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48 Free photos of Inca Trail, Peru.

These free photos (below text) are of the Classic Trail (four-day trek).
The four-day trail started at km 82, on the Urubamba River, from Ollantaytambo. The first day is relatively easy, covering no more than 13 km in a few hours, passing by the Inca ruins of Llaqtapata, a site used for crop production and which has remained well preserved.
Day two includes the ascent to Warmiwañusca or Dead Woman's Pass, (or Sleeping Woman's Pass) which, at 4,215 m above sea level, is the highest point on the trail. Day three starts with the final climb to Dead Woman's Pass, although some groups climb to the top of the pass on the second day and camp 600m below it on the other side at Pacaymayu. The views from the top provide excellent views of nearby mountains such as Salkantay and Veronika. After a second pass is the site of Sayaqmarka, perched atop a sheer cliff. After Sayaqmarka the Trail continues through thick cloud forest and jungle, filled with tropical flowers and colourful orchids. The third and final pass is Phuyupatmarka. The final day sees a descent past Winay Wayna, an impressive and well-preserved Inca site, where the one-day trail meets up with the main route.

Among the many roads and trails constructed in pre-Columbian South America, the Inca road system (El Camino Inca) of Peru was the most extensive. Traversing the Andes mountains and reaching heights of over 5,000 m (16,500 feet) above sea level, the trails connected the regions of the Inca empire from the northern provincial capital in Quito, Ecuador past the modern city of Santiago, Chile in the south. The Inca road system covered approximately 22,500 km (14,000 mi) and provided access to over three million km² of territory. The Incas did not have wheels, and did not have horses until the arrival of the Spanish in Peru in the 16th century, so the trails were used almost exclusively by people walking, sometimes accompanied by pack animals, usually the llama.
The trails were used as a means of relaying messages, carried via knotted-cord quipu and by memory; and for transporting goods. Messages could be carried by chasqui runners covering as much as 240 km (150 mi) per day, working in relay fashion much like the Pony Express of the 1860s in North America. The unheralded part of this is that much of this was on steps that are often slippery and wet.

There were approximately 2,000 inns, or tambos, placed at even intervals along the trails. The inns provided food, shelter and military supplies to the tens of thousands who traveled the roads. There were corrals for llamas and stored provisions such as corn, lima beans, dried potatoes, and llama jerky. Along the roads, local villagers would plant fruit trees that were watered by irrigation ditches. This enabled chasqui runners and other travelers to be refreshed while on their journeys. Inca rope bridges provided access across valleys.

Many of the trails converge on the center of the empire, the Inca capital city of Cusco. Therefore, it was easy for the Spanish conquistadors to locate the city. Traversing the trails on horseback proved to be difficult and treacherous for the Spanish in their attempts to conquer the Inca Empire.

By far the most popular of the Inca trails for trekking is the Capaq Nan trail, which leads from the village of Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu, the so-called "Lost City of the Incas". There are many well-preserved ruins along the way, and hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world make the three- or four-day trek each year, accompanied by guides. The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is actually three routes, which all meet up near Inti-Pata, the 'Sun Gate' and entrance to Machu Picchu. The three trails are known as the Mollepata, Classic and One Day trails, with Mollepata being the longest of the three. Passing through the Andes mountain range and sections of the Amazon rainforest, the Trail passes several well-preserved Inca ruins and settlements before ending at the Sun Gate on Machu Picchu mountain. The two longer routes require an ascent to beyond 12,000 ft (3,660 m) above sea level, which can result in altitude sickness.

Concern about overuse leading to erosion has led the Peruvian government to place a limit on the number of people who may hike this trail per season, and to sharply limit the companies that can provide guides. As a result, advance booking is mandatory. A maximum of 500 people, including guides and porters, are permitted to begin the trail every day. As a result, the high season books out very quickly.

(Adapted from: Inca road system. (2007, June). From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.)

