We have two days at Machu Picchu at the beginning of August. The first day we'll travel up from Cuzco and stay overnight either in Aguas Calientes or Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge so that the second day we can get up before sunrise and have a full day at the ruins and catch a train back to Cuzco late afternoon or so.
Questions:
(1) I've seen a lot of photos of MP online and in travel brochures - the 'classic shot' with Huayna Picchu in the background from up high - and I'm trying to find out where it's taken from - Sun Gate, Caretakers House etc and also whether it is feasible to get from AG or MPSL to that point for sunrise before then coming back down into Machu Picchu for the day.
(2) From MP, MPSL or AG, how do you get up there? Do you have to wait until MP opens and then go in, or are there other routes?
(3) Also, reports vary on just how difficult or not Huayna Picchu is to climb - peoples' view on that would be useful and also I'd like to find out whether it's any more photographically rewarding than the Caretaker's House etc.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Neil
That classic shot is taken from the Watchman's Hut, variously called the House of the Guardians, or perhaps also the Caretaker's Hut. You'll see it up the terraces to your left as you walk through the main entrance gate near the hotel. The Funerary Rock is also in that area.
Neil...just remembered that the cover shot on Barry Brukoff's book of photos, called simply 'Machu Picchu', shows both the classic view and the Watchman's Hut.
If you want to get a visual sense of the specific location right away though, go to the website...photoseek.com....scroll down to International images, under Peru click on
'2-Inca Trail to Machu Picchu'. The first shot, a stitched up panorama, shows both the Watchman's Hut and the view. Note that the peak in the background is Huayna Picchu, as Machu Picchu itself is behind the photographer.
1 - Already answered correctly for you
2 - Yes you have to wait until it opens because it is within the ruin grounds. It opens at 7am, and when I was there in May it was well after sunrise. Here's a map of MP and you can see where the spots you want are. It's number 16-17.
3. The hike up to Huayna Picchu is not hard, but it is dodgy and a little nerveracking at times. It's a very narrow stepped path that goes straight up. When things get really steep there are ropes to help keep your balance. There is no reason why this should be dangerous or challenging, unless of course you or someone else chooses to act like an idiot. Don't try to pass people at stupid times, and when you meet people, find a safe place to stop and let them by (especially those who look very nervous about the whole thing). I didn't find the hike up bad at all, but the scary bit for me was actually at the ruins at the top. There are a few pretty narrow stairways with sheer drops that got me a little freaked out (I'm not good with hights at all).
As for the photography aspect, it's a very different view from the Caretaker's Hut, so it's really not comparable. On Huayna Picchu you are so high up that the view of the ruins is almost like looking at a map. But the view of the surrounding mountains is nothing short of spectacular and well worth the climb.
I almost didn't go up HP, and when I did I didn't have time to take the side trip to the caverna, something I regret. The hike up there is steep and exhausting and takes about two hours roundtrip. It's also virtually impossible to squeeze through some of the cave crevices at the top. But I'd definitely say you're missing out if you're in good physical condition and choose to skip it because it seems to me that people who hiked up HP have a deeper appreciation for Machu Picchu in general than those who did not.
I took photos from both the Caretaker's Hut and from Huayna Picchu and it's more obvious from the Caretaker's Hut that the photos are Machu Picchu. Still though, Huayna Picchu offers an incredible and entirely different view of the place. Oh and remember that HP has different hours from the rest of MP, I think from opening until about 16:00.
Do not regret not having seen the ´Gran´ Caverna. The walk to the top of Huayna Picchu can be hard, try keeping an easy pace, sometimes hard for me. But the walk to the Caverna is a pretty long walk down, the easy part! The walk back to the foot of Huayna Picchu was damn hard (partly because I hadn´t had a breakfast) and the Gran Caverna did not impress me a little. Do the walk to the Caverna when you really want to walk for two hours more, not for the Caverna itself.
just came back from MP. we slept in Aquas Calientes and walk up to MP in the morning. we left AC at about 4:30 and got to MP around 6:00. MP opened couple minutes after we got there so I guess it opened at about 6:15 and we had almost one hour to walk around MP before the sunrise. On May 18th the sunrise was at 07:05am. After you get through the checking booth just walk up to zig zag path and you will end up on the right place to take the panoramatic picture.
The climb to HP is steep, but managable. They allow only 400 people to climb the mountain every day and the last entry is at 1:00pm, so make sure you get there in time.
Frank
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