Custom Tours to Machu Picchu 2023

About the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu

Machupicchu is an ancient citadel inhabited by the Incas in the 16th century, located in the Peruvian Andes at 2,400 meters above sea level, 110 kilometers northwest of the city of Cusco by railway, in the province of Urubamba, which corresponds to the Department of Cusco. Machu Picchu is the contemporary name given to a llaqta – ancient Inca town – This llaqta is built 400 meters above the Urubamba (Vilcanota) river on top of a mountain, the citadel is considered a masterpiece of engineering, the construction of the whole citadel is like it's defying gravity. The Urubamba River crosses the mountain range and originates a canyon with a tropical mountain climate. Unveil to the world by the explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911, since then many adventurers, archaeologists, historians, writers, shamans, scientists, engineers, architects, including kings, movie actors, millionaires, presidents of different countries and tourists in general have it visited. Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco since 1983, it is one of the most visited jewels in South America. Its name means "old mountain" although new investigations reveal that its name could have been Llaqtapata. This luxurious urban complex was built between the mountains of Huayna Picchu to the north and the mountain of the same name Machu Picchu to the south. The climatic and geographical conditions of this area were and are ideal for the cultivation of corn and coca, a medicinal plant of great ritual and nutritional value. The city is divided into two zones, the agricultural zone and the urban zone, in the urban zone the residences, palaces, and temples such as the Temple of the Sun or Torreon are located, while the agricultural zone consists of hundreds of terraces of cultivation, built on the slopes of the mountains. It could have been inhabited by a mobile population that ranged from 400 to 1,000 people, most of whom are believed to have been service personnel and farmers. Some researchers believe that Machupicchu was a fortress, others believe that it was a spiritual retreat or vacation spot for the Inca, and other more extravagant ones indicate that it were built by aliens or gods who came from the stars. Although most Peruvians believe that it was built in the time of Pachacuteq Inca, the truth is that when you visit it and listen to the stories of this wonderful citadel, you are more confused and you start thinking about many other questions that may not have an answer or perhaps the future will give us the true answer of; What was it? Why there? For what purpose? and who built it?

How to get to Machupicchu

Going to Machu Picchu by train is the choice most used by travelers, the main advantages are comfort and saving time, although there are two different ways to visit this marvel of engineering, one of them is through the Inca trails of One day, four days and five days, camping in camping areas and controlled by the government of Peru, in these walks several ancient pre-Columbian fortresses or citadels are visited with spectacular landscapes and varied flora and fauna of the different Andean areas of mountains, tropical jungle, and glaciers, another way to get to the Llaqta of Machupicchu is by bus or car, takes about 5 hours and then the adventurous tourists have to walk for a space of 2 hours to Machupicchu Pueblo, generally sleep in this town and the next day climb the mountain of Machupicchu to visit the Llaqta or ancient Inca town.

Based on our experience, we believe that people who have few days to visit Machupicchu, the best option is the one-day sacred Inca trail, a 12-kilometer hike with a scenery of high mountain jungle, flora and fauna, waterfalls, an ancient fortress of the Incas like Wiñaywayna, and entering through the old Sun Gate or Puerta del Sol or Inti Punku, there is no more spectacular point to see the lost city of the Incas from such a magnificent place. This adventure begins at the Ollantaytambo station and after an hour of traveling by train the walking adventure begins, the prices by train are comfortable from 95 dollars ow, or if you prefer to be more relaxed on this trip, of course you can enjoy the luxurious HB train that includes meals and drinks for a price of 500 usd ow.