Huayna Picchu

 

 

The mountain that rises right next to Machu Picchu is called the Huayna Picchu, or “Young Peak.” Although Machu Picchu is the celebrated attraction for most tourists to come and visit, Huayna Picchu poses a unique challenge when it comes to “kicking it up a notch.” The hike up to the small peak takes about an hour, and is an experience full of adventure and excitement.

            First of all, reservations must be made in advance, since only 400 people are allowed to visit Huayna Picchu daily. The hike starts from the farthest side of the citadel of Machu Picchu, where you’ll be greeted at a checkpoint. Then, on, you’re on your own. The whole path consists of rock walkways and footpaths, much in the same way you would find in every ruins of the Incas. The path winds upwards on one of the sides of the peak, with steep turns, and impressive stair like footholds. In some parts, the stairways are so steep, you will need to climb using ropes especially furnished for that endeavour. To say the least, if you suffer from vertigo, or a heart condition, it is advisable to check with a physician first prior to embarking in such an ascent.

            Once you reach the summit of the Huayna Picchu, you’ll be rewarded with the most amazing views of the Urubamba valley, and the surrounding maze of forest laden mountains. At moments, it seems as if you were on top of the world. Atop the Huayna Picchu peak, you’ll also be able to explore what was believed were the sleeping/living chambers of the high priests and virgins. Legend says that every morning, the priests would walk down from Huayna Picchu towards Machu Picchu, to announce the coming of a new day.

            The fact that there are towers and living quarters in such steep and high altitudes makes visitors wonder about how on earth was such an ancient culture able to erect preciously and exactly made constructions. These findings baffle the minds of even the most travelled visitors.

            Our specialized guides at Sumaq Hotel have the right answers for all of your questions, when it comes to inquiring about the ancient mysteries of the Huayna Picchu. We can fully arrange a visit for you, furnished with exact data and well-researched information that will help you bring to life one of the most enigmatic cultures. Let our expert staff assist you every step of the way to this enchanting and enthralling journey to the past.

Tips for visiting Machu Picchu

Visiting Machu Picchu should be a rewarding experience; thus, it’s important to take some tips in advance so that you can fully enjoy your stay in the legendary Lost City of the Incas.

As an avid traveller, you must take into consideration the weather conditions when visiting Machu Picchu. Cuzco, tends to be sunny during the day and chilly at night. So, dressing in layers is always the best option. Once at Cuzco, you will take a train to Aguas Calientes (the town were the citadel of Machu Picchu is located). Since you will be entering a tropical area, humidity and rain should be expected. The best months to visit Machu Picchu are from May to September. Machu Picchu will welcome you with mist during the morning but as the day goes by, a beautiful sun will arise, walking with you through your visit.

Since visiting Machu Picchu will take you to the jungle, it’s important that you wear long pants, if you don`t want your legs bitten by mosquitoes. These bugs are almost invisible. Use a repelent at all times, better yet, if this one is sunscreened as well. Take a light water-proof jacket just in case it rains; unexpected rains may occur. Restrictions can be upon back packs and camera gear. Just to be on the safe side, carry a day pack where you can place your water, camera, and your jacket. There are lockers where you can place your backpack and other belongings, just don`t forget to carry your passport with you at all times.

Once you enter the ruins, planning what to see is essential when visiting Machu Picchu. You can either go on a guided tour of the ruins, or be adventuresome and do it yourself. Whichever way you decide to go, be sure to visit the following features: the Sun Gate (amazing view when coming from the Inca Trail, you arrive in the sunrise over Machu Picchu), Temple of the Sun, located near the summit of the citadel, the Intihuatana (a solar clock), Temple of the Three Windows, Main Temple and the Temple of the Condor.

There is a limited amount of tourists to visit Machu Picchu: 2500 per day. So, check in advance with your travel agency to get your tickets promptly. The ruins are open from 6am to 6pm, and rush hour is from 11 to 1pm. If you plan to go to Huayna Picchu, plan it early as only 400 people go up and in groups of 200. This hike takes an hour more or less. It is challenging, but the view you will get is breathtaking, and is completely worth it when visiting Machu Picchu.

At Sumaq Hotel, we can and will arrange guided visits to Machu Picchu, so that you can take advantage of fullty enjoying the Lost City of the Incas in style. At the end of each visit, you will be able to relax with our spa treatments and ammenities. Please, let our dedicated staff arrange the best experience for you in the mythical land of the Incas.

