One of the most famous entrancies to Machu Picchu is through the Sun Gate. This is a point, about 1,000ft above Machu Picchu which is on the Inca trail. The Sun Gate is where the sun rises on the Winter Solstice (June 21) when viewed from the center of Machu Picchu. Many eager hikers do the “full” Inca trail and hike 3-4 days from Ollantaytambo up through the Sun Gate then on to Machu Picchu. Clearly we came the easy way.
Nevertheless, the plan for today is to get up very early and set off at 6:30am to climb the Inca Trail, from Machu Picchu to the Sun Gate. This is a round trip of about 2.5hrs over steep terrain and steps. At high altitude.
First, the good news. It was quite foggy and cool so the weather was ideal for hiking. It was also quiet and you could hear the river below and birds singing. It was very serene.
Now the bad news. At that altitude, you become instantly breathless (at least Carol and I did) and the hike was a major challenge, especially the steep steps. Nevertheless, the group soldiered on, determined.
The other issue was at the Sun Gate ther was a distinct lack of sun. In fact it was completely fogged in. So no view.
Of course, we made it!
We hung around for a bit to see if the weather would clear but no luck. So we set off back down again.
We did get a few glimpses of the surrounding mountains on the way.
We reached the hotel just before 9am, the cut-off for breakfast. Exhausted, and a bit dehydrated, we wolfed down breakfast and went off for a shower (not just necessary, essential).
Overall, while it was disappointing we didin’t get the full experience, it was a great workout and we got bragging rights for having done it.