to spaghetti bolognaise), always with a soup as a starter and a mate de coca (coca leaf infusion) for dessert.

This mate is absolutely essential to alleviate the inevitable breathing problems.

At km 88, the train (or the bus) abandons its load of hikers - it is necessary to be ready, because the convoy stops only one small minute - before plunging in a tunnel and continuing its smoky and rattling road. We cross the roaring Urubamba river by a suspension bridge and we begin the walk on the most popular trekking path of America. 3 km further on, we are already in the heart of the matter with the archaeological site of Llaqtapata, that is to say one hundred dwellings of different architecture, a trapezoidal square and buildings with two floors. The most remarkable is constituted by a succession of stone terraces stretched on 2 km. It would be a pity, in the excitement of the beginning of a journey that promises to be exciting, to neglect Llaqtapata. But already the path becomes very steep before stabilizing; the soft hum of the fresh Kusichaka river alleviates the first burns to the lungs, and the shade of the trees soothes the walker.

3h30 after having left the train to its parallel destiny, we see, at 2 770 m of altitude, the houses of Wayllabamba, unique village on the route, in a valley where the irrigation canals and the inca terraces go up to the conquest of the slope.

It is time to breathe and to choose between going to Llulluchapampa - it will then be necessary to walk 2 hours more - or to stay in Willabamba to rest. At this stage, we are facing a big physical challenge: to leave the valley to climb by the Hatun Wayruro stream and to pass the pass of Warmihuanusqa. The next day, when we leave, the landscape changed: the short grass, dried by the cold winds, took the place of the forest. When we reach the pass, we are at 4 200 m, culminating point of the way of the Inca (part not to be underestimated). The ground becomes very steep (difference in level of almost 1,000 m) in the descent (attention to the knees!) until the Pacamayu river, border between sierra and selva, territory of the mosquitoes. After lunch, as a way of digestion, we climb to the ruins of Runkuraqay, a place of observation and sanctuary whose walls have defied the centuries.

The glance thrown back catches the snowy summit of the Verónica and slides, in the east, on the green carpet of the tropical forest. From this moment, the walk becomes a real pleasure: we only have to go down towards the "lost city". At 3 500 m, Sayaqmarka spreads out its alleys, houses, fountains and pre-Hispanic channels. We camp near the walls, because here the sunset is absolutely extraordinary. A lake on the right, flowers everywhere and the picture is complete. The way becomes then a reality of stone facilitating the approach of Machu Picchu. We bathe there in full mystery, in the middle of the clouds, between the buildings of Phuyupatamarca, center of distribution of inca food. The complex owes its name to the profusion of orchids which grow there in big number, all the year. Borrowing the way of the Inca that connects Phuyupatamarca to Winay, "young woman" in Quechua, we go along an interesting set of houses and fountains. Further, we plant the tent to 4 hours of walk of the Inti Punku, door of the Sun, for the third and last night under the stars, the head already to the Machu Picchu so close and that we will be among the first to visit, before the arrival of the buses..

It is here that you will find the other groups for a big feast, a shower (without hot water, but that makes good nevertheless) and that you will thank the carriers and cooks to have accompanied you. The next morning, wake up at 3:30 am for the last walk, even the race, until the door of the Sun from where we will watch its rising on the marvelous Inca city. A reward which redeems a very legitimate tiredness. This arrival by the Door of the Sun at this hour is savored. Then, with slow steps, we approach the descent towards the heart of the ruins and participate in a traditional visit. You will go back down by shuttle to join the crowd of the tourists to Aguas Calientes and you will realize the great privilege to make its entrance on such a mythical site on foot.

Circuit of 2 days

This option is very interestingfor those who do not feel the physical strength of a too intense trek and hard nights, but want to enjoy the landscapes. We take a train early in the morning, we get off at Km 104 and we do the whole last part of the Camino Inca. Elevation changes, steps and ascents and descents. We arrive by the Door of the Sun at the end of the afternoon to discover a more quiet site since we arrive little before its closing. Then we will go up the next morning (after having spent the night in a real bed) for the guided tour of the next day. So we see Machu Picchu twice, at two different hours of the day and probably under two different lights and atmospheres. It is necessary to go through an agency, the quotas are regulated, but with the rules of visit hardened it is a good solution to enjoy it more. The all-inclusive price with train, walk, entrance fees, visit, night, train back is still high, about 400 US$, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.

