Cuzco - Machu Pichu

Come back to Cuzco 4 years later with the firm intention to do Machu Pichu !! Thankfully this time absolutely no problem at all. Ok Machu Pichu is THE Peruvian touristic business but it's definitely worth it and they know that ;)

We choose an half expensive option bus to Ollantaytambo and then train to Aguas Clientes aka Machu Pichu town an artificial touristic town near Machu Pichu. Overthere everything is ten times more expensive than in the rest of Peru and they even have a Machu Pichu tax on the top of the bills...veridic. Hopefully we were in the low season and hostals and restaurants were cutting their prices ! We chose to climb the Wayna Pichu wich is a peak dominating the site at 7am so you have to get up around 5am hike form aguas calientes to the entrance of the site (where most of the tourists take a bus...). The entrance on the site around 6am was stunning with still a lot of mist giving a magical touch to the site. 

Then we climbed the Wayna Pichu where you have a unique view of the site and also some ruins...crazy incas...it's hard to imagine the work of building a city in such a remote and steep place. 7.30 at the top and you've already climbed more than 1000 meters...pfiou !

Then we spend the rest of the morning hanging around in the site with more and more tourist coming in...and it's the low season...arg.

Train to Aguas Calientes

In less than an hour the vegetation goes from dry to jungle.

Machu Pichu and Wayna Pichu in the back early in the morning

The mysterious Inca rabbit.

View on the way to Wayna

Pretty steep Wayna !

And the view from the Wayna

Again...

Inca construction in the "big" cave

I love the panoramic feature of my camera :)

Good stuff. Ernie got a full check-up in an overland vehicule specialist :) 

As well we found some bouldering near Cuzco. Massive roofs. Powerful climbing. Sore muscles :) Toursitic stuff are nice but we need to CLIMB !

Huw contracts his abs.

Going out from the roofs...