12 October 2013 / leggypeggy

Exploring a secret trail at Machu Picchu

army, Huayna Picchu, Inca Bridge, Inca Trail, Lares Trek, Machu Picchu, Oasis Overland, overland travel, Peru, roads, South America, Spanish Conquest, stone, transport, travel

Approaching the Inca Bridge. See what looks like a little gap in the lower centre? It’s actually 6 metres across

Once you get near Machu Picchu, you hear about all sorts of Inca trails.

The biggie, of course, is the Classic Trail that so many people walk (actually they mostly climb steps) for several days to arrive, before sunrise, at the Sun Gate entrance to these ancient ruins. Trust me folks, the Sun Gate is overrated. It just sounds impressive, and you can’t really see the sun rise from there.

Then there are the 4-to-5-day Lares and Salkantay Treks. Poor John and I did the Lares Trek (tough but highly recommended) the first time we visited Machu Picchu. The second time we took the train and found lots of other fascinating ruins to visit during the four days that we weren’t scrambling across rough terrain.

Looking down to the river and community below Machu Picchu

In many places, the trail to the Inca Bridge is just a track

But almost everywhere you go in Peru, guides point out bits of Inca trail that crisscross all over the empire.

It’s not surprising because in the 100 years prior to the Spanish Conquest of what is now Peru, the Incas built more than 22,500 kilometres (14,000 miles) of road. The roads were up to 5 metres wide and were often paved. Very steep sections were bounded by stone walls to keep people from tumbling over the edge.

The Incas used these roads to move their army and goods about and to protect the empire. Young men ran messages to and from the capital, Cusco. Llama trains collected food from farms and moved it to cities and to storehouses along the road. It is said that some storehouses could hold enough food and supplies for 25,000 people.

On our second visit to Machu Picchu, Poor John and I took a stroll on one of these roads. This particular one was narrow—more of a track—and probably served as a secret entrance to the ruins.

The path is fairly level, paved with stone and clings to the side of a mountain. Some stretches have been cut into the cliff face and edged with low stone walls. It’s a huge drop for anyone who loses their footing.

It gave us an entirely different view of Machu Picchu. We could see the river and community below, and get a better view of mountains in the distance. There’s plenty of lush cloud-forest vegetation as well as lichens on the cliff face.

And best of all—you come to the Inca Bridge. Well almost to the bridge. There’s a barrier a couple a hundred metres from the bridge—designed to protect us from ourselves and stupidity.

The Incas intentionally left a 6-metre (20-foot) gap in the bridge as a security measure. The drop below the gap is almost 600 metres (1900 feet)—more than enough to make the trail impassable to an outsider. When necessary, the gap could be bridged with tree trunks.

From the barrier and for quite a while before we reached it, we could see the tree-trunk bridge and the trail extending far beyond on the cliff face. In the pics here, take note of the faint line of vegetation that runs to the right along the side of the mountain. That growth marks where the path continues—only the most foolhardy would attempt it now.

You have to check-in and out at the little hut here when you visit the Inca Bridge

Some time ago, a tourist crossed the bridge and had a ‘go’ at trekking on. Sadly, they fell to their death. 😦

Officials are careful now to avoid a repeat of such a catastrophe. A rustic timber barrier has been erected to prevent people from going down a very steep stone staircase and approaching close to the actual bridge. Plus there is an attendance system where the trail begins. As we entered, we had to sign a ledger and note the time we arrived. It was the same when we left. From this check point, we could look back at the terraces on Huayna Picchu.

The trail isn’t overrun with traffic, and I highly recommend making the effort to visit this breathtaking spot. It takes no more than an hour to go and come back, unless you dawdle, which of course we did.