Visiting Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu (By Jet Lagged Jaff)

My Visit to Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu
Modern Day Machu Picchu. Image: Chelsea Cook, Pexels
One of history's most famous archaeological sites is that of Machu Picchu, an ancient Incan city built on the side of Huayna Picchu Mountain, located in present day Peru. In January, our friend JetLaggedJaff was able to visit this amazing world heritage site, and share his thoughts on visiting. Take it away!



Before I discuss my visit to this magnificent civilization, I want to give a little basic history behind it.
As some of you may know, Machu Picchu was built back in the 15th century and eventually abandoned in the 16th century. Machu Picchu was used as a royal estate built by the Incan Emperor Pachacuti. Construction of Machu Picchu began in the 14th century, after the Incans defeated the Chanca people in the territory. It was built as a refuge for the Incan aristocrats. 

Located nearly 8000' above sea level, mountainous weather and fog are common climactic elements.
There is no known reason why the Incan citadel was abandoned.  Historians suggest that a number of outbreaks caused the fall of the Incan people, eventually causing it to be abandoned. In 1572, the last of its rulers came to an end. Historians also suggest that political campaigns done by the conquistadores caused it to fall and be abandoned. Aside from these hypotheses, there is no clear evidence why this amazing civilization became abandoned. At this point, there are only theories with no hard evidence.

How does one get to Machu Picchu? 

So first, I flew into Cusco, Peru. Then, you have to transfer to a train to Aguas Calientes. If you are going around their summer time, you will be using a bi-modal (bus/train) service. There are only 2 train companies tourists can choose from, and have very limited schedules; they are PeruRail and IncaRail. 
Since I went in their summer time, I took a bimodal service through IncaRail to Aguas Calientes and spent the night there. I took a bus from Cusco to Ollatantaytambo, which was about 2 hours, and then transferred to a train to Aguas Calientes which took another 2 hours.  Overall, I enjoyed my experience on the IncaRail and it was overall, an amazing experience. There was drink and snack service, the people on the train along with the staff were very polite, and the views on the Andes mountains were breathtaking. 

Pictures and words can only do so much, eventually you need to visit these places yourself!
From Aguas Calientes, you can either hike up the mountain where Machu Picchu is, which takes about 2 hours, or you can take a 30 minute bus ride. I ended up taking a bus up to Machu Picchu so that I could maximize my time. Machu Picchu only allows you to visit for a certain amount of time, so that the flow of tourists is constantly running, and to prevent overcrowding. 

Image of the Machu Picchu trail map via The Only Peru Guide
Machu Picchu was like stepping into a piece of history and seeing firsthand how the Incan civilization lived and operated. You can see the different houses that people lived in, the different temples that are present in Machu Picchu, the farming terraces, and the many llamas and alpacas that were roaming around Machu Picchu, and let me tell you, there were a lot. It was an amazing experience and you won’t regret ever going there. If you make a trip to South America, this amazing landmark is a must!

After I visited Machu Picchu, I then journeyed to the mountain of  Huayna Picchu to begin my hike to the very top!

While Machu Picchu sits at just under 8000', Huayna Pichu reaches a maximum height of nearly 9000 feet!
Before I discuss my visit to Huayna Picchu, I want to give a little basic history behind it. 

Huayna Picchu is the mountain that rises over Machu Picchu. It was home to the high priest and local virgins at the top of the mountain, with colonies built along the track to the top and descending onto the bottom. Every day before sunrise, a small group of people, along with the high priest would descend down into Machu Picchu to signal the beginning of a new day. 

It was also the look out point for Machu Picchu in case of any threats from the surrounding tribes. Thanks to Huayna Picchu, Machu Picchu was always prepared for any potential invasions. 

You can see nearly everything from the top of the site.
I got the chance to climb Huayna Picchu. It was an amazing, but very challenging experience. It was my first time mountain climbing and it was definitely exhausting! Was it worth it? Yes! When you get to the top of the mountain, which takes about two to three hours to ascend, you get beautiful views of Machu Picchu and of the Andes Mountains. 



