Curious llamas confront early morning visitors to Machu Picchu, the legendary citadel of the Incas in the Sacred Valley, Peru. For more great pictures, visit our main site, www.luxurytravelblog.net.
REMEMBER those books that started appearing in the mid-nineties with implausible theories about the Pyramids of Giza, Machu Picchu and other ancient wonders of the world? They could be summed up briefly: these astonishing structures are simply too technically advanced to have been constructed by either the Egyptians, the Incas or any other civilisation we know about. Therefore, they must be the legacy of some pre-historical race of super-people or (of course) aliens. Millions of readers, including me, soaked that stuff up. The fact that such cod-science was presented by cranks and supported by very dodgy evidence didn’t matter a damn. We wanted to believe, in the same way that millions more were taken in a decade later by Dan (the sacred feminine) Brown. We need to cling to the idea that our origins are far more strange and mysterious than they actually are. God help us if we ever clear the whole thing up.
Curious & Curiouser
HOWEVER, stumbling through the citadel of Machu Picchu itself (above), my dismissive view of super-humans and space beings in the Sacred Valley starts to wobble. The defining feature of Machu Picchu is mystery. Even though the buildings are bare and decaying, there is still the sense that the place has just been abandoned with great haste. You half-expect to come across a dinner plate with half-eaten Alpaca bones in one of the tiny houses below. But who was here and why did they leave? There is little doubt that this is an Incan construction, and most ‘experts’ believe it was built in the 1400s, just a hundred years before the Europeans arrived and murdered everyone. But the invaders never found Machu Picchu. There are various well-informed theories, but no one really knows who lived here, and what happened to them. We will almost certainly never know. That’s what makes this place so utterly enthralling.
Hiram Bingham Train
The luxury train which takes lucky travellers to Machu Picchu is named after the American explorer who ‘discovered’ the citadel in 1911. Old Hiram Bingham carted a fair amount of treasures back to Yale, where they remain, and which the Peruvians keep asking politely to be returned. In a twist revealed just after our visit, it now turns out Hiram was beaten to it by a German businessman called Augusto Berns, who ransacked the place 40 years before and sold various treasures to European museums. The hunt is now on for all of that plunder. Whatever one’s views on the man himself, there is no doubt that the train service which bears the Bingham name (courtesy of Orient Express) is a splendid affair. It feels like travelling in the grand European style around the turn of the last century. Polished, attentive and dapper staff guide visitors to the plush carriages where an excellent four-course lunch of the best Peruvian cuisine is served. Sadly, it was not appreciated by everyone. A restless couple across from our table were longing for a ‘pizza and a cheese sandwich’. Oh well. Even better than dinner is moving to the Observation Car, where you can watch the Sacred Valley drifting by in all its natural glory.
The luxury train which takes lucky travellers to Machu Picchu is named after the American explorer who ‘discovered’ the citadel in 1911. Old Hiram Bingham carted a fair amount of treasures back to Yale, where they remain, and which the Peruvians keep asking politely to be returned. In a twist revealed just after our visit, it now turns out Hiram was beaten to it by a German businessman called Augusto Berns, who ransacked the place 40 years before and sold various treasures to European museums. The hunt is now on for all of that plunder. Whatever one’s views on the man himself, there is no doubt that the train service which bears the Bingham name (courtesy of Orient Express) is a splendid affair. It feels like travelling in the grand European style around the turn of the last century. Polished, attentive and dapper staff guide visitors to the plush carriages where an excellent four-course lunch of the best Peruvian cuisine is served. Sadly, it was not appreciated by everyone. A restless couple across from our table were longing for a ‘pizza and a cheese sandwich’. Oh well. Even better than dinner is moving to the Observation Car, where you can watch the Sacred Valley drifting by in all its natural glory.
First Impressions
It was good to come here in February. As you can see from the picture above, it really wasn’t that busy, which is important if you want the time and space to absorb everything the citadel has to offer. I would highly recommend getting a good local guide or an excellent text book as you walk around. There is just too much which Machu Picchu hides from the untutored, amateur eye, like mine. For example, viewed from above, it becomes clear that the Urin sector was constructed in the shape of a flying lizard, a recurring symbol in Inca culture.
Then the Hanan sector, across from the Urin, is in the form of a Puma, whose magnificent body is made up of the terraces built on the edge of the complex (above). Then there is the solar temple of the Intihuatana, whose inherent astronomical precision baffles engineers to this day (and leads to those ‘little green men’ theories). This is just a tiny taster of the incredible detail which lies unseen across the ruined complex. Buy the best guide book from the hotel and savour it all.
It was good to come here in February. As you can see from the picture above, it really wasn’t that busy, which is important if you want the time and space to absorb everything the citadel has to offer. I would highly recommend getting a good local guide or an excellent text book as you walk around. There is just too much which Machu Picchu hides from the untutored, amateur eye, like mine. For example, viewed from above, it becomes clear that the Urin sector was constructed in the shape of a flying lizard, a recurring symbol in Inca culture.
