See the Mythic Inca Culture on Machu Picchu Mountain
Part 2 of our 2-day tour to the Machu Picchu mountain – Read part 1
After visiting the Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo, Henry takes us to the train station, where we say goodbye to our fabulous driver. It is by the end of the first day – when we have visited the Sacred Valley and the spectacular remains of the Inca culture on our 2-day tour to the Machu Picchu mountain.
We are deeply impressed with how much Inca culture our tour operator has been able to squeeze into this 2-day tour – still leaving us with time at each location to walk around at our own pace to explore.
We have tickets for the regular tourist Machu Picchu train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of the Machu Picchu mountain. Even if we have not chosen the most expensive tickets, those for the Vista Dome or Hiram Bingham trains, our tickets for the Machu Picchu tour are definitely not cheap. Only Peruvians can benefit from another local train with reasonably priced tickets, but that train does not allow foreigners. There is strict control of people’s identity, and Henry notifies us that we must show our passports when entering our train.
Introduction to Machu Picchu and the Inca culture | Photo: Travel In Culture
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We take our hand luggage-sized backpacks from the van and walk through the station to the platform where the Machu Picchu train arrives. As advised by the tour operator, we have taken as little as possible with us for the Machu Picchu trip, leaving the rest of our luggage behind at our hotel in Cusco.
It is without doubt the strictest train boarding procedure we have ever tried. Our reservation numbers are checked on a list with our passport details, which we submitted half a year ago! If the name, reservation and passport numbers are inconsistent, you will be denied admittance to the train (and hence to Machu Picchu). That is, seemingly, how they keep track of the number of people going to Machu Picchu! The train staff even keep your paper reservation, and you will need to memorise your seat number to find your reserved seat once on the Machu Picchu train!
Machu Picchu | Photo: Mlproject / Pixabay
As there is no road between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes, there are only a few alternative ways to get to Machu Picchu. Some people hike the Inca trail, which is, by the way, not any budget solution either. The only alternative to the train from Ollantaytambo is to make a long detour by car of maybe 6 hours, according to our guide. You then arrive from the other side of the mountain at the Hydro Electrica station. From here, you will have to walk for a couple of hours along the rails, which, to the best of our knowledge, is not entirely ‘legal’. Nevertheless, due to the lower costs, it is a popular option for backpackers.
Machu Picchu rainforest | Photo: Travel In Culture
We are told that the Peruvian government could easily decide to undertake road construction to Aguas Calientes. That would make it so much cheaper to get to the Inca citadel. However, that does not happen since this would remove the revenues from the valuable tourist train tickets. The Peruvian government is not interested in that as it is an indispensable contribution to the country’s economy today.
The Machu Picchu train snakes through the picturesque Urubamba Valley, along the river and lush rainforest. On the way, we pass one of these coal-fired trains uniquely dedicated to the Peruvian passengers. It is pretty packed. At 9 p.m., after a couple of hours on the train, which is gradually pulling slowlier through the mountains, we finally reach Aguas Calientes. The town is named after the hot springs where it is perfectly possible, still today, to get a well-deserved bath after a maybe exhausting trip or demanding hike to the Inca citadel.
Aguas Calientes is a somewhat funny place. Arising only due to the discovery of Machu Picchu and the need for a base at the foot of it, it is a village, today nearly 100% dedicated to the Inca culture and tourism, tours and activities around the Machu Picchu mountain.
Aguas Calientes River | Photo: Travel In Culture
An indoor handicraft market, restaurants offering tourist menus, convenient hostels and hotels, and thermal baths make up the village. We are surprised to see the streets bustling with people at this time of the evening – in such a small, isolated place! Apparently, it is crowded whenever you come since there are always tourists to Machu Picchu, although the dry season (May – October) seemingly is more popular than the rest of the year.
Lush riverside in Aguas Calientes | Photo: Travel In Culture
Henry, our guide for the 2-day tour to Machu Picchu, now takes us to our hotel and leaves us there for a few hours of merited rest. To our delight, there is hot water in the shower, something we have not been too used to during our last weeks in Ecuador and Peru.
Early in the morning, we take one of the buses going up the slightly scary, hairpin road to the top of the mountain. We agree that it was the right decision not to hike up – as some do! When we catch a glimpse of the hikers along the bends of the winding road, it really looks too demanding! The elevation of Machu Picchu archaeological site is ‘only’ 2,430 metres (7,972 feet), which is far below the elevation of Cusco (3,400 metres or 11,200 feet). You are not as exposed to altitude sickness at Machu Picchu as, for example, in Cusco, contrary to what many visitors think.
Inca culture and architecture | Photo: Carlos Chirinos / Pixabay
Reaching Machu Picchu, we are now in the Amazon rainforest. Here, the mountainous terrains of the Andes meet the (sub-)tropical jungle. As you go down from the high-altitude plains around Cusco to the tropical cloud forest surrounding Machu Picchu, the flora and fauna stunningly change. The mountain itself is often wrapped in a thick fog. In the lush forest, species, such as puma, bobcat, and even bear, exist, as well as hundreds of butterflies, hummingbirds, other nimble birds and colourful orchids.
Machu Picchu was unknown to the outside world until 1911, when the American Hiram Bingham rediscovered the Incas’ lost cities. In 1983, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is today considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Inca ruins up the Machu Picchu mountain | Photo: Rodrigo Vergara / Pixabay
One of the ancient entrances is the Sun Gate, Inti Punku. For Inka trail hikers, the ultimate highlight is to arrive early in the morning to watch it at sunrise. Our guide takes us through the well-preserved ruins and explains elements relating to the Inca culture and the significance of the various parts of the ancient Inca settlement. He reveals several fascinating details that enrich our picture of the old Inca culture and the Inca way of living.
Terraced areas of Machu Picchu with grazing alpacas and llamas | Photo: Travel In Culture
The complex has had considerable astronomical importance since several constructions and the sun fall in a straight line for summer and winter solstice, respectively. Henry takes us to the ruins of a specific window inside the citadel where the light from the Sun Gate strikes precisely at the winter solstice. It is a world of wonders and a mythical universe of the Incas.
He shows places where the condor was used as a symbol and a messenger between the gods and the Incas. It is depicted on the rocks together with the snake and the puma. These three animals are subject to several distinct interpretations in the Inca culture. According to one of them, they symbolise the underworld, our present world and heaven.
Speaking about animals, the current residents of Machu Picchu today are the photogenic llamas and alpacas appearing among the Inca ruins at moments when we least expect it!
The current residents of the Inca citadel | Photo: Travel In Culture
Back in Aguas Calientes, we find a quiet spot opposite our hotel in the upper part of the village, where we spend some time watching the exotic and colourful birds in the trees overlooking the river and the rainforest. Before catching the train from Machu Picchu Station and heading back towards Cusco, we just have time for a few purchases on the local market together with Peruvian mothers carrying children on their backs in the typical striped, woven sling. Then, we board our train for a 2-hour ride through the lush rainforest back to Ollantaytambo.
In Ollantaytambo, a van conveniently picks us up to take us back to Cusco. We now appreciate that everything is taken care of as we are rather exhausted after two very long sightseeing days climbing ruins! Nevertheless, our 2-day tour to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley has been absolutely worth the trip! We have seen for ourselves why the archaeological site of Machu Picchu, with its mystic and mythic Inca culture, is one of the New Seven Wonders!
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‘See the Mythic Inca Culture on Machu Picchu Mountain’
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See the Mythic Machu Picchu Culture on the Inca Mountain:
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