The Templo de las Tres Ventanas, which adorns the main square, looks like a puzzle of incredible precision as the polygonal blocks fit perfectly together. These are the best-cut and largest stones on the site, the main wall being 8 metres wide and 10 metres high. The windows have a trapezoidal shape and niches were to allow to leave offerings. This place was obviously used for important ceremonies.

The Templo Principal, as its name suggests, would have been one of the most important ceremonial sites in the Inca city. With its back to the temple is the Casa del Sacerdote, a place where the priests kept the sacred ornaments used during the ceremonies. On the front of the temple there is a small carved stone that represents the Southern Cross. It is believed that Wiracocha, the creator of the universe and a key figure in the Inca pantheon, was honored here. It seems that this masterpiece was never fully completed.

The Montaña Machu Picchu requires a special entrance ticket. The ascent is less strong than in Wayna Picchu) and more lenient for the subjects to the vertigo, on the other hand it is more demanding, because the Montaña culminates in 3 082 meters, it is necessary to go through 650 meters of unevenness mainly in the form of steps. It takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to get there and back. The view is wider: it embraces the site, the surrounding mountains and the rivers. Follow the yellow circuit 3. If you want to visit all the ruins you will have to foresee an additional entrance to Llaqta.

It is not just one but a group of constructions slipped in the middle of the rocks. Among them are some caves that will serve to exercise rituals. There is also the name that gives its name to this package: a stone cut in the center of a large patio where many guessing the traits of a condor. In the south of this stone there are houses reserved for elites with private access to one of the sources of Machu Picchu. Buildings were also found as small pens dedicated to the breeding of cuyes (guinea pigs).

It is a larger complex of the city with only one access door, it would be the Acllahuasi (house of elected women). These women devoted themselves to religious services and fine crafts. In a large room made of polished stones, two circular mortars(morteros) on the floor would have been used to grind grains. It is also thought that these carved bowls were filled with water so that the stars would be reflected in them. The place was used for rituals. The elite resided there.

The Torreon or Templo del Sol (which Bingham also called the "Royal Tomb") is located in the nobles' quarter. This conical tower made of finely worked blocks is accessed through a door with two posts. It seems that the place was used for the ceremonies that celebrated the June solstice. The small windows in the tower were used to measure the arrival of the solstices and therefore the changes of the seasons. A fire has left traces that are still visible. Under the large rock that supports the Torreon there is a small cavity that is thought to have been a mausoleum for mummies, like a secret cave. An altar carved in the shape of a chakana (Andean cross) and trapezoidal niches for offerings have been found there. In the tower there are several sacrificial altars. Nearby were 142 skeletons, presumably mostly female. The most common hypothesis is that they wereacclas, young girls sacrificed to celebrate the cult of the Sun. But a more recent study, conducted by the American John Verano by re-examining the human remains of the Peabody Museum of Yale, showed that it was a question of skeletons of both sexes and of any age. It was even whispered that here was the mummy of the famous Inca Pachacutec, but nothing has ever been proven. This symbolic place attracts the eye and suggests that the discreet entrance below could hold important treasures. Still a mystery in suspense.

This is the largest, best distributed and most finely executed of all the residential buildings. Its entrance door leads directly to the most important spring in the city and, on the other side, at the end of a large staircase, to the Templo del Sol. There are two rooms with monolithic lintels and polished stone walls. One of these rooms is a small outbuilding that had a direct exit to the water drainage channel. There is also an enclosure for camelids and a terrace.

It is a promontory that slightly dominates the other buildings. Terraces have been built on all four sides, forming a kind of pyramid with a polygonal base. There are two wide staircases to the north and south. The southern staircase is the most interesting, as most of the 78 steps are cut from a single stone. At the very top is the Intihuatana (Quechua for "the sun is attached") rock. The rock itself has a few steps so that the priest can access it and place his offerings.

This polygon-shaped stone is about 1 meter high and 2 meters in diameter, carved in one piece. Its different faces cast shadows in relation to the movement of the sun at different times of the year. This made it possible to predict climatic changes and therefore the important moments for agriculture throughout the year. The movement of the stars was also monitored. The shadow cast by the small central pillar was used to measure the passage of time. This is why it is also called "Inca sundial".

It is said that the Intihuatana stone radiates its own energy. In the past, one could put one's hands down to feel this power. Today, one must keep a distance of a few centimeters. Some theories speak of a vortex of energy on which would be built the city of Machu Picchu with in its center the Intihuatana. This undoubtedly adds to the mystique of the place.