Machu Picchu

Understand

History These remarkable ruins were rediscovered by the scientific world in 1911 by the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham, who was led to the site by locals. Perched dramatically 1000ft above the Urubamba river, Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also the end point of the most popular hike in South America, the Inca Trail. The story of Machu Picchu is quite a remarkable one; it is still unknown exactly what the site was in terms of its place in Inca life. Current researchers tend to believe that Machu Picchu was a country resort for elite Incas. At any given time, there were not more than 750 people living at Machu Picchu, with far fewer than that during the rainy season. The Incas started building it around AD 1430 but it was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a hundred years later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. One thing that is clear is that it was a remarkably well hidden place, and well protected. Located far up in the mountains of Peru, visitors had to travel up long valleys littered with Inca check points and watch towers. Remarkably, the Spanish conquistadors missed the site. However, many people are said to have knowledge of the ancient city as it was referred to in some text found in the 20th century. However, it was not until Bingham that Machu Picchu was scientifically discovered. He was on a trip sponsored by the Yale University, actually looking for the last Inca capital, which was at Vilcabamba, which Bingham also rediscovered but overlooked in favor of the more impressive Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In September 2007, Peru and Yale University reached an agreement regarding the return of artifacts which Hiram Bingham had removed from Machu Picchu in the early twentieth century. Since it was not plundered by the Spanish when they conquered the Incas, it is especially important as a cultural site a

Getting there

Visitors to Machu Picchu typically either hike the Inca Trail or leave by rail from Cuzco or Ollantaytambo, either on a day trip, or overnighting in Aguas Calientes. The only ways to get to Aguas Calientes are by train or on foot — no roads go there.

Overnighting allows you to visit the park early or late in the day and avoid the worst of the crowds, and on sunny days, gives you a nice window of reprieve from the beating sun. The wet season in Peru is from November (often only really taking off in December) until the end of March, so then it is best to include a few extra days for flexibly dealing with delays. From Aguas Calientes, there are two ways to reach the ruins: by bus or walking (free steep hike), as described below. Depending on when you arrive, the site may be quite crowded or nearly deserted. The busiest periods are in the dry season (June–August), with the slowest being in February, the height of the rainy season, when the Inca Trail is closed. Most visitors arrive on package tours and are in the park between 10:00 and 14:00. To access the site, you must have both a bus ticket (unless you plan on hiking) and ticket for Machu Picchu - which are available on in advance from the official website or from the ticket office in Aguas Calientes. Machu Picchu tickets are not sold at the entrance gate and are limited to 1000 a day when buying in person. It is obligatory to bring your passport to enter Machu Picchu. Even if your ticket is on your national id card, the officer will still ask for your passport.

By bus from Aguas Calientes If arriving by train into Aguas Calientes, walk out of the 1 train station and keep going roughly straight through the warren of handicraft stalls and over a foot bridge to the 2 bus departure area. Frequent busses leave to the ruins (US$12 each way (Jan 2024), US$24 round-trip for adult foreigners) starting at 05:30. Bus tickets can be bought in two 3 Consettur ticket booths along Avenida Hermanos Ayar, payment in cash or M

Getting around

There are no vehicles of any kind in the park, so bring some comfortable walking shoes, especially if you plan to do any of the hikes such as Huayna Picchu. No walking sticks are allowed in the main area, except for visitors who have difficulty walking; however, they are allowed on Huayna Picchu, where they help significantly with the climb, especially down. The walking sticks cannot be steel tipped ones. There are rubber tipped walking sticks available for rent in Aguas Calientes. The main ruins are fairly compact and easily walk-able. Unless you have acclimated to the high altitude, you will likely be out of breath on any ascent. The steps are also uneven. Take your time, and enjoy the views while catching your breath. Many of the paths are one-way, so be careful – you can easily find yourself missing a spot you wanted to see or forced into the exit accidentally. Mobility-disabled visitors can arrange wheelchair/accessible tours via private tour groups, and see a substantial portion of the site.

See

All the views from above, but be sure before you do it that there are no clouds (early in the morning is always cloudy, it is recommended to do it at noon).

Take your time walking around the site, there are many places to see and explore. Although it is not required, taking a guided tour does provide a deeper insight into the ancient city, its uses, and information on the geography of it. As of Mar 2018, a 2-hr guided tour is S/200, but can be negotiated down depending on how busy the site is. If you wish to save money, you can team up with other tourists who would like to have a guided tour. As a cheaper alternative to a guide, there are several apps providing virtual audio tours of the site. Relatively little is known about the history and uses of the ruins, and some of the stories told by the guides are based on little more than imaginative hearsay. There are no toilets inside the citadel. You must use the restroom at the entrance gate before passing through the turnstiles.

1 Sun Gate (Intipunku) – if you've just arrived via the Inca Trail, this will be your first experience of the ruins. Others can backtrack from the ruins along the trail and up the hill. From here you can see back down each valley offering excellent views, if it is cloudy you cannot appreciate the view (avoid doing it or just wait for a clearance). It's a fairly strenuous hike (probably 1-1½ hours each way) but well worth it. 2 Temple of the Sun – Near the summit of the main city, the stonework on the temple is incredible. Look closely and you will see that there are a variety of stone walls throughout the city. Most are rough stones held together with mud, the common stone walls found throughout the world. But many buildings or parts of buildings are done with the more distinctive and impressive closely-fit stonework. The temple is the absolute pinnacle of this technology. Observe it from the side, descending the stone staircase in the main plaza. 3 Intihuatana – A stone carved s