One Hundred Years on, Machu Picchu Continues to Marvel

As the peak season for visiting the mystical Inca ruins at Machu Picchu approaches, this year will also mark the centennial anniversary of the ‘discovery’ of the Lost City by American historian Hiram Bingham. This anniversary heralds a great opportunity to explore this latest world wonder yourself. In 1911 Bingham had been searching the area for another Inca city when, as the story goes, a young Quechua boy led him up the slope to Machu Picchu. Long overgrown, there were families living among the still-discernable ruins. Bingham then unveiled this city to the outside world after it had been hidden behind encroaching jungle and the stretch of time. It will never be possible to completely recreate the sheer awe experienced by Bingham when he laid eyes on these long-lost ruins, but a trip there today remains a breath-taking, even inspiring experience. Not least if you arrive there after having slogged your way over high passes and winding paths of the magical Inca Trail Trek. Tucan Travel’s global manager, Bec Whiffin, was herself a tour leader in South America for many years and has trekked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu several times and says that the sense of wonder the lost city inspires never fades. “I have trekked to Machu Picchu six times now, and it never ceases to captivate me. The fascinating geographical elements combine with the architectural marvels to create a rather mystical place. You have this snapshot of an ancient time and culture seemingly suspended in the clouds. I still want to go back.” While the Inca Trail Trek remains the most popular route to reach Machu Picchu, it is by no means the only way. Those looking for an adventure road less taken to reach the ruins would do well consider the Lares Trek. No less challenging, this alternative takes in some of the regions spectacular mountains and valleys as it approaches the site from a different direction. In Cuzco, the former capital of the mighty Inca Empire – and today a fascinating place to visit in its own right, there are several other options for the more intrepid. These include trekking and mountain bike combinations and other walks that get closer to the low-lying jungle than either the Lares or the Inca Trail. One of the beauties of Machu Picchu is that its relative isolation has been protected by the Peruvian government and no roads have been built to carry coach loads of tourists. Of course those enjoying a slower and easier pace of life and might be less inclined to get there by foot are by no means excluded from this journey back in time. Instead travellers can make their way to Machu Picchu in romantic style by train. Once in Aguas Calientes, the small township at the bottom of the ruins – Machu Picchu actually means Big Mountain/Peak in the indigenous Quechua language – from where buses regularly climb the winding road to the entrance of the site. Tucan Travel has many different tours that include a visit to Machu Picchu in many different styles. These different styles range from budget-obsessed to comfort-focused, all retaining the spirit of adventure that provides travellers the kind of experiences essential to make any trip to Machu Picchu the adventure of a lifetime.