Aguas Calientes

The name of this town means hot water in Spanish as there are hot springs here. It’s the closest town to Machu Picchu and is nestled in a narrow valley. There are no roads leading here - it’s only accessible by train. 

The train follows the fast flowing Urubamba River and is a very scenic ride. Evidence of Incan terracing and ruins as well as snow capped mountains can be seen along the 1.5 hour journey from Ollantaytambo. 

 

The train has nice overhead windows to help you catch the mountain view. 

At the entrance to the town. 

There really isn’t much room to build in this narrow valley and you’d be hard pressed to find a small piece of flat land. The river runs right through the middle, the two sides connected by 3 or 4 bridges. 

 

 It was a beautiful day (as all our days have been so far) so we made our way to the hot springs. Along the way are these marvellous, huge carvings in the rocks depicting various important Incan symbols. 

The hot springs were quite quiet for a Sunday morning and we enjoyed the peacefulness. 

Much better scenery than our hot tub at home plus you just wave your hands in the air and someone comes along to take your drink order. That doesn’t happen at home either!