Hiking Machu Picchu in Peru

Words can’t describe the miraculousness of the ancient Inca ruins at Machu Picchu in Peru. My pal Allison and I took a spontaneous trip to South America, namely, to see Machu Picchu.

To get to MP (my nickname for it), you must take the PeruRail train which is brand new and absolutely fabulous. The trip takes about 6 hours but the scenic views and five course meals are well worth the $86 train ride each way.

The train drops you off in Aguas Calientes, the city at the base of the mountain on which MP resides. It’s best to head to MP the next morning after arrival, to get the maximum amount of time at the ruins. The buses up the hill ($18) start at 5:30am and I HIGHLY suggest you get on that first one.

My friend Allison and I made it up to MP by 6:30am and immediately hiked to the Sun Gate (a recommendation from a friend) which took about 2 hours roundtrip.

The image of the sun rising through these ancient gates WILL (I promise) take your breath away. One of the most majestic sights I’d ever seen.

Until I saw the Inca city.

The clouds cleared around 8:30am just in time to get the first photographs of the ancient city before all the tourists swarmed the place. Seriously. We were so lucky to take some photos before it became Disneyland. We dressed in our best “cute workout attire” since we knew we’d be hiking that day, but still wanted to have cute photos that we’ll be proud of when we’re 100.

After that we spent the rest of the day exploring the ancient city with it’s 300 structures that can’t possibly have been built in the 15th century. But they were.

The planning and manpower that went into Machu Picchu is staggering: aqueducts, earthquake preparedness, fountains, special doors, chairs carved into stone, you name it.

I checked my Fitbit and we had walked 10 miles by 3pm.

Make sure to bring LOTS of the obvious: water, sunscreen, healthy snacks and wonder.