August 24, 2026
Hiking the Inca Trail (Michel Henostroza)
IMG guide Michel Henostrosa reports the weather has improved and the team has been having a nice trek. After three days on the trail, today they are heading for the archaeological complex of Chachabamba. Then, they have a 3–4 hour ascent through the cloud-forest vegetation, orchids, and beautiful waterfalls to Wiñaywayna (2,650 m / 8,694 ft).
-
- Looking down on the Winaywayna ruins from near the third campsite (Tyler Nachand)
-
- The historic Cachicata Quarry site located above Ollantaytambo, featuring partially hewn pink rhyolite abandoned along the ancient Inca stonework trail. (Michel Henostroza)
-
- This high-altitude vantage point on the trail to Inti Punku (the Sun Gate) overlooks the town of Ollantaytambo and the winding Urubamba River far below in the Sacred Valley of Peru (Michel Henostroza)
Tomorrow morning they will hit the trail before dawn to reach Sun Gate at sunrise, the traditional Inca Trail entrance to the Machu Picchu Citadel. They will take a tour of the Machu Picchu site, then descend to the hotel in Agua Calientes for showers and a soft bed. So far so good in Peru!