Two stunning hikes above Machu Picchu
For walking enthusiasts, the trekking doesn’t stop once you have finished the Inca Trail. In fact, there are two short but breathtaking hikes you can take to gain the best views of the Inca Citadel.
Few of the thousands who visit Machu Picchu bother with these hikes, meaning they are the perfect way to get away from the crowds.
The Inca Trail might just be the world’s most famous trek. Indeed, although visiting Machu Picchu is an once-in-a-lifetime experience for anyone, it is just that little bit extra special if you have walked the Trail for several days to get there rather than arriving by bus and train. Yet for the energetic, the hiking doesn’t have to stop once you make it to the Inca Citadel. In fact, two of Peru’s most stunning walks take you to the two peaks at each end of the archaeological site.
The peaks are Huayna Picchu and Apu Machu Picchu respectively. Together they provide the best possible views down onto the citadel available, given that helicopter over-flights are not permitted. Huayna Picchu is the shorter, and steeper, of the two. So steep in fact that its narrow stone stairways switching back and forth towards the summit are definitely not recommended for those with vertigo or anything less than a sure step. It is the verdant sugarloaf typically seen in postcards as the backdrop to Machu Picchu itself.
However, only the first 400 visitors through Machu Picchu’s gates each day are allowed to attempt Huayna Picchu. Apu Machu Picchu has no such limits, mainly because at 1,640ft, it is twice the height of Huayna Picchu and so less people even want to climb it. If you are feeling energetic, and want to enjoy the most spectacular views of this world-renowned Inca Citadel, just let us know and we will be more than happy to arrange for you to combine either or both hikes with your visit to Machu Picchu.
To learn more about these and so many other hikes as part of your unique, individually tailored Peru itinerary, contact the Peru Empire Company at travel@pec.pe or on +51-1-700-5100 or, if you are in the US, 347-713-7030/34.