Choosing the Perfect Way to Reach Machu Picchu

More than one hundred years ago, getting to Machu Picchu meant embarking in an ordeal only matched to Saturday evening cinema serials. A journey to the Lost City of the Incas entailed having to follow intricate foot-paths, and face unseen dangers, just like what wide-eyed spectators used to watch at adventure films. However, with the passing of time, modern travel has helped the region catch up with the times. Nowadays, travelers from all around the world can reach Machu Picchu effortlessly, by choosing any of the most varied options to suit their needs, wants, budgets and whims.

If you’re short on time, you can take a helicopter ride directly from Cusco city to Machu Picchu. The service can be quite pricy, but the experience will be a memorable one; specially since you’ll be treated to an exclusive service only reserved for busy, top officials, dignataries, and the like.

The most popular way for getting to the Lost City of the Incas is by train. From Cusco to Aguas Calientes you will choose from a variety of train services, from the basic second-class rides, to the luxurious Hiram Bingham. Most upper class trains have on-board food service, live music and ammenities. The Hiram Bingham, considered as one of the best train services in the planet, boasts world-class cuisine, glass ceilings, as well as prime services ready to cater for the most demanding tastes. Once you reach Aguas Calientes, you have the option of either staying the night at a hotel, or taking a short bus ride to Machu Picchu.

Outdoors enthusiasts come from all over the world to take on one of the most celebrated of routes: the Inca Trail. This two to four day trek takes you to astounding mountain passes, through abandoned Inca outposts, and down to enjoy the magnificent flora and fauna of the Cloud Forest. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Regardless of which option you’d like to choose, our specialized staff at Sumaq Hotel will make sure you enjoy Machu Picchu in all its splendor. Whether you’re looking for VIP treatment, or want to experience a more hands-on adventure, let Sumaq Hotel cater for that very special vacation with the right amounts of excitement, comfort, and style.

Mysteries Around the Construction of Machu Picchu

Since the dawn of early 20th Century exploration, Machu Picchu has posed an engima for specialists and visitors alike. When was it officially built? How did people move such gigantic stones? Where are the blueprints for this colossus? What were their construction methods? These are some questions that have plagued countless generations of travellers and thrill seekers.

The colossal city of Machu Picchu is nestled right atop a mountain range, flanked by forest-laden mountains. Prior to motor roads and railways, accessing this marvelous site meant embarking in a journey across treacherous cliffs, thick foliage and winding foot-paths. It’s no wonder that the citadel remained lost to the world until just recently.

With this in mind, assumptions on how Machu Picchu was built still abound to this day. The massive boulders that conform this massive site had to be transported, cut and shaped perfectly to fit one with another with such precision that not even a needle can be lodged between the rocks. Not only that, but the milimetric alignment of the buildings, temples, sundials and what-not, with the trajectory of the sun, as well as with the diverse stars and constellations just add up to the millenary enigma. It’s the ultimate jigsaw puzzle.

The little evidence found about the actual construction has led people to devise interesting and -often-, contradicting theories regarding its origins. Given the lack of heavy equipment and modern construction techniques, it seems unlikely that a pre-hispanic culture could’ve achieved such levels of perfection.

A common theory favored by sci-fi fans is that ancient aliens must have aided the Incas in the transportation and implementation of these rocks. Of course, this is a fairly easy story to believe. Other historians actually seek to prove that the rocks were man-hauled, and man-carved using tools and natural chemicals. Stemming from those generalistic assumptions come diverse versions, each one more plausible than the other.

Since everyone loves a nice mystery, the specialists at Sumaq Hotel have prepared several options for you to choose in order to unearth this enigma. From trekking trips, millenary spa treatments, to individualized explorations, the expert staff at Sumaq will cater for that perfect combination of relax and adventure that you so seek.

The Incas in Machu Picchu

The lost city of Machu Picchu has been surrounded by legend ever since it was discovered by Hiram Bingham in the early 20th century. Although there were thousands of artifacts and relics found at the site, the mystery remains of what actually was the purpose of Machu Picchu in the ancient Inca Empire. The Incas were a civilization that endured hundreds of years, and which expanded to vast territories in the North, East and West of South America. The Tahuantinsuyu was the name given to such a vast empire. The center of this civilization was Cusco, better known as the navel of the world.

