on peru: Trek day 6 – Machu Picchu

At 4am the campsite awoke to the sounds of birds and the rush of the Riu Urumbamba beside us. The hillsides disappeared into the darkness above, though we knew we’d soon be making the final two hour climb to the Incan city.

Once ready, our team gathered and made for the gateway to the site and had our documents and passports checked before being allowed to cross the bridge. From here you could do what the buses do and follow the twisting road as it climbs the mountainside in a fit of hairpin turns, or you can take the hard way – a steady climb up a rough cut stone stairway which takes you all the way to the top. Naturally we opted for the climb.

The goal was to make a fast ascent and enter the UNESCO world heritage site in time to watch the sunrise. We looked up at the steep stone steps carved through the jungle, knowing it wasn’t going to be easy. Over the past few days one of our group had struggled badly, with swollen ankles and a poor tolerance for altitude or long climbs. I’m ashamed to say that I’d allowed the conditions to get the better of me and I’d been entirely unsupportive, viewing her struggle as holding us back, when we should have been pulling her forward as a team. It’s the ugly truth that when you take a group of strangers, dump them in the jungle, and test their limits that there’s going to be friction and soured tempers.

However, today we rallied more and helped spur on our suffering friend. Making it in time for the sunrise was quickly forgotten. What mattered now was that we finished the way we started, as a team. It was a hard climb which added to the pain our legs had suffered on yesterday’s mammoth trek. Every now and then, as we cut across the road on our climb, we were treated to views of the valley below us. Even in the dull morning light and heavy mists we still admired the dramatic landscape of plunging valley and surging, mountainous rock and jungle.

The morning chill was gone and we were panting and slick with sweat by the time we reached the top, emptying out into a courtyard with the entrance to Machu Picchu directly ahead. What a feeling! After 5 full days of hiking through the Andes we’d finally reached our goal. All thoughts of the charity we’d done this for had gone from our minds as soon as we started and even now we only thought of how we’d struggled and succeeded.

Once the moment of elation was past, and we’d cooled down a bit, we entered the site and followed the path round and between two stone buildings, emerging through a narrow gap onto one of Machu Picchu’s terraces where we had views across half the site. The morning mists were rolling over the top of the ridge, partially obscuring the ancient city. We took a moment to take some group photos and receive an oral history of the site from our guide.

Despite the clouds of mist, we were still impressed by the huge expanse of terraces climbing above and stretching below, each with its narrow strip of green. We agreed to meet back at the entrance by 1pm and were free to explore to our heart’s content. I immediately set off to climb the terraces to the very back of the site, where all those famous pictures are taken, hoping to get the perfect view. To get there, I and two other team mates wandered through the section of city which was once occupied by the royal and religious residents. The labyrinth of stairs, paths, and rooms create a fascinating warren to explore. Everywhere, there are narrow windows facing the path of the sun, important in the design of Incan settlements, in fact the entire site is built to follow the path of the Milky Way.

As we climbed higher, above the royal quarter and onto the terraces above, the sun finally began to burn through the mist and light up the city. The warmth came back as well, though not as severe as in previous days, and the layers came off. Climbing higher you are treated to even better views out over the settlement, and the valleys which plummet down on either side. Machu Picchu is truly perched on the tip of the ridge line, no wonder it survived when so many other settlements were pillaged by the Spanish.

At the back of the site, the view is fantastic. You can see swarms of tourists far below, crawling throughout the stones of the site. This was the perfect time for some cheesy holiday snaps!

It was worth the effort to get here. I know that jetting of to see the world’s wonders has become a very easy, package holiday affair with little risk for the reward. But seeing as I had never done anything like this, I was quite proud of myself. Seeing as I had never ventured beyond the two-week beach holiday that’s so common in Britain I felt I had accomplished something in pushing myself well out of my comfort zone and onto a trek which would test my limits – and I enjoyed it! I might no go rushing back to the Salkantay Pass any time soon, but it was worth it.

After I’d had my period of reflection, I exited the site to get something to eat before we made our way back down to Aguas Calientes. Eating out on the terrace of a café was a nice bonus as I hammed into my burger, enjoying the view over the valleys. As our group gradually filtered out of the sanctuary and back into the courtyard where we’d started, we eyed up the plush buses lined up along the side and decided to catch a ride back to town. After all the trek was over, time for a bit of comfort again! And so we boarded and enjoyed the ride down as the road continuously folded back on itself all the way down to the river.

Once back in the bustling energy of Aguas Calientes we made for the same small bar we’d been in the night before. Here we met up with our guides who had elected to start on the beers without us :). Naturally we joined in and were soon revelling in our achievement and looking forward to being back in Cuzco. From here, Rolphy led us to the train station where we quickly hopped on, with a few bottles of wine, and enjoyed a long ride East.

We were forced to change onto a minibus for the last leg of the journey South to Cuzco, taking a road cutting across wide open plains with a huge wall of mountains around us. By the time we reached Cuzco we were knackered, but still riding the high and jolly on the wine from earlier. So a night out was called for! I won’t bore you with the drunken antics of a rabble of Brits abroad, however I will comment on the great beats laid down in Mama Africa’s which is located on the main square, across from the cathedrals.