Machu Picchu is a beautiful place and well worth visiting. But there is nothing inherently “magical” about it. The magic is within you.

Waking (as I did), following a night in a tent near the village, you take the bus up to the site in the darkness. You enter Machu Picchu in the half light and sense an “aura” of calm (no one speaks and cameras don’t flash)and there is an amazing feeling of gravitas and mystery. Then majestically dawn breaks and yes this is a truely magically moment and one that I will remember for the rest of my life!

Magic, much like beauty, is in the eye and mind of the beholder. After 4 days of tough but amazing hiking/camping on the Inca Trail, catching a glimpse of the fabled Inca city from the Sun Gate as the clouds parted and first sunlight hit, yeah, I’d say it was “magical” and also unforgettable.