— The obligatory photo in Machu Picchu is the one showing the Inca city with a tall mountain in the background. That tall mountain is Huayna Picchu, where I was standing when I made this photo. If you hike Huayna Picchu, this is one view you will have of Machu Picchu, Peru. The Outside magazine lists the Huayna Picchu hike as one of the 20 most dangerous hikes in the world. One reason given for such distinction is the famous Death Steps (see last photo below) one has to take going down from Huayna Picchu. Well, in reality, the hike is not that dangerous — we think! — and just moderate in difficulty level. You do, however, need to watch your step very carefully.
Only 400 people are allowed to hike Huayna Picchu every day, and you have to book the hike months in advance. The first 200 people go in between 7-8 AM and the second group between 10-11 AM. Once you’re in, you can stay as long as you want. The hike to the top, where the Temple of the Moon is located, takes approximately one hour and fifteen minutes, depending on how many stops you take to catch your breath and marvel at the scenery around you. The hike is short (a little over a mile), but you climb 1,180 ft (360 m). It’s very steep! Sometimes there are ropes or cables to assist in the ascent, but for the most part, it’s just step after step. If it is wet, the hike is closed. The stones can be very slippery when wet.
Right before you reach the top, there is a very narrow tunnel the Incas built in order to prevent its enemies from reaching the temple easily. Only one person can go through at a time, and I seriously doubt an obese person would be able to go through it. As you can see in my photo here, it was a tight passage. I recall my backpack scraping against the rocks.
Besides seeing Machu Picchu in its entirety, on the left-hand side of the shot above you can also the treacherous bus route taken from Águas Calientes to Machu Picchu. I was more scared of that than the hike itself. The buses go fast up hill and inevitably run into buses coming down the mountain. They stop and negotiate who goes first because for the most part there’s only one lane. The scariest part is when the bus you’re in has to back up. I didn’t want to look at that maneuver, and we had 2-3 of those on the way up!
These two bird’s-eye views of Machu Picchu are not zoom photos. These were normal focal length photographs that I made along our hike. Being able to see Machu Picchu from these vantage points made the hike even more worthwhile. Yes, we’d do it all over again!
About the Death Steps on the right photo, there are no ropes or cables to assist you. You have to be careful stepping down on those irregular stones. To add to the thrill, you constantly have a view of Machu Picchu 1,180 ft (360 m) down below! The sensation you have is that if you fell, you’d end up down in Machu Picchu.
As always, to see these photos in a larger size, just click on the photos.
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