Waynapicchu — at the peak

The actual summit of Waynapicchu is at 8,860 elevation and is a jumble of large boulders, including a large smooth granite slab that is very reminiscent of Enchanted Rock. But there are also some structures and other points of interest in the area around the peak.

First, the panoramic shots of Machu Picchu from up here. The one on the left shows a bit of the Urubamba River, and on the right you can see the road full of switchbacks that the buses travel taking tourists back and forth from Aguas Calientes. The next photos below are about as good overviews of the whole Machu Picchu complex as you can find.

Here are some more. Can you blame him for taking so many, or me for wanting to show them to you?!

The picture on the right above was taken from near a building called the "storehouse," and it shows a bit of the structure. Here are a couple more pictures of some of the stonework on display around the summit.

As you can see from the photos, Henry was not alone up here. In fact, he said that the number of people made being on such precipitous heights more unnerving than it would have been were it deserted. Here are a couple of pictures taken from the very peak of the climb, where it was impossible not to have people in the frame, people hanging over the edge, scooting around to see better or take pictures themselves, and otherwise driving Henry crazy.

But the scenery was great! And he was able to get a few shots not full of tourists...

Here is the Enchanted-Rock like granite slab, and the GPS and elevation information on Waynapicchu:

What a climb! And in addition to the steps you saw in the previous section, in some spots you had to climb or descend these ladders...

Click here to see the trip down the mountain, which included a side trip to some interesting Inka structures.

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