peru: Machu Picchu or Bust
Exploring the showpiece of
the Incan civilization
M
tourists
visit Machu Picchu annually—
that’s almost 3,000 per day.
I opt to get there aboard the
Hiram Bingham Train. It’s
a pampered journey that couldn’t be
further from the experience of the
train’s namesake.
As an explorer, Bingham hit the
jackpot. In July 1911, the 36-year-old
Yale archaeologist set off with a mule
train and a head full of dreams about
forgotten ruins. Thanks to some fortu-
itous encounters with knowledgeable
locals, he laid eyes upon Machu Picchu
and Vilcabamba, the fabled lost city of
the Incas, after a few feverish weeks of
exploration. He had no way of knowing
then that his chance encounter would
eventually herald a tourism bonanza
for modern Peru.
I board the train in Ollantaytambo, a
bustling town crawling with taxis and
tour buses. The conductor leads me to
a table in the dining car and I’m soon
staring down an appetizer of quinoa
tabbouleh and roasted fava beans with
Andean mint oil, followed by a main of
grilled beef tenderloin. As the condor
flies, it’s just 60 kilometres from
30
ore thAn A Million
Spring 2018
AMA inSider
Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu, but
by train, it’s a wildly beautiful three-
hour ride that snakes through the Rio
Urubamba gorge as it tumbles toward
the Amazon Basin.
Our endpoint is Aguas Calientes,
the gateway to Machu Picchu. It’s a
town accessible only by train: With a
little imagination, one can sense the
remoteness Bingham must’ve felt here.
Our appointed guide spirits us through
the market and across a footbridge to
a waiting bus. Our driver navigates the
busy streets of Aguas Calientes and
minutes later, we’re winding up the
steep road to Machu Picchu, around
impossibly tight turns.
Before you tackle this natural won-
der, be sure to book early: There are
only 500 permits issued per day, and
you can only get a permit through an
officially licensed company like
G Adventures. Go between May and
September during Peru’s winter dry sea-
son, especially if you’re hiking the trail.
Though I’d visited the site once
before, many years ago, I’m still left
speechless by my first glimpse of the
citadel, perched improbably on a
sharp, terraced ridge. I quietly slip
SEE IT WITH
AMA
ExplorE Machu picchu
national GeoGraphic Journeys
With G adventures
This 8-day small-group
trip (max. 16 people)
allows genuine cultural
interaction without
sacrificing comfort—
think of it as an
“enhanced adventure.” The
tour includes 2 days
in the sacred Valley,
including ollantaytambo,
moray and Pisac.
From $2,099/person (land only)
march 2018-december 2019
departures
FliGhts From $795/person
call a travel specialist
1-866-667-4777
machu picchu, peru
away from my group for a solo walk
through the maze of walls.
Studying the exquisite stonework,
dry laid without mortar, I’m reminded
of something I learned earlier in my
trip: After the conquistadors razed
Incan buildings, they built cathedrals,
churches and villas in the Spanish
architectural style. With each earth-
quake that shook the city, Spanish
buildings crumbled but the Incan
foundations remained unmoved.
I follow a path toward Inti Punku
(“the sun gate”), where early birds can
watch the sunrise. Ten minutes later, I
arrive at the gate and gaze down upon
the lush mountain valley. I can’t help
but reflect upon the Inca’s understand-
ing of astronomy: Not a rock was laid
or building constructed here without
consideration of its placement and
alignment with the heavens.
Marvels and mysteries like this form
the enduring appeal of the Incas, a civi-
lization conquered but never gone.
—Andrew Findlay