Picture this, office drones. In London there’s still an hour to go before lunch, but you’re standing in the pre-dawn light at Intipunku (the Gateway of the Sun) gulping down oxygen, watching, waiting for the sun to rise. It has taken four days of hiking through the Andes in Peru to climb the last set of ancient Inca steps to glimpse journey’s end.

It’s not just the altitude that takes your breath away. To your right is a sheer drop tumbling hundreds of feet down to the Rio Urubamba. Over the valley and mountains is a sea of Amazon jungle. And below you, as the mist wisps away, you can see Machu Picchu, lost city of the Incas and one of the great wonders of the world.

The Inca empire began in the Peruvian highlands in about 1200 and expanded in the 15th and 16th centuries to cover large swathes of modern Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, before ceding to Spanish rule in 1533.

A hundred years ago Machu Picchu was still lost in the jungle. Today we still don’t know exactly what it was and why the Incas abandoned it. The latest research suggests it was a summer palace for the rulers of Cusco, the Incas’ capital city, but for those who’ve trekked the Inca trails to experience its peculiar enchantment, it will always have a deeper significance.

The Inca people did not use the wheel and did not have horses until the arrival of the Spanish, so the 14,000 miles of mountain trails were used for relaying messages and transporting goods on foot. There are several routes to Machu Picchu. The arduous: four or five-day treks that traverse steep mountain passes. The relaxed: a two-day trail. The downright lazy: take the train to Aguas Calientes, the bus up to Machu Picchu and walk 100 yards to the ticket office.

To experience a proper sense of achievement, you need to take at least four days. It’s more than a brisk walk through some spectacular scenery — ruins, exotic vegetation, stunning views — as anyone who has made the exhausting haul up to Dead Woman’s Pass at 13,650ft on day two will attest. But provided you take time to acclimatise to the altitude, anyone reasonably fit can make it.

Traversing the Inca trail without an official guide has been prohibited since 2001. You must go as part of an organised group arranged by an officially sanctioned tour agency. Groups vary from small private parties with bilingual guides and porters carrying your packs and pitching the tents to 16-strong backpacker groups humping their own load. Trek permits are limited to 200 tourists per day. So while you’re seldom alone it isn’t Mount Snowdon on a bank holiday.

Most trekkers watch the sun rise from the Watchman’s Hut, surrounded by a bunch of unimpressed llamas. Those who get a second bite at dawn prefer to stand in the Temple of the Sun, where the lucky are bathed in rainbows of light. It’s enough to make the most hardened cynic join the hippies absorbing the cosmic vibes.

How to do it

What Inca Trail, Cusco, Peru

When It’s best during the dry season (May-October). If booking for June-September do so well in advance. From November to April the trails are usually open but can be wet and be closed by mud slides

Why Watching the sun rise over Machu Picchu is a magical experience

How Thirty agencies are allowed to sell Inca Trail packages. Try www.sastravelperu.com and www.qente.com

Cost $240-$1,000 (£128-£533) but cheaper if you carry your own pack

Getting there From London connect via Miami, Amsterdam or Madrid to Lima. Prices from £650 return. Tans, Taca and LanPeru fly Lima to Cusco for about $89 (£47) one way.

Lodging The Sanctuary Lodge is the only hotel outside the Sun Gate entrance to Machu Picchu. Rooms cost from $715 (£380) per night. Nearby Aguas Calientes has more hotels

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