Once I reached the top, I did not want to come down, it was such a thrilling experience! Do I recommend doing this? Yes, but with proper preparation. Before visiting, I suggest training for it by running, climbing, or hiking. While you don’t have to be in top physical condition, some preparation will definitely pay off in the long run. Before climbing, I recommend stretching, warming up, and bringing lots of water. Trust me, it will make the climb that much easier, but it still will be challenging. Lastly, pack some good running shoes or hiking boots. 


Overall, visiting these places was an experience I will never forget! I went to Peru for one week, and planning the Machu and Huayna Picchu parts of the trip was probably the most time consuming, but it was definitely worth visiting at least once in your lifetime. Once the travel restrictions have been listed, maybe you can visit this wonderful place yourself. If you want to know more about how you can also be prepared for your travel, read one of my latest blogs on common fears that people have when traveling and how you can conquer them. 

Thank you for reading and for your support and this is Jet Lagged Jaff taking off until next time! Goodbye for now! If you need any travel tips or support, please send me a message on Facebook through the Jet Lagged Jaff page or at jaff@ptkycreative.com. 
Also, please check out my travel blog! I regularly post once every one to two weeks on different travel tips and destinations that I recommend.

Further reading: Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time (eBay) (Amazon)
Location: 08680, Peru

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Underwater Water Slide: Fly Over at Durinrell TikiBad

Image
Have you ever wished to experience being transferred from one pool of liquid to another via a pipe? Had you visited the Dutch water park known as Durinrell , also known as Tikibad before 2010, you would have had the chance. Half water slide, half war crime, this was a unique water slide that was filled to the brim with water, leaving riders completely submerged throughout the journey. Image:  XtremeRidesNL Known as the Fly Over was an underwater water slide, which is exactly how it sounds, and transported riders from one pool to another using the water as propulsion. Built in 1994, riders dove underwater to access the slide, using gravity to transport them upwards via the Communicating Vessels Principle . Riders would be completely underwater for about 15-20 seconds. This is how I imagine those 15-20 seconds felt like while riding the slide. The slide was built to drain water in five seconds or less in case a rider got stuck in the slide or had a medical emergency, but the threat tha
Read more

Railroad Vocabulary: A List of Words and Phrases Used in the Industry - Updated February 2024

Image
As somebody who enjoyed watching trains, but was not an employee of the railroad industry ( at least growing up ), when I would interact with railfans and historians, there was often a lot of technical jargon that applied only to the railroad industry thrown back and forth that made it difficult for a newcomer to understand what they were talking about. For example, what is a dinky? It's actually a passenger train. This non-inclusive language seems to keep the loop closed to members of the community, and to uncouple (no pun intended) that technical jargon and help make it easier for people to communicate with people in the industry, I am creating a list of railroad vocabulary that I'm hoping will make the industry more transparent.  BNSF 2361 . Image: Matt Flores While I ultimately believe that such technical jargon has no place outside of perhaps technical communications between employees, I know quite well that I alone am not going to stop people from communicating in a non-i
Read more

Choum Tunnel: The Monument to European Stupidity in Africa

Image
Scars of European colonization are located all across Africa, although some are more obscure and strange than others. With that in mind we come to the Choum Tunnel , built in Mauritania when it was controlled by the French. At first glance, it seems like an ordinary railway tunnel, however, one look at the local geography and you'll find yourself asking what its builders were possibly thinking with creating the project. Choum Tunnel in Mauritania. Unknown photographer. The Mauritania Railway was being built in the early 1960s, and was planned to connect Nouadhibou to Zouérat to exploit the iron ore reserves at Zouérat. That route still exists today in largely its original state, with the exception of the tunnel. Image: Ammar Hassan via Atlas Obscura The easiest route required running a short section of track through the then-Spanish controlled Western Sahara , but rather than pay Spain for the land and other concessions, the French engineers instead chose to tunnel under a hill sp
Read more