DESTINATIONS IN PERU - HIGHLANDS
IN THE LOCALITY OF CUSCO
Machu Picchu - Sacred Valley of the Inca - Nature Reserve Tambopata - Manu National Park

Machu Pichu, the lost city of the Inca. For 400 years it was isolated from the rest of the world. In 1911 the US American Hiram Bingham rediscovered it amoungst the misty mountain top forest.. Nowadays thousands of people from all over the world come to visit the number one tourist attraction in Latin America. These well-known ruins of the legendary Inca tribe were built in 1450 and people used to live here until the 17th century. The city still keeps many secrets. Why did the Inca abandon the city? Why did the Spanish never discover it? What was its function? Because of the hidden location and because of the strong defending walls scientists agree that the Inca used this place as a hideaway and for defence in case of enemy attacks. The wide complex consists of 216 buildings which are situated around a huge place and are connected by 100 stairs. You can easily pass a whole day with visiting these humongous temples, palaces, plazas and houses. When hiking up for 45 minutes to the neighbor mountain Huayna Picchu you can enjoy a fantastic view over the city. The plateau is surrounded by steep falls that go as deep as 400 m. In 1983 the entire region around Machu Picchu including the ruins itself were assigned to be both World Cultural and Natural Heritage by the UNESCO.

Location
About 120 km Northeast of Cusco at 2400 m altitude between the summits of Huayna Picchu, meaning "Young Summit" and Machu Picchu, which means Öld summit".

How to get there
There are two possibilities to reach Machu Picchu.
1. By walking for two to four days along the famous Inca Trail, one of the most beautiful trekking tours. For more information about this trekking tour please click here.
2. By train for about three hours from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, a small village on the bottom of the Machu Picchu mountain. Departing there you can either take the bus or walk another 2 hours.

Opening hours: daily from 6 to 17 h
Walking up to Huayna Picchu is possible between 7 and 13 h and takes about 45 minutes
Cover: 20 US$, students with an ISIC international student card only pay 10 US$.

Excursions and trekking tours to Machu Picchu can also be booked at our travel partners.

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Aguas Calientes has expanded extremly quickly due to the tourism from Machu Picchu. As a result it has a strong tourist character and has hundreds of souvenir shops, restaurants and accommodation facilities.

It is highly recommended to stay in Aguas Calientes for one night in order to have more time for Machu Picchu the following day. After your arrival with the backpackers' train at 11 am you can spend the first day with a hike of about 90 minutes up to Putucusi summit. The top of the mountain provides a magnificent view over Machu Picchu. Furthermore there are several hot springs in town.

Accommodation

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