Mist clinging to the peaks can be completely bewitching, but visibility can be changeable 2,450 m above sea level. Staying locally also is helpful if you want to visit the site more than once. The buses start to roll out of town up to Machu Picchu early enough for you to arrive just after the gates open, and well ahead of visitors coming by train. Staying here ensures you’re best placed to avoid traveling time at the start and the end of the day, though this convenience comes at a considerable price tag.Īguas Calientes has a good range of hotels. The Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge is the only hotel close to the entrance of Machu Picchu, a mere stroll away. I’d highly recommend an overnight stay at Machu Picchu or Aguas Calientes if you want to get up to experience the ruins early the next morning. Video: Our expert tips for visiting Machu PicchuĪ first timer's guide to Machu Picchu. You could opt to climb part of the way to still get the knock-out view, albeit from a lower level. The reward comes from the view at the top, which our guides generally agree is the best place to see Machu Picchu from above. I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t like heights - the last stretch of path narrows with no barrier to separate you from the edge. Your ticket will show your allocated time slot to start the walk, and it takes about an hour to reach the top. You can climb Huayna Picchu, the witch’s hat of a mountain that stands guard behind Machu Picchu, as long as you book it well in advance as part of your admission ticket. Just to the left of the tomb lies a series of ceremonial baths fed by a sophisticated aqueduct system - another reminder of the impressive masonry skill of the Incas. This cave-like building is thought to be where sacrificial or burial rituals were performed, and there have been more than 100 skeletons excavated here. If you happen to be watching at noon on either equinox, you’ll notice the stone’s shadow disappear for just a moment, as designed by its creators. The corners point to the four cardinal points, and the stone still accurately indicates the positioning of the sun. The name translates to the 'hitching post of the sun'. This carved pillar on a square stone base remains a testament to the Incas’ knowledge and skill as astronomers. Machu Picchu with the mountain of Huayna Picchu in the background Three of my stand-out highlights The Intihuatana stone You have the distinct feeling of being high up in the world and part of a very well-kept secret. A protective wall of mountains surrounds you, which fades in and out of view as the mist falls and lifts. Out of view from the valley, you hear the roar and churn of the Urubamba River 500 m below. Moreover, each time I visit Machu Picchu I’m bowled over by the setting. The Spanish never ventured up the mountains and so left it untouched. The emphatic answer is yes, and for two reasons.įirstly, its buildings - the temples, palaces and houses - are in a remarkable preserved state. I’m often asked if Machu Picchu really lives up to its name. A hidden city protected by the mountains, and still wonderfully inaccessible other than by foot or train, Machu Picchu is now a New Seven Wonders of the World. It was left to nature before explorer Hiram Bingham caught wind of it on an expedition in 1911 and decided to investigate. This citadel in the clouds was abandoned only 100 years later but Spanish invaders never found Machu Picchu. Just shy of 600 years ago, a small plateau between two lushly forested peaks high in the Andes became a building site for the Inca Empire’s greatest city.
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