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01incatrailollantaytambo.jpg Hiker buses often stop at Ollantaytambo plaza for breakfast and walking sticks (essential for steep stairs)	02incatrail.jpg Map at the entrance to the MachuPicchu historic sanctuary, which contains the park.
04incatrail_.jpg Andes mountains as seen from the Inca Trail	05incatrail_.jpg Cemetery along the Inca Trail
06incatrail_.jpg Farming area along the Inca Trail	07incatrail.jpg Stream that runs to the Urabamba River
08incatrail.jpg Hikers taking a break along the the Inca Trail with local pigs and turkeys	09incatrail_.jpg Hikers going up a steep climb on the Inca Trail
10incatrail_.jpg Inca city ruins along the Urabamba River. Note the lower terraces in the shape of a serpent, an important Inca god.	11incatrail_.jpg A typical toilet facility along the Inca Trail
11zincatrailtoilet.jpg A typical toilet along the Inca Trail. No seats, just squatting, of the style in much of Russia and East Asia.	12incatrail.jpg Farmer harvesting grain along the Inca Trail
13incatrail_.jpg Porter carrying a typical load along the Inca Trail	14incatrail.jpg Local "Shopping Center" along the first part of the Inca Trail
15incatrail.jpg Camping site for the first night of the 4 day trek, with the Sleeping Woman's pass (or Dead Woman's Pass) in the background, along the Inca Trail	16incatrail_.jpg Hikers and support crew, which outnumber hikers by about 1.4 to 1 along the Inca Trail
17incatrail.jpg Clear air view of the moon in broad daylight along the Inca Trail	18incatrail_.jpg Trail ascending to Sleeping Woman pass (or Dead Woman's Pass) on the Inca Trail
19incatrail_.jpg Steep climb on stairs along the Inca Trail to the Sleeping Woman's pass (or Dead Woman's Pass)	21incatrail_.jpg A more gentle descent along the Inca Trail after the Sleeping Woman's pass (or Dead Woman's Pass)
22incatrail.jpg An Inca watchtower at a convergence of trails	23incatrail_.jpg Very steep climb on stairs along the Inca Trail
24incatrail_.jpg Wild grains along the Inca Trail	25incatrail_.jpg An Alpine lake at high altitude near the Sleeping Woman pass
26incatrail.jpg A sparrow along the Inca Trail	27incatrail_.jpg Inca ruins along the Inca Trail
28incatrail.jpg Lichen at high altitude along the Inca Trail	29incatrail_.jpg Clear air at high altitude along the Inca Trail
30incatrail.jpg Clear air at high altitude along the Inca Trail showing far off mountains	31incatrail_.jpg Inca ruins along the Inca Trail
32incatrail_.jpg Clear air at high altitude along the Inca Trail	33incatrail.jpg Inca fortification along the Inca Trail
34incatrailflowerpurple.jpg Beautiful purple flower along the Inca Trail	35incatrail.jpg Inca Trail undergoing repairs after a washout
36incatrail.jpg Terraces of an ancient Incan city along the Inca Trail in Peru	37incatrail.jpg Staircase to an ancient Incan city along the Inca Trail in Peru
38incatrail_.jpg Terraces used to grow crops for an ancient Incan city along the Inca Trail in Peru	40incatrail.jpg Terraces used to grow crops for an ancient Incan city along the Inca Trail in Peru. Note the rock outcropping for steps between terraces
41incatrailsquashvines.jpg Terrace with melons as used at ancient Incan city along the Inca Trail in Peru	42incatrailporterstips.jpg Porters ligned up to receive their tips for the trek along the Inca Trail in Peru
45incatrail.jpg Terraces andr an ancient Incan city at a junction of the Urabamba River and the Inca Trail in Peru	46incatrailflowerprettypurple.jpg Purple flower along the Inca Trail in Peru
47incatrail_.jpg Rail lines going down the main street in Aguas Calientes the main nearby city for tours of Machu Picchu	48incatrailtrain_.jpg Passenger train arriving in the main street in Aguas Calientes, the main nearby city for tours of Machu Picchu

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