“You can’t come to South America and not go to Machu Picchu”. Our friends made this very clear and convinced us to apply for our visa to Peru.
We hadn’t intended to visit Peru initially, during our maiden travels in South America. We weren’t sure about the visa situation. But the persuasion of our friends – “What’s the harm in trying?” – worked. In Buenos Aires, Peru became a part of our itinerary for South America.
Machu Picchu is the undisputed king of tourism in South America. A sort of a rite of passage, to say you have been to that part of the world. A multi-million dollar industry.
The journey began at our hostel in Cusco. After several pickups through the city, we were soon on the outskirts of Cusco, amid the colourful corn and potato fields. A drive of over six hours, up and down through several mountain ranges took us to a place called Hidroelectric. A 3-hour walk through the railway tracks and we were at Aguas Calientes, a village at the foothills of Machu Picchu. An early morning start the next day, and we were at the gates of the fabled Machu Picchu.
This is a quick glimpse of our visit to Machu Picchu; from the winding lanes of Cusco to the top of Montana, the Machu Picchu mountain.
There is something magnetic about sites that are as famous as Machu Picchu. A sense of awe grips you. This thing that you are seeing in real life, with your own eyes, is something you have seen in hundreds or thousands of photographs before. Millions of eyes have craved for this sight that your eyes see right now. That right there is the star of the show and it leaves you mesmerised.
We will forever remember the moment we first laid our eyes on the ruins of the fabled Machu Picchu. The sun had just reached the sky, and the rays of the sun were beaming through the small openings in the clouds.
Lamas were taking their morning walks on the Machu Picchu grounds. People were just entering in, so the ruins were more or less empty, light just brushing their tops!
We will write a detailed “how-to” for Machu Picchu soon. Till then, you can have a look at the photos of our visit to Machu Picchu.
Need help planning your trip to Machu Picchu?
When to places like the Machu Picchu, it is important to book your flights early to get a good deal. Cusco is the closest international airport to Machu Picchu.