I'm willing to assert that Machu Picchu is quite possibly the most majestic natural beauty on earth. If you know of anything that can beat this, I would be surprised!
It was a really stunning trip, and I was lucky enough to go with two Peruvian friends. We did a three hour hike to the base of Machu Picchu along the railroad tracks and beside the river. We spent the night in Aguas Calienties before spending the whole morning marveling at the wonder that is Machu Picchu and taking loads of pictures.
I was stoked to be amongst the first people let through the gates in the morning just before 6am. Unfortunately, for the first couple hours, we could only see white fog. We weren't even sure where the ruins were! Luckily it cleared, and the sunshine came out, so all was good in the end!
Several hours later, around 11, tired, blistered, but very satisfied, we hiked back along the railroad track to our bus, and thus the adventure ended!