Jungle fever...

After making it through the Salkantay Pass, the surroundings changed dramatically.  

The hike through the jungle was lush and fertile and we peeled off layers as the weather warmed, keeping an eye out for pesky vipers that may be out on the trail.  Somehow the viper possibility was never mentioned that in any of the detailed itineraries they sent!

Luckily, the most pesky encounter we experienced was that of some very aggressive roosters and birds that were eager to share Geoff's snacks at one of our pit stops.

For the remaining hike, we wandered through cloud forests, taking in the beautiful and numerous varieties of orchids, butterflies and birds.

As we descended lower into the Santa Teresa River Valley, we also passed coffee plantations and tropical passionfruit orchards, meeting lovely local folks tending to the crops.

The final day of our trek promised to be one of the hardest days as we headed uphill again towards the Llactapata Pass, which stands at almost 9,000 feet.  The trail became slightly busier as we made it closer to Machu Picchu but was still remarkably quiet.

Making it to the Pass offered its own special reward - our first glimpse of Machu Picchu.  Our resting spot offered a special view of this magnificent place, tucked quietly into the surrounding mountains.  It exemplified the feat that the Inca people achieved in building such a magnificent place so high in the mountains and we stopped quietly to take it all in.  

Our first view of Machu Picchu

After a lunch stop at a picturesque spot overlooking the mountains and Machu Picchu, we began our final descent to the Urubamba River through the lush bamboo forests.  The decline was the steepest yet and continued for over 1,000 feet.  We immediately regretted the choice to enjoy a beer at lunch!

Watching us make our descent, Manolo, who loves logistics and is always creating contingency plans in his mind, was already onto Plan C, making various plans to ensure we would actually make it to the train on time.

Our fearless leader, Manolo

During the last stretch to the train station, we encountered our first sign of busy city life.  The police had roped off part of our trail because of an upcoming visit from the Peruvian President later that afternoon.  Luckily, there was an alternative trail readily available and we easily made it to the train on time.

The group was giddy as we boarded the train to Aguas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu.

And as the train pulled away, we experienced rain for the first time all trip.   Incredibly, it stopped just as we arrived in town.  Just as Manolo had planned!