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 and is considered a sacred place. Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu.

Climate

Daytime highs are quite constant around the year, but the nighttime lows are much more pronounced during the Southern Hemisphere winter. As is common in the tropics, most of the yearly rain falls during the rainy season which in Machu Picchu is October to April. Due to the altitude, extremely hot temperatures that one may expect this close to the Equator are absent. However these two factors contribute to very high levels of UV-radiation (nearby Cuzco actually has the highest average level of UV-radiation in the world for any major city) so do take precautions. its mostly between 12 and 27 °C.

Flora and fauna

Both are abundant and varied. Typical plant life in the historic reserve of Machupicchu includes pisonayes, q'eofias, alisos, puya palm trees, ferns and more than 90 species of orchids. The fauna in the reserve includes the spectacled bear, cock-of-the-rocks or "tunqui", tankas, wildcats and an impressive variety of butterflies and insects unique in the region. The lay of the land, the natural surroundings and the strategic location of Machu Picchu lend this monument a fusion of beauty, harmony and balance between the work of the ancient Peruvians and the whims of nature.

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 MasterCard, Visa, AMEX, UnionPay. You will need to show an ID/passport when buying a bus ticket. There's often a queue to the buses, so if you're intent on being on the first one up, you should arrive at least 90 minutes early. The journey takes around 30 minutes to slowly wind around the switchbacks and up to the park. Buses depart when full, which typically means they run quite regularly. At popular times, there may be a lengthy queue for the busses, so plan the return trip accordingly in order not to miss train departures.

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 so that on certain days, at dawn, the sun makes a certain shadow, thus working as a sun dial. From Quechua: Inti = sun, huatana = to take, grab: thus grabbing (measuring) the sun. (pronounce 'intiwatana'). While most early risers view the sunrise from the watchtower, the Intihuatana offers the best vistas, and you'll have it all to yourself. 4 Temple of the Three Windows 5 Main Temple 6 Temple of the Condor – A temple, including some stones arranged in a way that kind of looks like a condor with wings outstretched, with a prison complex behind it – look closely: between the wings of the condor is a chamber with grooves cut in the stone to secure manacles, a walkway behind where a torturer may walk to whip the prisoner's backs, and a scary looking pit to let the blood of prisoners drain. Clearly the condor was a symbol of cruel justice, but a sanitized version is told for the benefit of tourists. 7 Fountains – As a testament to Inca workmanship, these 500-year-old spring-fed fountains still function to this day. It is speculated that these provided drinking water to the city or were for ritual bath purposes.

Do

If you got some energy in you, there are a few great hikes involving a bit of legwork. Do make sure that you've taken the time to acclimate to the elevation either in Cuzco or Aguas Calientes for a couple days before exerting yourself too much, especially on Huayna Picchu.

1 Huayna Picchu (Wayna Picchu). Towering above the north end of Machu Picchu is this steep mountain, often the backdrop to many photos of the ruins. It looks a bit daunting from below, and it is a steep and difficult ascent, but most reasonably fit persons should be able to make it in about 45 minutes. There are rough stone steps and in some places steel cables for holding. That said, expect to be out of breath, and take care in the steeper portions, especially when wet, as it can become dangerous quickly. There's a tiny cave near the top that must be passed through, it is quite low and a rather tight squeeze. Take care at the peak, it can be somewhat precarious, and those afraid of heights may want to hang out just below. The entire walk is through beautiful landscape, and the views from the top are stunning, including birds eye views over the whole site. The angle gives you a good sense of the layout of Machu Picchu. There's also a few ruins near the top. 400 tickets are available per day and must be reserved via the Machu Picchu website or via your tour company (at least a month beforehand). Tickets are purchased in one of two groups: 07:00-08:00 and 10:00-11:00. The later option sometimes has better views as it leaves time for the fog to clear. You must check in and out at the second ticket booth, and people start lining up about a half hour or even more before their start time. S/48, added to the price of your ticket.

Note: trail is closed as of Jan 2024 with no set re-opening date. For serious hikers who have the time and energy and long for a sparkle of solitude, from Huayna Picchu you can continue on an extra hike to the 8 Moon Temple (Templo de la Luna), which is built into the side of a cave, and the nearby 9 Great Cave (Gran Caverna), where women would come to pray to Pachamama (Mother Earth). This hike is one of your best bets for getting away from Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu crowds: both sites are much quieter than Machu Picchu and allow you to see Inca architecture at its finest without feeling like you're drowning in other tourists. This longer hike, which goes in a loop and is much more tiring but no more challenging than the regular hike to the peak and back, takes about twice as long: a total of about four hours (three if you're a fast hiker), versus about two hours just to the peak and back. It's a long walk and adventurous hike involving two ladders. Some may find that the sites aren't really rewarding, but unexpected wildlife can be seen (wild spectacled bears have been reported). This hike is also quite interesting because partway through you leave behind the mountain terrain and enter a more conventional forest. The caves can be reached by hiking down the trail from the peak of Huayna Picchu (which includes some semi-harrowing but fun near-vertical descents). Your hike back up from the temples will then be exhausting. Be sure to bring plenty of water and snacks for this long hike.

Sleep

Because this is a protected park, further construction in the area is nearly impossible. Thus, there is only one very expensive hotel at the site itself. Almost everyone who wants to overnight near Machu Picchu books a hotel in nearby Aguas Calientes.

1 Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, KM 7.5, Carretera Hiram Bingham, ☏ +51 84 211038, perures.fits@belmond.com. This superbly over-priced hotel is the only option for sleeping at the park. There are two equally expensive restaurants on site, and 2 suites that have partial views of the ruins. If money is not a concern, consider staying here as it gives you more time to spend on the site, but otherwise you can find less expensive accommodation elsewhere. $2000+. (updated Feb 2025)

Go next

Back to town (in order of size and distance):

Aguas Calientes – if spending the night or want a bath or another hike Ollantaytambo Cusco In the area:

Sacred Valley Inca Highlands Further afield:

More pictures of Machu Picchu

From this destination's category on Wikimedia Commons. Each photograph is credited to its own author under its own licence.