The Inca Bridge is Machu Picchu’s secret back door — a 20-foot gap in a stone trail cut 600 metres along the sheer face of a cliff. The Incas crossed it on removable wooden planks that could be pulled to deny access to anyone who didn’t know the route.
The walk from the citadel’s main plaza takes about 30 minutes each way, along a narrow stone path with the valley dropping away hundreds of metres on one side. You cannot cross the bridge itself any more (it closed to foot traffic after a fatal fall in the 90s), but you can walk to the end of the trail and photograph it from the viewing point.
It is also one of the better photo angles on the citadel — you get the complex in profile from the north-west instead of the standard postcard view with Huayna Picchu behind.
Reserve your Machu Picchu entry at Peruways. The Inca Bridge access is included on Circuit 2 and 3 tickets.
