2019-05-23 Inkaterra Hacienda Hotel, Urubamba to the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu, Peru

This morning unfortunately we prepare to leave our lovely accommodation that we have had for the past 3 nights
Our guide and driver come early to collect us from the hotel to deliver us to the train station for our trip to famous Inca site of Machu Picchu
On our way we again travel through the nearby town of Yacay
Following the river which is flanked by high mountains
We arrive at the train station at Ollantaytambo to board the Vistadome Train to take us to Aguas Calientes the town which is the closest to Machu Picchu
As we had booked a night at the Belmond Hotel (which is the only hotel by the ancient site of Machu Picchu) we were only allowed one piece of luggage each on the train. Our other cases were conveniently forwarded to our next accommodation in Cusco
Stacks of hats for sale at the train station
Great views of the high mountains from the Vistadome train
The scenery during the 90 minute train trip was absolutely spectacular
From the train we spot some serious hikers following the Inca trail to Machu Picchu
It makes us feel at home to see some native Australian eucalyptus trees growing here in Peru
We could see many areas of ancient terracing on the mountainsides during our train journey
The Vistadrome train trip was well patronised, as there was hardly an empty seat
Once we arrived at the station we left our backpacks with the staff of the Belmond Sanctuary Hotel which had a convenient meeting point at the station
An English speaking guide met us at the station and made sure we got aboard the right bus to take us up to the Machu Picchu site

Aguas Calientes, the town which is the stepping stone to visit Machu Picchu, is well known for it’s hot springs
During our bus trip up the narrow winding road to Machu Picchu we experienced some amazing scenery
Looking down to the station where we had started the 30 minute bus trip
Passing some of the buses on the narrow winding road was at times quite an ordeal
The entrance to our hotel ……. only 20 m from the entrance to the ancient Machu Picchu site
Immediately after arriving at the hotel we start a two hour guided walking tour of the citadel
We start our walking tour of Machu Picchu with our private local guide, Liset
Before catching our first glimpse of the ancient site, we climb numerous steps
Finally we see the amazing and arguably most famous site in all of South America
Machu Picchu photo time!!
The ancient Inca site was only discovered in 1911 after being covered in dense growth for many hundreds of years. Over time it has been cleared and in parts restored and now has become so popular that access by tourists has become fairly restricted
Another amazing view over the mist-cloaked lost city of the Incas at an altitude of 2350 m
Fortunately we brought along our wet weather gear, so when the rain came during our tour we were well prepared
Great picture window
Our guide Liset enjoyed taking a few different photos!!
Numerous lamas and alpacas were present at the old site
By the caretaker’s huts are a mountain of terraces
After spending several hours at the famous site we return to our hotel nearby
Tonight we have dinner at our hotel which is all included in the room cost
A small appetiser arrives soon after we were seated
We order a delightful fresh salad to have with our main courses
After a couple of wonderful courses we decide to share one of the fabulous desserts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *