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Hike to Intipunku, the Sun Gate

A pleasant hike on a well-paved Inca trail, except for the rarefied air, with many orchids and interesting vegetation, leads to spot that offers a different view of Machu Picchu.  Also, there is a small ruin at the Sun Gate. The trail on the other side of the gate leads to Winay Wayna which was a bit too far for me to attempt.

Sun Gate

on the Inca Trail

From Sun Gate

Yoshi at Sun Gate

Trail to Winay Wayna

Climbing the Waynapicchu

This was a much tougher than I had anticipated, but the exhilarating (and sometimes scary) views on the way as well as at the top were more than worth the pain of climbing up and down the steep slopes and stairs. Near the top, I had to squeeze through a very narrow tunnel and then later climb up a vertical hole to reach the very top. Needless to say, I remained at the top for a long time - I wasn't going to give up the hard-earned potential energy (i.e. altitude) so quickly.

2700m at the top

Those Darn Stairs!

Scary stairs

Switchbacks

View from the Top

Another View

"Arrow" at the Top

Yoshi on the Ledge

Orchids and Other Wild Flowers

It was great spotting some orchids among the ruins and on the Inca Trail.

Epidendrum

Max. macrophylla

Pths. grobyi

Pleurothalis species

Another Lithophyte

Sobralia

Sobralia Seed Pods

Epidendrum among Weeds

Bromeliads on Cliff

Begonia

Lichen and Bromeliad

Lichen

Leaf Cutter Ants

Caterpillar

Lizard

Train to/from Machu Picchu

Took a train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and then back to Cusco. Vista dome trains were very comfortable, and the views were fantastic.

Train at Ollantaytambo Station

Ollantaytambo Fortress

Traveling along the River Urubamba

Veronica

Veronica

Glacier

Raging River

Terraced Fields

Inca Suspension Bridge

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