What is the Temple of the Moon?

The Temple of the Moon, also called The Great Cavern, is an Inca construction located inside the Huayna Picchu mountain. It owes its name to the fact that it is built inside a mountain cavern. It should be noted that the Incas believed that the caves communicated the world of the living (kay pacha) with the world of the dead (uku pacha). The construction has niches and finely carved stone walls, just as the Incas did with their most important temples.

To get to the Great Cavern it is necessary to take a detour from the top of Huayna Picchu. The walk is down trails full of vegetation. The walk takes approximately 1 hour. After the visit, another path of 1 additional hour is taken to the exit door of the Huayna Picchu mountain. Due to this additional route, few visitors are encouraged to reach the Temple of the Moon.