Machu Picchu

Dia 12 del proyecto,
Entre de Cusco y Lima

Halfway up the steep and uneven stone staircase, I switched off my headlamp. The sun was up but still behind the mountain. The gates to the trail opened at 5am and by 4:30am there was a queue of at least 200 hikers. Fortunately our group was one of the first 30 or so people in line and only had a half hour to go before the entrance gates.

After third day, our group of sixteen had been reduced to eight as most people had taken the four-day walk option. The gates to Machu Picchu opened at 6am and the stairs gave us a half hour head start over the buses.

So what would possess a person to climb 1,700 stairs in the black of early morning? Take a look for yourself here. Machu Picchu was everything you could imagine and more. Absolutely breathtaking.