Machu Picchu, PERU
Airing Date: Jan 1st, 2002
There are two ways to get to Machu Picchu.
Trains run daily at 6am from Cusco and take three-and-a-half hours. Buses then meet the train and take you up the six-kilometre winding road straight to Machu Picchu.
The second route is the Inca walking trail. The trek is 33 kilmometres from one ruin to the next and involves a four-day hike, camping each night, with views of snow-capped mountains and high cloud forests. But be careful, temperatures can drop below freezing at night, and it rains even in the May to September dry season.
Machu Picchu remains a city shrouded in mystery. Since the Incas did not have a written language, no one can be sure what went on, but from the exceptionally high quality of the stonework, and abundance of ornamental sites, it is clear this city was once an important ceremonial centre.
The wet season goes from December and March, so if you're going to Machu Picchu, plan to stay overnight. Remember, at an altitude of 2400 metres, even the fittest hikers will notice the lack of oxygen.
The facts
LanChile flies to Lima daily with connections from Sydney. Prices start from $2309 ex-Sydney. For LanChile flights, contact your local Australian travel agent.
Aero Continente flies from Lima to Cusco four times a day. Return airfares start from $320 per person.
Great Adventure Holidays has Machu Picchu packages for $780 per person. This includes return train trip from Cusco, a ruins tour, lunch, plus overnight accommodation and breakfast at the Sanctuary Lodge.
Tel: 1800 557 558 or 02 9212 2020 (Sydney callers)
Sanctuary Lodge Orient Express Hotel
Tel: 0011 51 84 234 498 (nternational)
Cusco: Posada Del Inca Hotel
Tel: 0011 51 84 227 061 (nternational)
Yucay: Posada Del Inca Hotel
Tel: 0011 51 84 201 107 (international)
