I highly recommend the hike to the Inca Bridge. Very few people, very impressive “bridge.” If I recall correctly it was less than 90 minutes round-trip. We did Huayna Picchu earlier in the day and yes, it’s quite strenuous on the return, not so bad getting up. Something about hiking down a zillion irregularly-sized & spaced steps.

Plan on spending WAY too much for food at the outdoor café; don’t even consider the inside eatery unless you have money to burn. But how often will you be in a place like this? If you were at Disneyland, you wouldn’t be bothered that much by what food cost, and the food here won’t be any more expensive than there. It’s just that elsewhere in Peru, the food is so much cheaper (and better).

Ah, one last thing. There’s virtually no place to get water, other than near the entrance. Plan accordingly. Bring more with you than you’d think you’d need, and consider you’re going to go through water faster than home due to the higher altitude (you breathe more rapidly, and lose water each time you exhale). –Mike

Julio – thanks for the update. Sounds like things are continuing to become even tighter in regards to trail permits.