Up at 4:15 to catch the first bus to Machu Picchu. The gates open at 6 and we were some of the first people allowed in.

It was a breathtaking sight – beautiful with the mists swirling around . We started off our visit with a 2 hour guided tour that took us from one side of the massive complex to the other.
It is thought Machu Picchu might have been a royal palace hidden away in the high mountains. Over time it was abandoned but continued to be used by local villagers to grow crops. In 1911 it was rediscovered overgrown by the jungle but still intact.
After the tour finished, we struck out on our own, we headed for the Sun Gate with 2 other people from our tour. It took us 45 minutes to negotiate the steep windy trail and even though Machu Picchu was shrouded in mist when we arrived, a few minutes later the mist disappeared long enough to get a good view. Then it was time to head back down, halfway back it began to rain and by the time we reached the main site we were all soaked. It sure can rain here!!!
We had planned on exploring some more but with the very wet conditions we decided to head back to our hotel and try to dry out.

Managed to get some of our clothes dry but it wasn’t a very pleasant ride back to Cusco.