Inca Bridge, cliffside Inca trail and archaeological site in Machupicchu District, Peru

The Inca Bridge is a stone path cut into a cliff face west of Machu Picchu, its outer edge built up with a retaining wall of tan and grey blocks above a 1,900-foot drop. Near the middle, a twenty-foot gap in the wall was spanned by two tree trunks, which could be removed to leave the trail impassable. Beyond the gap, stone steps ascend along the rock.

The Inca Bridge is the trunk bridge on a stone trail heading west from Machu Picchu, built by the Incas as a secret entrance for the Inca army. A twenty-foot gap was left in the cliff-carved path above a 1,900-foot drop; it could be closed with two tree trunks, and removing them made the trail impassable to outsiders.

The name Inca Bridge covers two separate crossings linked to Machu Picchu. This one is the trunk bridge: a stone trail cut into the cliff west of the citadel, where a twenty-foot gap over a 1,900-foot drop could be closed with two tree trunks. With the trunks removed, the path became impassable to outsiders, serving as a secret entrance for the Inca army.

The site is accessible only on foot and requires hiking through mountain terrain to reach it. Visitors should prepare for high altitude and remote conditions, with the dry season offering the most favorable access.

The "bridge" is not a span but a removable section: a 20-foot gap in the carved cliff path, over a 1,900-foot drop, that could be closed with two tree trunks. Withdrawing the trunks left the trail impassable to outsiders, which is why the Incas used it as a secret entrance for their army.