Ahhhhhh, MACHU PICCHU!!!
Just the name conjures up images of a great, ancient culture. This is what we came for.
Although we have great photos from yesterday, Machu Picchu deserves a post all for itself, and the other photos will come in the next post with Cusco and the Sacred Valley.
The Incan Empire flourished barely 100 years before they were conquered and destroyed by the Spaniards, but their accomplishments in that short period are legendary!
Machu Picchu is a city high on a mountain, 1,000 feet above the Urubamba River below, which surrounds the city on 3 sides, creating a peninsula in the sky.
The stone masonry and architecture is unparalleled, and the hundreds of intricately created terraces are unbelievably perfect and artistic.
We started the morning with a tour of the ruins themselves, and then in the afternoon enjoyed a long hike up to the Sun Gate, the original entrance to Machu Picchu from the Inca Trail.
A hard hike, but our efforts were more than rewarded with stupendous views from the top!
It was cloudy and showery in the early morning, giving an ethereal feel to the ruins, but as the day wore on the clouds burned off and gave us great pictures with blue sky and wisps of clouds.
Just the name conjures up images of a great, ancient culture. This is what we came for.
Although we have great photos from yesterday, Machu Picchu deserves a post all for itself, and the other photos will come in the next post with Cusco and the Sacred Valley.
The Incan Empire flourished barely 100 years before they were conquered and destroyed by the Spaniards, but their accomplishments in that short period are legendary!
Machu Picchu is a city high on a mountain, 1,000 feet above the Urubamba River below, which surrounds the city on 3 sides, creating a peninsula in the sky.
The stone masonry and architecture is unparalleled, and the hundreds of intricately created terraces are unbelievably perfect and artistic.
We started the morning with a tour of the ruins themselves, and then in the afternoon enjoyed a long hike up to the Sun Gate, the original entrance to Machu Picchu from the Inca Trail.
A hard hike, but our efforts were more than rewarded with stupendous views from the top!
It was cloudy and showery in the early morning, giving an ethereal feel to the ruins, but as the day wore on the clouds burned off and gave us great pictures with blue sky and wisps of clouds.
This overview photos was taken in the afternoon after the sun burned off most of the clouds.
Our morning view of Machu Picchu, with the mountain, Huayma Picchu, towering over the city.
Stone walls and buildings interspersed with lush, green terraces
Our whole group in front of Machu Picchu
The original Main Gate to the city
The Andes Mountains and the rich jungle make for superb scenes.
Amy - an anthropologist in an anthropologist's paradise!!
Denise - terraces and the guard house in the background
The residential area
Endless perfect terraces
Our local guide Gilberto fills us in on the history of the Incas.
Those 5 Schlenkers again...
John shares his apple with a friendly llama.
The city brightens as the sun gets stronger
Hiking to the Sun Gate - looks fairly easy here, but it was long way up.
If you look close you can see the diagonal line snaking up to the left to the Sun Gate in the far distance.
300 varieties of orchids grace the surrounding area.
Orchids big and small
From the Sun Gate looking down at the road the bus took from the town of Aguas Calientes
to bring us up the 1,000 feet vertical gain to Machu Picchu.
The whole view from the Sun Gate. Machu Picchu looks small from here (in the saddle)
and the mountain Huayna Picchu is at about the same level we are.
Ruth, Hang on!
I'll help you as soon as I take a picture!
Last views of the Citadel before heading back down to the village
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