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PERU: Machu Picchu, Inca Trail trek

31 images Created 4 May 2012

View Tom Dempsey's images of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, South America.

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  • Machu Picchu is a magnificent Inca archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River (Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    03PER-15-04_Machu-Picchu.jpg
  • A trekking guide plays the Andean flute and reflects in a pond in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, along the Inca Trail, Peru, South America. Our multi-talented guide Wilbert attracted us higher with his Andean flute. He played several more instruments, spoke eight languages, earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology from a Peruvian university, and had a playful sense of humor.
    00PER-10-36.jpg
  • Our trekking group poses on Dead Woman's Pass (13,770 feet elevation) on the Inca Trail, Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Published in September/October 2007 and in March/April 2001 Sierra Magazine, Sierra Club Outings. For licensing options, please inquire.
    00PER-09-17-Dead-Womans-Pass.jpg
  • The Incas finely crafted this stone alcove in a wall at Machu Picchu, a magnificent archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    00PER-15-03_Inca-stonework-alcove.jpg
  • From atop the peak of Huayna Picchu, see terraces of the Machu Picchu archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. The Incas built temples, terraces, and a trail up the peak of Huayna Picchu ("Young Peak" in Quechua, 2720 meters or 8920 feet above sea level). Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    00PER-15-11_Machu-Picchu.jpg
  • Machu Picchu is a magnificent Inca archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983. Seven overlapping photographs by Carol Dempsey were stitched into this panorama. Published by Sierra Magazine, Sierra Club Outings September/October 2002. Published in a book in Paris, France. Published on a German tour operator's website.
    00PERC-p5-17-23pan_Machu-Picchu.jpg
  • Sunset turns clouds orange over the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, along the Inca Trail, Peru, South America.
    00PER-10-23-Vilcabamba-Mountains-sun...jpg
  • The Incas finely crafted this stone wall with windows at Machu Picchu, a magnificent archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    00PER-15-30_Machu-Picchu.jpg
  • Trekkers begin a 4-day version of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu at this bridge over the Urubamba/Vilcanota River Valley, Sacred Valley of the Incas (7700 feet elevation) at railroad Kilometer 82, on the PeruRail route from Cusco to Machu Picchu, Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Licensed by National Geographic Maps for a Geotourism Map of Peru's Sacred Valley, 2008.
    00PER-06-35_Urubamba-River_Inca-Trai...jpg
  • Trekkers eat a lunch of healthy food on Dead Woman's Pass, Inca Trail, Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Published in Wilderness Travel 2016 Catalog of Adventures. For licensing options, please inquire.
    00PER-09-Lunch-pass.jpg
  • A porter carries a heavy load on the Inca Trail, Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America.
    00PER-14-Porter-Trail.jpg
  • From atop the peak of Huayna Picchu, see terraces of the Machu Picchu archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. The Incas built temples, terraces, and a trail up the peak of Huayna Picchu ("Young Peak" in Quechua, 2720 meters or 8920 feet above sea level). Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    00PER-15-09_Machu-Picchu.jpg
  • The pinnacle of Huayna Picchu rises over Machu Picchu, a magnificent Inca archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. The Incas built temples, terraces, and a trail up the peak of Huayna Picchu ("Young Peak" in Quechua, 2720 meters or 8920 feet above sea level). Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    00PER-15-35_Machu-Picchu_Huayna-Picc...jpg
  • A rainbow shines over a llama grazing on agricultural terraces at Machu Picchu, Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    03PER-17-09-Llama-Rainbow.jpg
  • Machu Picchu is a magnificent Inca archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    00PER-15-Machu-Picchu.jpg
  • A rain storm breaks over Machu Picchu, a magnificent Inca archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    03PER-12-37_Machu-Picchu-shower.jpg
  • A cliffside Inca Trail bridge is restored at Machu Picchu, in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. The tree-trunk bridge controls the west entrance of Machu Picchu across a drop of 570 meters (1870 feet) to the base of the rock wall. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    03PER-12-32-Inca-bridge.jpg
  • The pinnacle of Huayna Picchu rises over Machu Picchu, a magnificent Inca archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. The Incas built temples, terraces, and a trail up the peak of Huayna Picchu ("Young Peak" in Quechua, 2720 meters or 8920 feet above sea level). Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    03PER-15-29-Machu-Picchu-people-v.jpg
