When you plan a tour, you may not have enough time to see all you want, for instance, in Cusco there is a famous trail to Machupicchu that takes 4 days. But no worries if you don’t have that time, there is  another option to have a taste of the Inca Trail and it is just 5 to 7 hours to Machu picchu.

The walk starts at the Kilometer 104 on the way from Cusco (Km 0) to Machupicchu (Km 110) and the altitude of the start is at 2100 meters (6900 ft) so you don’t need much acclimatization.  The first 2 – 3 hours is exposed to the sunlight that can make the walk difficult if it is sunny, but nothing impossible for adventurers. At the end of the exposed trail there is a rewarding view of Wiñaywayna that is the most beautiful site on the Inca Trail.

Wiñaywayna has a great waterfall nearby, 329 ‘ohh my god steps’, terraces for farming, temples, workshops, houses, that makes it a very enjoyable place. It was discovered in 1941; 30 years after the discovery of Machupicchu; and it was named after an orchid (Wiñaywayna means ‘forever young’, and the orchid was named with such an unusual name because it blooms all year round) that was found growing at the site.

After a good lunch, we continue to the Sungate, that is about 1.5 hours away from Wiñaywayna and this is the best and easier part of the walk because it goes through the cloud forest full of begonias, elephant ear plants, orchids of different genus, wild strawberries, tree ferns, birds singing around and great views of the mountains. Once you arrive to the sungate, a spectacular view of Machu Picchu site awaits for you. The lost city of the Incas seems unreal from here; surrounded by steep mountains that were the protection of the nobles that lived in Machu Picchu; this new seven wonder of the world capture your imagination of how clever were the Incas to build such a fantastic city.

As you can see, it is possible to explore the Inca Trail in a short time, so we invite you to enjoy this great walk with Faceperu Tour Operator, have a look of what we offer you in the following link: http://www.faceperu.com/short-trail-machupicchu-and-cusco/. Lets do it…