Inca Trail to Machu Picchu - Useful Information The Lost City of Machu Picchu is without doubt the most recognizable symbol of Inca Civilization for us, as it is for the international visitor. "The Inca Trail", as it is known now, was the Royal Highway that led pilgrims and officials of the Empire to the Sacred City of the Incas. The Inca Trail is Peru's best known hike walking this Andean highway is a truly fascinating and unforgettable experience, but the Inca Trail is much more than a great hike! It is one small portion of an incredible network of such trails crossing high mountain ranges, bleak deserts, and raging Andean rivers, tying the Inca Empire together. At its peak expansion, Tahuantinsuyo - "The Four Corners", as the empire was known-- extended from what is now southern Columbia in the north, to central Chile in the south, a distance of about 5500 km (3400 mi). To rule such a vast domain, the emperor, or Inca, forged a remarkable communications system of approximately 18,600 miles of trails, paved through much of its length, stepped where need be, through tunnels where necessary, and using gossamer suspension bridges built of straw ropes to cross rivers unaffordable in the wet season.

The roads served to move the conquering Inca armies, and were generally wide enough for a minimum of two warriors to travel abreast. A system of runners stationed at rest houses known as tambos sped messages along the roadways, much like the Pony Express mail of the old American West. The Inca in his empire's capital at Cuzco could receive news from far away Quito as rapidly as a letter crosses between the two cities in today's mail. As remarkable as this highway system was in the days when it was built, used and maintained, it is an astounding testimony to its construction that so many segments remain serviceable today, after half a millennium of neglect. Clearly the Inca highway system ranks as one of the greatest engineering achievements of pre-industrial man. Furthermore there are many reasons to walk the Inca Trail, one of this reason is experiencing the flora and fauna of the Andes. To understand the ecology of the Inca Trail, it is important to understand the effects of altitude and rainfall. The Andes is the most important factor in this. Essentially, the cold gulf stream in the Pacific Ocean prevents rain formation on the west coast leading to desert conditions in the west. In the east lies the moist Amazon basin but rain coming from that direction can not cross the Andes and alleviate the drought in the west, but the eastern slopes of the Andes are lush and green.