On March 9th we took a flight from Lima to Cuzco. The altitude in Cuzco is 3400 meters which makes it very difficult to breath. Upon arrival, we found out it was the last day of carnival so of course when we took a walk to the Plaza de Armas we were attacked with water and espuma (the same spray they used in Pasto). Our stay here was short. The next day we began our three night four day hike to Machu Picchu!
This adventure consisted of downhill biking, rafting, thermal baths, and at least four hours of hiking per day. On the forth morning we woke up at 4am and began the final leg of the trek from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. This trek consisted of some 2000+ stairs. Once we reached the top, our guide walked us through the ruins. The views were absolutely breathtaking!
A couple hours later we climbed even higher to Wayna Picchu for a birds eye view of the ruins. Again, breathtaking! Our final hike of the day was to the Temple of the Sun. This was the main entrance to Machu Picchu. Thirteen hours later we were back in Aguas Calientes! This was truly a spectacular way to end our four month journey!
christinandave 