The Incas in Machu Picchu are believed to have used this citadel as a sanctuary where the “selected wives” of the Inca would live. Legend says that they were kept there, to be safe from the conquerors. Other theorists suggest that Machu Picchu was the resting place of Inca Pachacutec, one of the most celebrated Inca rulers. Regardless of which was its purpose, some of the main characteristics of this site is the use of terraces for growing crops on the surrounding mountainsides. The Incas in Machu Picchu had self-sustained cities, thus no outpost was left behind. Being every major city interconnected by the Inca Trails, redoubts like Machu Picchu enjoyed communication with all the Empire.

At Sumaq Hotel, we are aware of the diverse mysteries that surround Machu Picchu, and we are ready to cater our guests with whichever whim they fancy. Our in-house experts will offer you world-class service while you delve into the enigma on how the Incas lived, without sacrificing comfort. You can take spa treatments at Sumaq Hotel, enjoying relaxation techniques that include natural occurring herbs and salts. Our dedicated staff can organize activities that will bring ancient Inca culture back to life.

Just trust in our capable service for that dream vacation you’ve been looking forward to.

Hiram Bingham’s Passion for Machu Picchu

So, the story more or less tells us that Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu in the early 1900’s. Although he wasn’t a trained archaeologist, he took part in several expeditions through South America. It’s on one of them that he got word of this mythical, forgotten citadel nestled in the middle of the Andes. Being in an era of huge discoveries, it’s easy to imagine how someone would become enthralled in the legend of a lost city ready to be discovered. The whole idea of venturing inside the mysticism of an ancient culture can surely become intoxicating.
Thus, is the case of Hiram Bingham: an American explorer, aviator, and politician. In the two expeditions he conducted, he collected an amazing array of relics and artifacts; many of which can be seen on display at Yale University. While it’s been claimed that the Lizarraga family has been in Machu Picchu several years before Bingham, the knowledge of this Inca redoubt has had remained a closely guarded secret until the arrival of the American explorer. It’s through the later works of Hiram Bingham that the world got to learn about the enigmatic city of the Incas. That’s the stuff that modern legends feed off.
What the Western world has learned about Machu Picchu is product of the passion Hiram Bingham –and his collaborators-, have put into the works dedicated to telling the story of one of the most important discoveries in the 20th Century.
Visitors to Machu Picchu are encouraged to get their feet wet in the culture of Inca exploration, and our specialist at the Sumaq Hotel can do just that for you. Our knowledgeable staff is ready to arrange visits to Machu Picchu, and its surrounding attractions, taking in account your very own personal interests. We will be more than happy to arrange the activities that will bring ancient civilizations back to life. At Sumaq Hotel we’ll make sure that we meet the expectations of your very own quest for adventure, while offering world-class service every single time.

Discovering Machu Picchu

 

Machu Picchu is one of those emblematic sites around the world that made history. We’ve all heard amazing tales about the Lost City of the Incas, at the Sumaq Hotel, regarding the story of the place. “Little knew Hiram Bingham that more than a century after his findings he would still be remembered as the one person to discover the great Machu Picchu ruins, in 1911”, said the man, beginning his storytelling.

A few fortunate people had already learnt about a sacred place prior. This site full of mystery and magic was thoroughly overlooked, and no one until Hiram Bingham had put so many efforts to spread the news about this so amazing place, sharing it with the rest of the world. Many of its findings were placed in museums, along with the literal and symbolic treasures found in Machu Picchu. But the richness that this so sacred place still has in store is impossible to be described with words. The place leads to the greatest peace of mind that one could ever feel, being able to bring to life the very story of the Incas back to life in every step of the way.

The closer you get to Machu Picchu, the more you feel the nature at its purest state, and the more you become part of the legend, part of the adventure. Discovering this World Wonder is nothing less than amazing; you will surely enjoy each and every second of your journey. Therefore, finding lodging near the action is a must. This is where the Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel comes in: a must-stay hotel for everyone interested in Machu Picchu, adventure and ecotourism. This world-renowned lodge is focused on keeping the magic and mysterious touch of nature at its best.

Our hotel respects nature and helps its visitors to enjoy it at its best, helping them to take the most benefit of the activities arranged within, including visiting Machu Picchu, climbing nearby mountains, and exploring Inca sites that will bring the magic touch that only Cusco can offer. Get ready to explore the magnificent city of the Incas, stay at the Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel, and get ready to feel the once-in-a-lifetime experience of getting to Machu Picchu!