The Ruins on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

The Lost City of the Incas

Part 1 of a four-part guide: Llaqtapata to Runkuraqay. You can click on any of the photos for a larger version of the picture.


		Llaqtapata Llaqtapata, or the Town on the Hillside, is the first of the ruins that you come across if you begin at the traditional starting point for the Inca Trail, Kilometre 88 or Qoriwayrachina, Gold Sifter, which is where the local train stops briefly. It is easy to walk past it thinking that it is just an uninteresting set of agricultural terraces but if you come by road and start at Km 82 you will have a good view of Llactapata down below when you reach the edge of the hillside on the opposite side of the Kusichaca Valley. That is where this photo was taken.

		Runkuraqay Runkuraqay or the Egg Hut was probably an Inca tambo or post house which got its name from its oval shape. From the bottom of the valley after the First Pass it is about half way up to the Second Pass which is also called Runkuracay Pass. There are superb views from the ruins.

In general I have tried to use Quechua spellings for most places mentioned in these web pages. Alternative versions are shown below.