Machu Picchu the Cool Way: Photo Gallery

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Trekking to Machu Picchu (the Cool Way)

No crowds. Plush lodges. Jungles, glaciers, and high Andean peaks. The Camino
Salcantay is the savvy traveler's alternative to the Inca Trail. Never before has
the road to ruins been so much fun. Photograph and text by Brent Stirton


	Trekkers break at a lake in Peru's Soraypampa region. << Photo 3 of 7 >>

When we crested that last ridge and came onto this perfect glacial lake, the lake of Humantay, I thought: there must be a decent picture here, let's try not to screw it up!

You can see where the meltwater comes pouring in on that waterfall—it's a bittersweet beauty because only a few years ago everything down to the edge of the lake was glacier.
—Photographer Brent Stirton

Plan your own trip with our Adventure Guide to Peru's Camino Salcantay >>

See the feature story "Machu Picchu the Cool Way" in the November 2007 issue of National Geographic Adventure.

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