The View on Top

Part 3 of Machu Picchu: The hike up Huayna Picchu.

For one of the best views of Machu Picchu you have to hike up Huaynu Picchu. HP is the mountain you see in the photos of MP. They only allow 400 people to hike it daily. IT IS INTENSE! First of all, it is a whole lotta steps....and giant ones too. As you can see with the photo below there are times that you need to hold on to the rope to get up the steps. The people with long legs really have any advantage here.

For those with Acrophobia, this hike isn´t for you (you know who you are) . You are basically hanging off the edge of the mountain and it is a LONG way down. But along the way there are cool ruins and BEAUTIFUL VIEWS.

Half way up I was hurting. My lungs and my legs were aching. The sun was blazing hot and my endurance was fading (I should have eaten more breakfast or had some energy gummy worms!). It is probably one of the toughest hikes I have done! Luckily the guys I was hiking with pushed me on and wouldn´t let me quit! So I kept on! Which I´m glad I did because you go through the cave on top where the Incans built steps inside....Prettttttty cool....

Finally I reached the top! The view is AMAZING! You can see all of MP and the surrounding mountains, valleys, and rivers.

After spending a little bit of time on the summit, we started on our way down. Which turns out takes just as long because it is freaky. And your legs are a little shaky from the hike up. So you really have to be careful. As you can see from the photo below, you can see what happens if you misstep on the way down. In some parts the stairs are so narrow you have to twist your foot sideways on the way down.

Climbing Huayna Picchu was a great end to my trip in Machu Picchu! It really put the cherry on top of the entire trip!

THE END (of my adventure at Machu Picchu)