Peru TravelBlog 08 Index

The Jungle side of the Inca Trail

Up until this point the Mountain has had little growth. A lot of water flowing down but still dry and hard land. As the day began to get light and the fog cleared, we found ourselves about to walk through a jungle.

The walk became much mellower as well.

On the morning of the fourth day, we got up at 3:30 so we could get an early start and so the porters could catch the morning train back home. Here is part of the group of 10 porters.

Everyone wearing their headlamps took off
down the first set of steps at 4:24 am.

I was impressed with this staircase carved from one granite rock.
It may be hard to tell but these stairs go down.

Disappearing into a tunnel.

More amazing steps.

Daylight comes, Machu Picchu is around the corner, sort of.

The Inka Trail WAS originally built by the Incas. Carved from naturally occurring rock combined with rock placed into the location.

I only wish you could grasp what you are looking at here.
This staircase goes straight up.

And here is the view looking back down.

And the view ahead.

Here we have arrived to the gateway into Machu Picchu.
Our group of 18 represented France, Brazil, Argentina, Sweden, Holland and the United States (I was the only native English speaker).

We passed several ruins along the way.
Click the forward arrow to view these ruins.