In the second part of a gap-year blog detailing the adventures of mature traveller Ruth Holliday, Telegraph readers have been turned on to the magic of Macchu Picchu.
The ancient Incan city lies deep within the Peruvian mountains north of Cusco and can be visited at the end of a three-day trek, which Ms Holliday described as "punishing".
However, on arriving at the ancient city - deserted and bathed in a golden morning light - the unforgettable sight more than justified the exertion.
"This was enough for me. Yes, I was interested in the guided tour that would follow. But it is this heart-stopping view, revealed by the dawn, that I will always remember," she wrote.
Macchu Picchu first came to the attention of western explorers after it was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
However, Wired notes that some claim he was preceded by German explorer and businessman Augusto Berns, who is thought to have visited the city four decades earlier.
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