Are there words to describe Machu Picchu?  I don’t think I can verbalize what I experienced there – it’s an overwhelming beauty to say the least. The only time my surroundings went unnoticed was when my boyfriend got down on one knee at the top of Huyana Picchu and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him; he was the only thing in my universe at that moment.

It was also his brother & sister-in-law’s first wedding anniversary and they were there with us! Needless to say the day was full of tears, big smiles and celebration. There is nothing that could’ve made our Machu Picchu experience more memorable – it was perfect in every way. We spent about 12 hours there and every minute was majestic. ¡Mucho amor!

My advice for visiting MP and Aguas Calientes:

• Take the train in the daylight, we went at night and didn’t see the view along the way, but I hear it’s beautiful.
• Spend at least a partial day in Aguas Calientes. We wish we would’ve ignored the reviews that said there was nothing there – We found the town to be unique & quaint.
• Stay on the riverside of your hostel if possible.
• Eat dinner at El Indio Feliz.
• Stay all day at Machu Picchu – it’s that big and the lighting/clouds change throughout the day.
• Hike Huyana Picchu at the 10am slot and buy your tickets in advance because they only let 200 people up per day. It’s constantly steep and narrow which is a bit intimidating at times, but I loved it!
• August was a great time to go – it is their high season.
• If you want to hike the Inca Trail, plan well in advance. We booked our trip about 5 months ahead of time and the trail passes were sold out, so we weren’t able to do it.
• Use bug spray! There are sand fleas, or something of the sort that bit us and the itchy bumps lasted weeks.
• Bring layers, I was very glad I did. Warm & cool throughout the day