The trip to Machu Pichu

For me it was a long pending dream that finally came true.

The best way to reach Machu Pichu is from a small town in Peru called Cusco. It won’t be directly reachable from the place where you are reading this answer. Most of the international flights to South America outside of the Americas go to Sao Paulo. And then you have to go to Lima and take a domestic flight to Cusco.

It’s ideal to keep aside two days for Cusco in the beginning. You can simply walk around this pretty little town and have very nice food near the town square. We tried Guinee Pig for the first time J (and it was tasty). There is also a street market in the evening and you can find really good handicrafts made by the locals at a very good price.

Few pics from Cusco:

Aerial view of the city before our landing

Sacsayhuaman

The town square

The narrow lanes of Cusco

From here to Machu Pichu you need to book through a reliable tour operator. A typical full day trip starts at morning 4 AM and you are back late at night to Cusco. The fully covered tour includes your drive, train tickets and guide. For the first time I saw a train with glass roof and the view was superb. We took their bus to the top and hiked our way down. The hiking routes are very clearly marked and you can easily find your way to the train station at the base of the mountain.

Once you reach the top you are simply blown away by the view and couldn’t help appreciating the people who built this city at the top of the mountain. The most agreed upon hypothesis is that the Incas abandoned the city centuries ago. They were afraid that the Spanish people will reach there and take away all their secrets and occupy this sacred town. So they evacuated the city and blocked all the entries so that its hard to find. The city itself was only for the elite and the common citizen of the empire just used to come here in the morning to work and climb down from the mountain in the evening. A good guide is the key here as there is so much of history to Machu Pichu that only a professional can explain in detail. You will see a lot of interesting things around you related to their daily habbits and the guide will be there to answer all your questions. Even a mummy was found in Inca empire which is not far away from Machu Pichu.

Pics from Machu Pichu:

On your way back you can stroll around the market close to the train station. It is again a good place to purchase souvenirs.

You reach late night at Cusco and just keep wondering about the great civilization that occupied this land hundreds of years ago and cherish the memories that you have brought from Machu Pichu!

Picture Courtesy : Shilpi Samantray