Then the Hanan sector, across from the Urin, is in the form of a Puma, whose magnificent body is made up of the terraces built on the edge of the complex (above). Then there is the solar temple of the Intihuatana, whose inherent astronomical precision baffles engineers to this day (and leads to those ‘little green men’ theories). This is just a tiny taster of the incredible detail which lies unseen across the ruined complex. Buy the best guide book from the hotel and savour it all.
The Sanctuary Lodge
Most visitors to Machu Picchu are bused in every morning from the small town of Agua Calientes at the base of the mountain. There is only one hotel at the top, the Santuary Lodge from Orient Express. It is well worth paying to stay right next to Machu Picchu , especially if you want to enjoy one of the early morning treks before the bus tours start to arrive. But this is also a fine hotel in its own right. Our room had a small terrace with chairs which led out to the spacious garden (above), where guests can soak up all of the atmosphere of the mountain late at night, after a hard day’s exploring. The staff, in common with everywhere we stayed in Peru, were extremely friendly and helpful. There is also the first class Tampu restaurant which serves Peruvian a la carte cuisine.
Most visitors to Machu Picchu are bused in every morning from the small town of Agua Calientes at the base of the mountain. There is only one hotel at the top, the Santuary Lodge from Orient Express. It is well worth paying to stay right next to Machu Picchu , especially if you want to enjoy one of the early morning treks before the bus tours start to arrive. But this is also a fine hotel in its own right. Our room had a small terrace with chairs which led out to the spacious garden (above), where guests can soak up all of the atmosphere of the mountain late at night, after a hard day’s exploring. The staff, in common with everywhere we stayed in Peru, were extremely friendly and helpful. There is also the first class Tampu restaurant which serves Peruvian a la carte cuisine.
Huayna Picchu
Our ascent to the summit of Huayna Picchu (‘young mountain’) was the highlight of our visit. We rose at six to make sure were were among the first to start the climb. Given the narrow and steep path to the top, the authorities only let about 400 people in there every day. We already found quite a crowd gathered, but it was only a few minutes before we were able to start climbing. And what a climb it was! This is not a trek for anyone who suffers from even mild cardio-vascular conditions. You are ascending to a height of 2720 metres on slippery, worn stone steps, where clinging to a metal rail is often the only way to stop falling to your doom. It takes about an hour for someone in reasonable condition to get to the top. You keep being fooled that you have made it, before another precipitous path reveals itself to you. The final stage is to climb a small wooden ladder to the group of large rocks which lie at the peak. I put my head above the parapet to see a young Japanese tourist standing on the edge of one of these rocks getting her picture taken. Even a slight gust of wind would have blown her to infinity. We then joined the dozen or so early climbers who had made it before us, most of them lying around the carved stone which is known as the ‘Inca’s Chair’. Presumably, it was here that Inca rulers could feel they were as close as possible to the Gods. I felt something of the same as I wrestled with bouts of vertigo. Surrounded by clouds, it felt like the supreme God Viracocha would appear at any moment.
*****
Service
****
Dining
****
Location
******* (Seven stars, best ever)
Intipuncu – Sun Gate
For the second day, we opted for the much gentler climb to Intipuncu, the Sun Gate. Although it takes far less energy and endurance to get there, the journey to Intipuncu is just as interesting, and the peak is probably even higher than the summit of Huayna Picchu. Take your time to observe the beautiful flowers of the Sacred Valley on the way up, and the smaller local inhabitants like this little fellow (below).
Sit among the small ruins of the Sun Gate, one of the last stops on the Inca Trail through the Sacred Valley. If you are lucky enough to be here on either the summer or winter solstice, you will see why it’s called the Sun Gate: the sun hits one of two large rocks there at exactly those times.
It’s no exaggeration to say that being at Machu Picchu has to be one of
the greatest moments in a person’s life. It certainly was for us. The
mysteries of Machu Picchu remain intact, and will doubtless be the
subject of many more crazy theories to come. For the second day, we opted for the much gentler climb to Intipuncu, the Sun Gate. Although it takes far less energy and endurance to get there, the journey to Intipuncu is just as interesting, and the peak is probably even higher than the summit of Huayna Picchu. Take your time to observe the beautiful flowers of the Sacred Valley on the way up, and the smaller local inhabitants like this little fellow (below).
Sit among the small ruins of the Sun Gate, one of the last stops on the Inca Trail through the Sacred Valley. If you are lucky enough to be here on either the summer or winter solstice, you will see why it’s called the Sun Gate: the sun hits one of two large rocks there at exactly those times.
The Verdict
How we got there
We flew from Lima to Cusco on LAN Peru, and took the Hiram Bingham Express to Aguas Calientes.
Our ratings for Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu
1-5 stars
*****
Service
****
Dining
****
Location
******* (Seven stars, best ever)