STEP BY STEP

Preparatory Session

A day before the tour, you and your fellow trekkers will receive a "briefing" session with information and recommendations about the trek schedule, campsites, park regulations (Machu Picchu is a Natural Reserve protected by the Peruvian State), equipment and basic materials, clothing, food, security aspects, first aid, transportation and a customer suggestions paper.

Trip to Ollantaytambo, Chilca and Piscacucho
Early in the morning ( 4:30 - 5:00 ) we will pick you up at your hotel by bus and take you to Piscacucho in Chilca, going through the Sacred Valley of the Incas and the towns of Urubamba and Ollantaytambo. There is a discretionary breakfast in Urubamba.

Beginning the Trek
At km. 82 on the railway line ( Piscacucho ) you and your fellow travelers willprepare your backpacks and, accompanied by your guide and porters, begin the trek crossing the suspension bridge over the Urubamba river. Your adventure on The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu will start this very moment.

Patallaqta (" Town on the Heights ")
This is an Archaeological site at the foot of a peak on the left bank of the Cusichaca River, a branch of the Urubamba River. There are many agricultural terraces that probably served to feed the towns and " tambos" on the Inca Trail. Its residential sector has more than a hundred buildings. " Pulpituyoq" is the name of its Inca altar.

Wayllabamba ("Grassy Prairie")
This is a small Indigenous village placed at the foot of a mountain and surrounded by fields of corn and potatoes. On sunny days, you can see the snow that covers the peaks of the Cordillera of Urubamba, including Mt.Veronica . Most trekkers camp here on their first night because it has public baths and plenty of water. Patawasi, an archaeological site nearby, has Inca terraces and some ancient buildings.

Abra de Warmiwañiusca ("Dead Woman's Pass")
This is the uppermost summit on the Inca Trail. The trail is steep here, and that makes it hard and tedious. A definite change in nature can be appreciated on the way, as you go from the temperate valley forest to the treeless grasslands of the barren puna. A highland grass called "ichu", used for pasture, is the only plant that grows here. There is a campsite called "llulluchapampa" just before the pass, positioned on a plane area surrounded by two streams of crystalline water, and again with public baths. Many hikers rest here before the final walk to the pass which is windy and cold.
We recommend crossing it quickly in order to avoid altitude sickness (soroche).

Runkuraqay ("Oval Buiding")
This is an Inca "tambo" (a refuge for travellers) built in a circular shape that overlooks the valley of Paqaymayu ("Hidden River"). On the way to the Inca remains, at the base of the valley, stands the Paqaymayu campsite, with plenty of water, public baths and a small waterfall. You can have lunch and rest here. The trail then climbs to the Runkuraqay Pass (4,000 m.a.s.l. / 13,114 f.a.s.l.), going through the twin lakes of "Yanacocha" ("Black Lake"). You can also camp here.

Sayaqmarka ("Dominant Town")
This is a magnificient Inca site situated on the edge of a mountain with a panoramic view of the Aobamba Valley and, in the distance, of the summit of Mt. Pumasillo covered with snow.. This ruin has narrow mazelike halls. The only access to the ruins is by a steep, solid stone staircase built into the edge of the mountain. Descending by the same stairs, on our way back to the Trail, we will find a cloud forest full of exotic plants, such us orchids, moss, and lichens, and the song of the birds and calls of the native wildlife, all completely harmonized in this unique location. The feeling of being in these various natural environments is an experience to treasure for the rest of your life.

On our way to the trail, we also pass by Conchamarka, a small, recently discovered archaeological site, and Chakicocha ("Dry Lake") now a campsite, a spacious flat area with public baths and good water supply. The trail then starts climbing again by the edge of the mountains arriving at the first tunnel. The tunnel is 20 meters long and its stairs are carved in solid rock. Coming out of the other end of the tunnel, we keep climbing and arrive at the third and last pass on the Inca trail, Phuyupatamarka Pass.

Phuyupatamarka ("Town above the Clouds")
This is one of the most unique sites on the Inca Trail. A typical cloud forest environment, always enclosed by clouds, Phuyupatamarka is located on the border of a gorge that dominates the Urubamba valley. The town has many agricultural terraces and some ritual fountains to honour fresh running water.

At the top of the site, there is a square from where, with good weather, one can appreciate the striking scenery of the Urubamba Valley and the snow covered peaks of the mountain range. At the lower part of the site, there is a group of circular and curved constructions that seem to follow the geographic form of the terrain, illustrating graphically the great skill of the Inca engineers to harmonize man labor with nature. Near the Phuyupatamarka Pass, there are many small campsites with fabulous views of the surrounding landscape. Then the Inca Trail descends quite abruptly, going down by several stone stairs, and passing through another tunnel, to continue on a cornice like path above the Urubamba Valley, and finally descending towards Wiñaywayna.

Wiñaywayna ("Forever Young")
This ruins are named after an orchid native of the area, which blooms all year-round, decorating the site with vibrant reds, violets and yellows. It is perhaps one of the most fine-looking citadels on the trail, and the last urban center before arriving to Machu Picchu. The place was constructed on the steepest side of the valley, over the left bank of the sacred Urubamba River. It has four main areas: the urban area on the lower part of the town, with more that twenty buildings, the ritual fountains area, the agricultural terraces area and the Tower area. The last sector has the finest structural design of the complex, leading experts to believe that it was a royal or religious quarter.

The following day, very early in the morning at about 4.15 a.m, we leave Wiñaywayna to watch the sun rise over Machu Picchu from the Intipunku or Gate of the Sun. From this point, the astounded traveler can contemplate the majesty and splendour of Machu Picchu, the Sacred City of the Incas, under the first dawn rays.

Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is the Inca city, and many claim it to be the most beautiful, best preserved and most famous fortress in the world. It is the climax of the Inca Trail trip. The city was considered lost for many centuries, covered as it was by an abundant vegetation typical of the Southern Peruvian Andes cloud forest, until it was exposed by Hiram Bingham, the American historian, on July 24, 1911.

The city is divided in three main areas: urban, agricultural and adjacent sectors. The urban sector comprises, amongst other attractions, the following: the City Gate, the Ñusta's bedroom, the Royal Palace, the Royal Tomb, the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Main Temple, the Intiwatana (The Hitching Post of the Sun), ritual fountains, the Main Plaza, the Sacred Rock, artisan workshops, the industrial quarter, and the jails. The agricultural sector includes the terraces, the cementery and the funerary rock. Finally, the adjacent areas are: the Intipunku, Wayna Picchu (a mountain peak beside the city), the Temple dedicated to the Moon, and the Inca drawbridge.

The Incas worshiped the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains and mother earth. Machu Picchu and the citadels all along the Inca trail were built primarily for religious purposes. Walking along this Sacred pathway, therefore, is now as it was in Inca times, a pilgrimage to the religious heart of the Inca Civilization.