Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu: The Honest Planning Guide

Machu Picchu was built by the Inca state in the mid-15th century, probably as a royal estate for the emperor Pachacuti, and was abandoned about 80 years later when the Inca empire collapsed under Spanish conquest. It was never mentioned in Spanish colonial documents, which is why it was “unknown” to the outside world until Hiram Bingham III of Yale University was brought there by a local farmer in 1911. Bingham called it a discovery. The local farmer Melchor Arteaga knew exactly where it was.

The site sits at 2,430 metres on a ridge above the Urubamba River valley in southern Peru. The Urubamba (the Sacred Valley) flows 400 metres below. The two peaks framing the site are Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain. The clouds that frequently cover the site in the afternoon are not atmospheric decoration; they’re weather, and they mean that arriving before 10am gives you a much higher probability of seeing the site clearly.

Getting There

Most visitors approach from Cusco, either by the Inca Trail or by train. The train from Cusco’s Poroy station (or Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, closer and more convenient) to Aguas Calientes takes about 3.5 hours from Poroy, 1.5 hours from Ollantaytambo. Peru Rail and Inca Rail both operate the route. Book in advance: the trains sell out, particularly the earlier departures that allow arrival at the site before the main crowds.

From Aguas Calientes (the town at the base of the mountain, properly called Machu Picchu Pueblo) it’s either a 25-minute bus ride up the switchback road or a 90-minute steep walk to the entrance gate.

The Inca Trail is the classic trekking approach: 4 days, 43 kilometres, through cloud forest and high passes, arriving at the Sun Gate above the citadel at dawn on the final day. Total permits are limited to 500 per day (including trekkers and guides), and the main season (May through October) books out months in advance. Book through a registered operator; independent trekking on the Inca Trail is not permitted. The Salkantay Trail and Lares Trek are alternative multi-day approaches that don’t require the same advance booking.

The New Ticketing System

Machu Picchu operates a time-slotted entry system with daily visitor limits of 5,600 people. Tickets must be bought online in advance at the official government ticketing website (machupicchu.gob.pe or via a registered agent). Different circuits cover different areas of the site; the main circuit (Circuit 1 or 2, covering the classic viewpoints and agricultural terraces) is the standard option. Huayna Picchu mountain (the peak rising behind the classic postcard view) requires a separate permit, limited to 400 visitors per day, and sells out fastest.

Entry times are strictly enforced and late arrivals may be turned away. Download your ticket to your phone or print it; the QR code is required for entry.

What to See

The Royal Tomb below the Temple of the Sun is Machu Picchu’s most technically accomplished stonework: the curved wall of the temple above is built on a natural rock that forms the cave ceiling below, and the stones fit the irregular natural surface without mortar. The joints between stones are so tight that a credit card cannot be pushed between them. This is not an accident; it is Inca masonry at its deliberate best.

The Intihuatana stone (“Hitching post of the Sun”) is a carved rock projection on a platform near the highest point of the site. The stone was used as an astronomical calendar; its shadow alignment on the winter solstice is precise. The Intihuatana at Machu Picchu is one of the few surviving examples in Peru (most were destroyed by the Spanish to eliminate indigenous religious practices).

The agricultural terraces on the site’s lower western slope were not just for growing food; they also stabilised the mountain ridge and managed water drainage. The engineering that keeps Machu Picchu from sliding into the valley involves channels and drains built into the foundation layers that remain functional after 600 years.

Aguas Calientes

The town itself is an undistinguished tourist support system. The restaurants on the main square are overpriced. The thermal baths (the town’s actual attraction beyond being a transit point) are open in the morning and evening and are relaxing after a day of steep walking.

The market along the railway track has better prices for alpaca textiles and souvenirs than anything in Cusco’s tourist centre. Bargaining is expected.

Stay in Aguas Calientes for early entry: the first buses depart before 5:30am and the site opens at 6am. Being inside at opening gives you the best chance of photos without crowds and the highest likelihood of clear visibility before the clouds move in. Staying in Cusco and travelling up is viable but requires very early trains.