Machu Picchu

We woke up super early (4:30 am) on Friday morning to travel to Machu Picchu. We drove about 45 minutes by bus to the train station. Then we had a 2 hour train ride to the bottom of Machu Picchu. It was a beautiful ride through the sacred valley. We rode next to a mountain stream and could see the Andes mountains all around us. We passed the campground where hikers begin their trek into Machu Picchu. All through the countryside and mountains, you could look up and see Incan ruins.

This is Mt. Veronica - 18,000 ft above sea level.

We finally arrived and then boarded a bus to take us up to the lost city. This is the steep road, full of switch backs we rode up. It was very narrow in places and we met buses going the opposite direction. Many times we would have to back up so they could get around us.

We then had to walk up to the top of the lost city to begin our tour. I took many, many pictures. The city looks so different from the different angles. I didn't include all of my pictures here, but you will get the idea. It was truly amazing and beautiful to see. Enjoy!

It was amazing to see how the city or village was built down the hillside (mountainside).

The big mountain in this shot is "Machu Picchu" - this translates to old hill. You can't see it in this picture, but there is a Peruvian flag on top of this mountain. You can hike to the top, but we didn't.

The larger mountain in this picture, which is more commonly associated with and known as Machu Picchu is actually "Huayna Picchu" - this translates to young hill. You can also hike to the top of this mountain, although it is very steep. They only allow 400 people to hike to the top each day, so people begin lining up in the wee hours of the morning for this adventure. It's very steep and not entirely safe to do this.