Inca Bridge in Machu Picchu

The Inca bridge in Machu Picchu is a sample of the fascinating and ingenious Inca architecture. It is located to the west of the Inca citadel, where it is reached after a moderate walk of approximately 30 minutes. The Incas of Machu Picchu used this wooden bridge as one of the limits and connection of the citadel of Machu Picchu with Llactapata, another Inca citadel built around the 15th century and located in front of Machu Picchu. Today it is one of the tourist attractions less known by visitors. However, touring and appreciating this building is worth it.

Amazing wood and stone inca bridge in Machu Picchu

The Inca bridge in Machu Picchu

The Inca Bridge in Machu Picchu is made of thick wooden trunks supported by two stone walls at the edge of the steep Machu Picchu mountain.
If these timbers or trunks were removed, the passage to Llactapata would be inaccessible because the cliffs would not allow it. For this reason, it is believed that in addition to serving as a means of communication, the bridge functioned as a defense tool. By removing the bridge, the Incas prevented the advance of any possible enemy. The path that leads from Machu Picchu to the bridge follows an original Inca cobblestone. To visit this bridge, you must walk for almost 1 kilometer from the upper platform of the citadel (about 30 minutes of walking). On the walk you go through different trails, some very narrow.
When entering the Inca Bridge sector it is necessary to register the entry and exit of visitors. This for security reasons.

The Inca Bridge of Machu Picchu

It should be noted that the roads are attached to fearsome precipices. No one has ever slipped or fallen. The route is safe. The Inca Bridge demarcated one of the limits of Machu Picchu. Because it is located at one end of the citadel, it is not very visited. Log bridges were the simplest of all the bridges built by the Incas. They were designed to rest on rocks. First they laid the logs horizontally. Then they crossed them with other sticks that were tied with straw ropes, or llama leather ropes. Branches were placed on top and it was ready for use.
The bridge is made of logs approximately 5 meters long. Beneath there is a 20 meter precipice. Currently, due to the deterioration of the construction, it is forbidden to cross the bridge.
The construction of bridges in the mountains was very necessary due to the geography of the place. The Inca Bridge in Machu Picchu was built in a strategic place adapting it to the topography of the place.

The Incas and the bridges

The Inca bridges were part of the Qhapac Ñan, an immense Inca trail network that connected all the towns, citadels and shrines of the great empire of the Incas (the Tahuantinsuyo)
According to engineering professor Alberto Regal, the bridges were of various types and could be classified as: log and stick bridges, stone bridges, huaros, oroyas or tarabitas bridges, floating bridges and suspension bridges.
The Inca Bridge in Machu Picchu is part of the types of bridges built with logs and sticks. These were the most common in the Andes Mountains.
Currently most Inca bridges are destroyed. However, it is still possible to appreciate some. For example, in Cusco the following survive: the Checacupe bridge, the Inca bridge in Machu Picchu, the Yunkapunku bridge (near Piquillacta) and the Queswachaka bridge. This latter is made of ropes made from Andean grass (Ichu). It is the most famous and best preserved today.
It is worth mentioning that today, in several regions of Peru and South America, Inca technology such as suspension and floating bridges and cultivation platforms are still used.

Queswachaka Inca bridge in Cusco

The visit to the Inca bridge in Machu Picchu

The Inca Bridge can be visited every day of the year, from 6 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon. Access is with the Machu Picchu entrance only + Inca Bridge. When entering, it is mandatory to show the identity document (or passport) and register. The same in the case of output.

More information

The Inca Bridge in Machu Picchu offers a short hiking route of approximately 30 minutes.
The route through the Inca Bridge is safe. It is still advisable to take the necessary precautions: do not walk near the precipices or take the risk of taking close-up photos of the cliffs.
The most famous Inca bridge in Cusco is the Queswachaka. It is located about 156 kilometers by road from the city of Cusco. This suspension bridge has been preserved thanks to the renovation ceremony organized by the neighboring communities. These ceremonies have their origins in the Inca period, if you want to know the Inca bridge of Queswachaka, there are guided tours that depart from Cusco every day.