Machu Picchu
19th Mar 2025
After completing the 3 day Lares Trek through the nearby Andes, we caught the Peru Rail train from the former Incan town of Ollantaytambo, winding alongside the river with the valley sides towering above. We arrived in Agua Calientes for a night before rising early with intent to get into Machu Picchu before the crowds in the morning.
When we had initially signed up for the Inca trail, our arrival should have been through the sun gate near sunrise, but the elements had determined otherwise. With the trail closed due to unseasonal rain and landslides, we had completed the alterative Lares Trek and now arrived at Machu Picchu with the assistance of a coach up a steep valley road with countless switchbacks. Sunrise as it turned out would have been a non event with thick cloud cover shrouding our view of anything beyond 6ft!
Thankfully the clouds began to shift and clear over the next hour and the progressive unveiling of the ruins and mountainous landscape just added to the theatre and awe of this incredible historic landmark. I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking.
Desert biking, assault courses and penguins.