One of the reasons I chose to teach English in Peru was to have the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu. That dream came true last week.

The 15th-century Inca citadel is situated on a mountain ridge 2,500 metres above sea level, deep in the Sacred Valley. It was given UNESCO World Heritage status in 1983 and was voted one of the seven wonders of the world in 2007.

The day starts early (aka 5am) with a taxi ride to the train station in Poroy. We board the Inca Rail train and settle in for the 2 ½ hour journey through the Sacred Valley. The valley starts off rather sedate but as we progress the scenery stuns from every angle. Vast mountains reaching into the sky. Deep jagged gorges. A raging river. Snow capped peaks and dense forest. A feast for the eyes - even if they were a little bleary from the early start to the day!

We arrive in the small, but unique little town of Aguas Calientes. It has a population of about 1,600 permanent residents and sits on the valley floor below the might mountains of Machu Picchu. As we are standing in line to purchase tickets, a local man named Alex offers his services as a guide. He explains, in fabulous English, that he limits his tours to 6-7 people. We are in!

With our wee party of Americans; Polish; Aussies and Kiwis, we board the bus taking us up into the mountains. Alex chats to me on the way up the mountain about his life here in Peru. His father is from Cusco, his Mother is from the Amazon, which is where he grew up. After moving to Cusco and obtaining a degree at college, he embarked on a teaching career, only to find how poorly paid and over worked this job was. Earning just under $900 NZD a month, it was difficult to survive anything other than pay-check to pay-check. So, he reassessed his life and went back to his roots and his passion, now working free-lance as a guide here. He also does conservation work in the area helping educate locals about hunting the bears of the Andes. The Peruvian people believe eating bear will make them strong, like a bear. His team work to teach the locals about preserving these special creatures, rather than destroying them.

As we come around the next corner, Alex tells us that we will get our first glimpse of Machu Picchu …. The bus goes quiet as we all concentrate. Seconds later a collective sucking in of our breath and release of a long slow 'wow' sound is heard. A fleeting sneak peek but it's enough of a taster to know its real. We are here, at one of the seven wonders of the world.

As we make our way through the entrance gates we feel the intensity of where we are. The mountains surrounding the site are majestic and imposing. The sun is powerful at this altitude and there is a last-minute scramble for yet another layer of sunscreen. Our first real look at the citadel and the place we have all dreamed of seeing is just up those stairs and over the rise. We all take in a couple of deep, all be it thin air, breaths and begin our adventure. Before we know it, the classic Machu Picchu shot you have all seen on TV or in magazines, is in front of us. In all its glory and splendour.

Words cannot describe the feeling.

Under the orders of one of Incas prominent rulers at the time, it's believed to have been built as a 'royal estate'. A gift to himself for the success he had in a military campaign. Approximately 800 people lived here, most being support staff. The estate was only inhabited for around 80 years because they abandoned it during the Spanish Conquest. This resulted in the Spanish never finding Machu Picchu and therefore not plundering or destroying it, as they did with so many other Incan sites. Although it was known by locals, the world didn't know it existed until 1911 when an American historian discovered it.

The actual name of the citadel itself is un-known but it has been given the name Machu Picchu after the mountain that is located to one side of it.

The engineering and architecture of this place is incredible. A simple design change in the way the stones are laid in the walls of the terraced gardens, ensure that when it rains the water drains down through each section, balancing out the additional weight. The identification of a fault line forced the architects to think differently about one main staircase though the site. Their solution? Build 2 staircases, one on either side of the fault line, one for going upwards and one for going down. Then, to identify each season and know when to plant and when to harvest their crops, strategically placed windows make up the Temple of the Sun. The Inca people knew exactly then the winter and summer solstices had started when the rays of sun spilled through these carefully placed windows in the tower.

Speaking of the sun, it's intense as we wander through this sacred place, climbing further and further up. The time just disappears. The photo opportunities make me want to stay here for hours. But alas, we have a train to catch back to Cusco. We head out of the park to find a shaded spot for lunch and get our passports stamped. After lunch we stand in a queue for about an hour waiting to board a bus back down the mountain.

Arriving back in Aguas Calientes, it's time for an ice-cream and a wander around the markets. Hundreds of stalls selling all the tourist paraphernalia you could ever want. Time flies and before you know it we are back on the train, settling into our comfy seats. Relaxed and yet exhilarated by where we have been today and what we have seen. Bucket list item, tick. We will be buzzing for days!

If you would love to, or are planning to, do this trip here are my recommendations;

• Book the train and tickets to the park itself ahead of time, online. Entry tickets to Machu Picchu are limited in number (see explanation below) so grab them online to ensure you are not disappointed on the day. I'd highly recommend IncaRail - they were fantastic and have an easy online booking process.
• Don't do it in a day, unless you really have to. Stay the night (or two) in Aguas Calientes. It's a tight squeeze from Cusco return in 1 day. Precious time is wasted standing in the queue for getting back down the mountain. Head up the day before, stay the night, then go up on the first bus of the day so you can spend as much time up there as possible. There was a whole section we didn't get to because we just ran out of time.
• Get a guide. Its worth the $10-20 USD. They are not with you the whole time, only the first 2 ½ hours. The rest of the time you can wander at your own pace.
• Take Peru Soles as well as USD.

Machu Picchu is slowly sinking. It was designed as a place for 800 people but has, on average, 2,000 tourists stomping around it a day during peak season. The government has introduced a daily ticket quota, in an effort to reduce the erosion tourists cause. But it is believed by some locals that, in the near future, access will be removed altogether or limited drastically to only a small portion of the site.

I feel very honoured and lucky to have visited this remarkable place.