The mountains were sacred to the Inca, and named as deities called “apus” (insert Simpsons joke here). A visit to this region of the Andes leaves little doubt why the peaks inspired such devotion. Besides their belittling beauty, the mountains divert and gather clouds while capriciously influencing the weather every hour. Machu Picchu itself sits on a spit of flat land between two peaks, surrounded by dozens of other peaks. The...

And this is it: Machu Picchu. We spent a day and a half here, and the site is truly impressive. As preparation, we had both read the recent book Turn Right at Machu Picchu which chronicles Hiram Bingham’s “discovery” of the site in 1911. In reality, locals had known about the place all along, and Bingham may not even have been the first Westerner here. But Bingham and National Geographic cranked up the publicity machine and...

From Cuzco, we caught a collectivo to Ollantaytambo. Collectivos are a popular mass transit solution in South America. A private van waits around for enough passengers to fill every seat before taking off. For those who crave the local experience (or just like to save money like us), there’s no better way to travel but it can be extremely cramped and let’s say… fragrant. Ollantaytambo is the closest town to Machu Picchu,...

The region of Cuzco and Machu Picchu is known as the Sacred Valley because of the lush and fertile lands fed by the Urubamba River. Throughout the valley, the Inca built settlements and some believe more land was cultivated during the Inca empire than present day. Pisaq is one of the better preserved sites remaining, and an easy day trip from Cuzco. Our word of advice: do not go with a tour group. We saw plenty of tours when we visited, and...

To see Inca ruins near Cuzco requires hiking up to a series of four different sites. The cheapest way is to ride the public bus to the furthest site first, then work your way back to town. Tambomachay introduced us to the clever waterworks of Inca architecture. These fountains provide clear, running water year-round and function just as designed, centuries later. Puka Pukara (Red Fortress) sits across the street and may have served either as...