transformed forever by Swiss engineering, much to the horror of many travellers who trek for days along the Inca Trail to experience the magic of Machu Picchu. "We've travelled over 40 kilometers over the most amazing terrain to get here, and now people are just going to fly through the air by cable car - it just seems wrong," says British tourist Amy Grundy.
2 The cable car will lift visitors from the banks of the Urubamba River and take them 500 meters up the mountain pass to a point 300 meters from the Machu Picchu ruins. According to developers, it will not influence on the most popular view of the Hidden City, towards the peak known as Huena Pichu. Roberto Persivales, a spokesman for the group of developers which plans to build the cable car, believes the plan won't damage the site.
3 An increase in tourist traffic which a cable car might bring could be good for the musicians and craftsmen who make a living around the ruins, but it would hurt the local bus drivers who currently shuttle visitors between the valley floor and the summit. They could lose up to 80% of their business. Charles Munn works in eco-tourism in Peru. He says that a cable car could improve the environment - by reducing the road traffic.
4 But the main concern of people who did not agree with the project is the developers' plan to increase the current number of visitors, which are over 350,000 every year. The UN cultural organization says that the cable car would bring the increase in tourist traffic. However, the Peruvian government insists it will preserve the character of Machu Picchu and is likely to resist any outside interference. And with the developers anxious to start work as soon as possible, the opponents don't have much time.