We'll return to Ollantaytambo early this morning to catch the tourist train for a 1½ hour ride to Machu Picchu. Ascending to the ruins by bus, we'll join our expert guide for an early lunch and a special tour of this superb archaeological site. Machu Picchu is more than just the jewel of Incan architecture. It is the perfect union of the work of man and the natural environment. It is a city in harmony with its surroundings, perched atop a narrow crest high above the meandering Urubamba River and surrounded by the rugged, green slopes of the forested Andean peaks. The Lost City of the Incas was discovered in 1911 by the American historian, Hiram Bingham, and was never reached previously by the Spanish Conquistadors. Our visit will include the Temple of the Sun and the Royal Tomb, the ceremonial water fountains and baths, and the Sacred Plazas. There should be time in the afternoon for the 30-minute walk through the upper terraces and along a trail on the backside of the ruins to view the Inca Drawbridge, an amazing feat of engineering designed to protect this entrance into the citadel. Dinner and accommodations are at one of the two Machu Picchu hotels. (CB,L,D)

Machu Picchu was great. Large amount of land that was ruins. There are many theories about the place. I feel this was a post between the jungle and highland communities, the people in this communitity all died or left because of a disease from the jungle. On the first day, Gary and I walked the entire grounds with Rosa the guide. The second day we were kind of on our own. We hiked to the top of Wanu Picchu (Young Mountain). This peak is the one commonly seen in Photographs of MP. Afterwards we hiked to the Sun Gate along the Inca Trail. This is a saddle in the mountains east of MP where the sun rises. We took the tourist train back to Cusco and the following morning we flew to Lima.