The Lost City of the Incas

Running the risk of falling into a big cliché, I can't avoid writing a few words about Machu Picchu, one of the wonders of the world, a place we all know from pictures and National Geographic documentaries...more

The climb to Machu Picchu started at 4:30 AM. I was excited. "One has to start early in the morning to see the city without people" - I was told... After 90 minutes of stair climbing in dark Peruvian jungle, I got my first (and only) disappointment: A line of about 100 people was already waiting for the doors to open - around 3.000 people visit Machu Picchu daily, an alarming number that puts in risk the conversation of the site.

Despite the crowds and never ending stair climbing, Machu Picchu is worth all wonders it has been given. The Incas couldn't have picked a better place to build their city. The scenery is simply breath taking! The Urubamba River flows like a serpentine through the innumerous mountains of the valley. The first sun rays develop an immensity of well conserved ruins, gently spread through the hill tops and hill sides of the mountains - nothing to be heard but human amazement.

Another 90 minutes of steep climbing, takes me to the top of the Machu Picchu mountain (3082 meters above sea level), which is located directly opposite of the busy Huayna Picchu mountain (the climb of Huayna Picchu is fully booked until July!). Drenched in sweat and cursing in all directions, the inca emperor Pachacuti blesses me with a fantastic panorama of all that surrounds the city. I sit down by the cliff, overlooking the whole of Machu Picchu. I take a deep breath and enjoy all there is to perceive, while ignoring the fact that I will have to walk all the way down again…