Making Your own Expedition to Machu Picchu

To get to the city, Hiram Bingham had to trek on foot and hire several mules, but today tourists can take trains and helicopters from the regional capital of Cusco to the town nearest the ruins, Aguas Calientes. Rail is the most commonly chosen form of transport and becomes extremely crowded during July and August. Since most trains arrive around noon and Machu Picchu remains open until early afternoon, visitors are left with only a few short hours to elbow each other amidst the Inca splendor. Truly savvy travelers stay overnight in Aguas Calientes and take the early bus up to Machu Picchu (around the crack of dawn) so that they can wander among the ruins in relative peace. Licensed tour guides can be hired on site for a few dollars. Most people return to Aguas Calientes to eat and sleep, but those with enough foresight (and money) can make a reservation at the luxury hotel situated at the very entrance of the Inca city itself.Hardier souls might want to hike the three- to five-day, mountainous Inca Trail, which loops around smaller ruins in the Sacred Valley and arrives finally at the front gate of Machu Picchu (pick up some cheap combat boots first, otherwise your feet may be the first casualty). The old Inca highway, formed from thousands of heavy granite steps, once linked Machu Picchu to the fortress at Ollantaytambo. Many travelers consider the trail a must-see prelude to any visit to Machu Picchu.

Within days (sometimes hours) hikers experience extreme contrasts in habitat, ascending to heights of 4200m to view glaciers topping 5500m only to swiftly dip under a canopy of cloud forest the closer one gets to Machu Picchu. Those with their own equipment can make the trip on their own. (Inquire at the South American Explorer's Club in Cusco; Av. El Sol 930, tel. 084-223102). Numerous tour agencies in Cusco offer packages that will shelter and feed you all along the trail and guide you around the ruins. Some acclaimed agencies around Cusco's main plaza are SAS Travel (tel. 084-237292), for the budget-conscious, and Inca Explorers (tel. 084-239669), for those interested in a cushier experience. Much like Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail becomes very crowded in July and August, and some recommend footing it in the rainier months of February through April instead.