Now you can visit Machu Picchu from Google Street View

Thanks to an agreement between Google and the Ministry of Culture of Peru, anyone can now 'walk' among the most impressive Inca ruins in the world, accessing interactive panoramic images. Anyone can walk without leaving your home between the Inca ruins of MachuPicchu in Cusco, considered a masterpiece of architecture and engineering.

Users can virtually go places like the astronomical observatory (Intihuatana), the Sun Temple and the Temple of the Three Windows, three sites dedicated to Inti, Quechua name of the sun god, the principal deity of the Incas.

Thanks to the tools of Google Maps and Google Earth, the panoramic views of Machu Picchu will be enjoyed by millions of Internet users, who can access by click of mouse to the Inca citadel located more than two thousand meters above sea level and considered one of the most popular tourist destinations on the planet.

Machu Picchu is on the list of World Heritage of Unesco since 1983. In 2007 the citadel was declared one of the new seven wonders of the modern world.

Source: RT.

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The first blind athlete that conquered Inca Trail

On past October 14, Dan Berlin from Colorado and his team of three guides (Brad Graff, Charles Scott and Alison Qualter Berna) set out at 4:30 a.m. to tackle the full distance. He completed it in 13 hours and is claiming to be the first blind runner to have done so. He has become the first visually impaired runner to have completed the entire Inca Trail in one day.

The Inca trail is the most famous trek in South America and draws visitors from around the world. Located in Peru, the Inca Trail spans 26 miles covering the infamous Machu Picchu and has an elevation gain of 14,000 feet It is also considered to be one of the most difficult marathons in the world. Those who run or hike it have to be prepared for steep climbs and loose footing from the rock. 

Berlin said that the beauty of his adventures has been the most memorable. “We live in such a visual world that it’s difficult for some people to understand the beauty of a space,” he said. “For me, the beauty is the feel of the place. It’s the people that we’re with, feeling the soft earth, the hard granite steps, the humidity in the air.”

Source: Runningmagazine.ca

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Spectacular places for walking

What better way to get to Machu Picchu walking along intricate paths in the heart of the Peruvian Andes? The classic Inca Trail circuit is relatively short, but spectacular.

They are 40 kilometers through archeological ruins, rainforests and cloud forests. After four days of walking, walkers arrive at Machu Picchu at dawn.

Degree of difficulty: Moderate. Due to the height, physical fitness is required, although previous experience is necessary.

Source: La Prensa. 

UNESCO recognizes improvement in Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary management

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized the progress showed by the Peruvian State in the integral management of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu in Cusco thanks to a multisectoral work.

During the 39th Session of the World Heritage Committee held in Bonn, Germany, UNESCO noted the work carried out by the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (Sernanp) in coordination with Ministries of Culture, Environment, Foreign Trade and Tourism, as well as the Regional Government of Cusco (GRC) and the Machu Picchu District Municipality.

Peruvian government officials showed the progress made in the preparation of the Public Use Plan, the Site Plan for the West Access of the Natural Area, and the Regulations on Sustainable Use and Tourist Visitation for the Conservation of the Llaqta of Machu Picchu.

The updating of the Inca Trail Regulations –which govern the tourism management in the Historic Sanctuary and the development of the carrying capacity study for the Llaqta of Machu Picchu– the Inca Trail Network and the Hiram Bingham road, were other aspects involved in the decision-making process of not including this archaeological monument in the “List of World Heritage in Danger.”

The country was given 18 months to fully implement the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee. 

Peru’s representatives issued a commitment document inked by authorities involved in the management of the sanctuary, which underscores the conclusion and implementation of the Risk Management Plan of Machu Picchu.

It also includes the decision to create specific prevention-oriented contingence plans that must be adopted to mitigate disaster effects such as fires and landslides –which put the safety of locals and visitors at risk– and the natural and cultural heritage in the natural protected area.

The approval of the Master Plan of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu 2015-2019 was one of the most important management tools for the Committee, as it shows the coordinated work among state organizations directly involved in the task.

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Source: Andina

The Inca Trail is crossed by 500 people every day

The National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP) reported that around 500 people walk every day the Inca Trail towards Machu Picchu. According to Pedro Gamboa, Head of Sernanp, from this group only 200 are foreign people, the rest are porters that carry baggage’s and guides that help the visitors on the route towards Machu Picchu.

In this Inca trek the porters are the ones that carries the food, and supplies needed during the trek. They do not reach the citadel, only the tourists reach the final section of the trip to get to MachuPicchu.

According to the report, the age of the tourists are not an impediment for people that want to do the Inca Trail in spite of the physical effort that it requires. The route is through the Urubamba Valley, amidst beautiful natural scenery and Incan architectural remains.

The Sernamp is working so the protection rules include the whole course area so the natural area is not affected in any case. The measure includes the signposting and the maintenance of the road, sanitation facilities equipped with the latest technology ecological standards.

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Qhapaq Ñan, the Inca heritage that has survived the test of time

The Incas are known worldwide for the citadel of Machu Picchu. Besides its beauty, the archaeological site is the best example of architectural knowledge had by the ancient Peruvians.

Like the citadel, Qhapaq Ñam is another important Inca vestige that just turned one year after having been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This is the road network which used to connect all the Tahuantinsuyo, from Colombia to Argentina, passing through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile.

But the importance of these roads lies not only in its history but what it represents for Peru, even to this day. “Some of the roads are still used even today by the surrounding communities. It is a heritage that is kept alive and allows us to connect these villages,” explains Giancarlo Marcone, general coordinator of the Qhapaq Ñam Project.

Marcone emphasizes the role of these pathways in the relationship between our past and present. “Often the traditional story is told as a break between the Andean, the colony and who we are today. But there are aspects such as the Qhapaq Ñam where there is no such break, as we continue to grow over the same past and represents the unity of such diversity.”

While the most well known ways of this great network of roads are found in Cusco, there are other sections that represent an enormous tourist potential for the country. For example, the route that passes by Lake Titicaca in Puno or the section between Vilcashuamán and Pisco. Even close to Lima you can see part of this road coming from the central highlands and culminated in the archaeological site of Pachacamac.

Of the sixty thousand kilometers that make up the Qhapaq Ñam, nearly half run through Peruvian territory. They are about 23 kilometers of roads we have in Peru including the most important point, Cusco. And even now these routes are preferred by trekkers and backpackers, the plan of the Qhapaq Ñan Project. according Marcone, is to recover those alternative ways to attract more visitors and assist the development of local communities through tourism.

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Source: Peru This Week

Machu Picchu is reforested with Queuña trees

Reforestation is important to avoid soil erosion and other impacts of the nature, that is why more than 2000 hectares of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu have been reforested with the plantation of Queuña trees.

All this process of planting has been in charge to the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP) and the foresters of the area. The project has already been executed, and it happened thanks to the support achieved by the management of Machu Picchu and the company of energy Electro Sur Este.

The reforestation initiative was created in order to protect the areas affected by the excessive shepherding and the forest fires in the area. This effort will allow a regeneration of the plant surface.

The aim of the project is to protect the biodiversity that makes Machu Picchu as one of the most important protected areas of Peru.

The work of reforestation was carried out in Toccopujio's community, to this labor the Huayllabamba's community joined by planting more trees.

The initiative includes an environmental education program, to raise awareness about the importance of protected natural areas, and the care of trees which is just begging to grow.

This program is being promoted also by the government, the people and the private sector.

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