The Inca Trail (Day 4)

The final section of the trail, from Huinay Huayna to Intipunku is an easy hike, following a broad level path which winds comfortably through scrub and light woodland. Butterflies flutter across the trail.

After no more than an hour or two, the trail comes to a narrow flight of stone steps leading upwards into a small stone structure with a grass floor a few metres square. This is Intipunku, the Gateway of the Sun. Through the rectangular doorway, you can see the ruins of Machu Picchu.

From Intipunku, a pathway leads directly to Machu Picchu itself.