  • At Machu Picchu, Peru, the kite-shaped sacred stone sitting in the small square around the Principal Temple might represent the Southern Cross constellation. This stone is a huaca (or waqa), or revered object, in Quechua language. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River (Sacred Valley of the Incas) in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    03PER-16-05_Machu-Picchu_Southern-cr...jpg
  • The four-sided Intihuatana (Hitching Post of the Sun) ritual stone sculpture was likely the most sacred place in Machu Picchu, a magnificent Inca archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. The name Intihuatana (coined perhaps by Hiram Bingham) is derived from the Quechua language: inti means "sun"; huata- is a Spanish spelling of wata-, the verb root "to tie or hitch (up)"; and the -na suffix derives nouns for tools or places. Scholars dispute various theoretical uses of Intihuatana such as a sacrificial altar, as a temple aligned with the surrounding mountains and their resident apus (gods), as a solar observatory (but unlikely as a sundial), or simply as an abstract art work. The mysterious Intihuatana is an important huaca (or waqa), a revered object, in Quechua language. The stone is at 13°9'48" South latitude. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River (Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    03PER-16-10_Intihuatana_Machu-Picchu.jpg
  • Tourists explore a restored Inca stone corridor at Machu Picchu, a magnificent archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    03PER-16-24-Machu-Picchu-corridor.jpg
  • At Machu Picchu, Peru, the Incas crafted the Temple of the Moon as a wall of doors and windows fitting perfectly under a giant overhanging rock. The summit of Huayna Picchu is normally a two-hour walk (1.9 kilometers round-trip). The easiest way to visit the Temple of the Moon is to retrace your steps down from Huayna Picchu and take the marked trail turnoff halfway down, which leads directly to the alcove, adding about 12 hours round trip. Many local names are arbitrary, non-Inca inventions, including the "Temple of the Moon." Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River (Sacred Valley of the Incas) in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    03PER-16-34_Machu-Picchu_Temple-0f-M...jpg
  • Water drips from a wild Begonia flower along the Inca Trail at Machu Picchu, in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America.
    03PER-18-26-Begonia-Drops.jpg
  • A yellow Ladyslipper Orchid drops red tendrils in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America.
    03PER-21-07-Ladyslipper-Orchid.jpg
  • Machu Picchu is a magnificent Inca archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. A long stairway climbs along Inca walls. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.  Panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos. Published in 2009 on Swedish trekking company site www.adventurelovers.se.
    03PER-19-pan08-12-14_Machu-Picchu.jpg
  • Carved and decorated wood Andean plates are sold at Aguas Calientes village ("Machupicchu Town") at the foot of Machu Picchu, in Peru, South America.
    03PER-20-36-Bowl-souvinirs.jpg
  • Woven rugs for sale, Aguas Calientes village ("Machupicchu Town") at the foot of Machu Picchu, in Peru, South America.
    03PER-20-37-Rugs-color.jpg
  • The Peruvian hairless dog breed is known as the Peruvian Inca Orchid ("PIO") in English; "Perro sin pelo del Peru" in Spanish; "Mexican Hairless" in Mexico; "khala" in Bolivian Quechua meaning 'without clothing'; and "caa allepo" in Peruvian Quechua meaning "without vestment." Only recently did the American Khala Association adopt a standard for this hairless hound which is indigenous to Latin America from Mexico throughout Central and South America. Its body is furless, gray and wrinkled. A sharp red tongue hangs from its long and pointy snout. Atop its head stands a scant clump of hair, Mohawk-style. Humans probably brought this canine to the Americas 2,000 to 3,000 years ago during the migration from Asia across the Bering Strait. Ceramics from pre-Incan cultures show these dogs growling, giving birth, suckling, and copulating. The Inca and other pre-Columbian cultures highly valued this breed, which is now surging in popularity in the United States and Europe, but ironically declining in status in Peru. Photographed at Aguas Calientes village, "Machupicchu Town," at the foot of Machu Picchu, Peru, South America.
    03PER-20-34-Andean-dog.jpg
  • A blue and yellow PeruRail train stops in Aguas Calientes village ("Machupicchu Town"), at the foot of Machu Picchu in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. PeruRail runs passenger train service from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (Spanish for "hot water" or "hot springs"), nestled on the Urubamba/Vilcanota River (Sacred Valley of the Incas). Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River (Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    03PER-20-33-Train-Aguas-Calientes-Ma...jpg
  • Machu Picchu is a magnificent Inca archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983. Published in 2009 on Swedish trekking company site www.adventurelovers.se. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010. Panorama stitched from 4 overlapping images.
    03PER-14-pan29-28-27-31_Machu-Picchu.jpg
  • Peru map covering Lima, Cordillera Blanca, Cordillera Huayuash, Machu Picchu, South America
    14PERM-Peru-Lima-Cuzco-Huaraz-2-map.jpg
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