Welcome to Part Seven, the last of my Peru blog series. If you’ve made it this far, thank you for tuning in! We saved the main attraction for last: Machu Picchu, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

Our tickets were booked for the first slot of the day, so we had to be at the bus stop by 5:30 a.m. We took a quick walk from our hotel to the bus stop, where a line was already forming. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long, and before we knew it, we were on our way up the mountain. The bus ride took about 20 minutes; and since it was pretty cloudy and foggy, I couldn’t see anything, so I decided to close my eyes for the ride.

Once we reached the top, we were dropped off at the entrance and headed to our circuit, or path we were taking through the attraction. Even though we took a bus up most of the mountain, we still had about a 30-minute steep hike to the viewpoint. With the high elevation, it took us a little bit to make our way up because we had to make a couple stops to catch our breath. When we reached our vantage point, it was still pretty foggy, so we just hung out in the area to wait for it to clear. While we were waiting, our knowledgeable guide shared the story behind the abandoned village, its previous civilization, and other facts and information we wouldn’t have known if we didn’t have a guide.

After waiting about 20 or so minutes, the fog started to clear and we were able to catch some glimpses of the ruins and mountain behind. We started to make our way closer to the front of the platform so we could get an even better view and all the pictures and videos we wanted. The longer we stayed, the more the fog cleared and the more I was in awe. The views were like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I really started to reflect on how surreal it was being there, considering it’s a place I never thought I’d get to see.

We took all our pictures, soaked in the views and then started our trek through the ruins. As I mentioned before, our guide was very insightful and even had pictures and renderings of what some of the ruins looked like during the Incas’ time there. He also informed us about the different class systems and who lived where, what buildings were for what and even could tell us where certain rooms were based on the ruins.

During our stroll, we got to see incredible views of the surrounding mountains, some llamas just hanging out, the remains of sacred temples and spaces, native plants, native animals, and birds, as well as more insight on the life, rituals, day-to-day schedule and more of the Incas.

The whole time I was just in awe of what was in front of me. Everywhere I looked, I was greeted by breathtaking, one-of-a-kind views.

If you have plans to go to Machu Picchu, I highly recommend going with a local guide. If we didn’t have one, we would have just been wandering through the ruins not knowing what anything was. But thanks to our guide, who went above and beyond, we knew exactly what we were looking at and the history behind it.

Overall, my trip to Peru was one-of-a-kind, and I will never forget it!

— Mary Melnick, social media & editorial manager