Machu Picchu Travel Info
Here we will present the most popular destination of Peru, the famous and extremely beautiful lost city of Machu Picchu, with all the travel info that you should know about and more! It lies on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, going down from the Andes mountains in an exotic location. In 2010 Machu Picchu was listed as “One of the Seven New World Wonders” by UNESCO. Since then its fame and popularity have increased even further than before. More than 2000 people per day visit this place and the maximum is 2500 per day, as a measure to reduce the impact of tourism on the site; UNESCO is considering putting Machu Picchu on its List of World Heritage in Danger.How to arrive to Machu Picchu
1. By train
Most people go by train, and you can do that from Cusco, that is, Poroy, 13 kilometres (8 miles) west of Cuzco. Trains do not part anymore from the centre of Cusco. All trains from Poroy are operated by the company Peru Rail. Another possibility is to take the train from Ollantaytambo. Here 3 different companies are operating; Peru Rail, Machu Picchu Train anInca Rail. And a third option is one train a day that is leaving from Urubamba. For more details on different types of trains and tickets, how to buy your tickets and other trains in Peru, see our train section. Hiking the Inca Trail Doing the Inca Trail is a great way to go to Machu Picchu. Spectacular scenery on a trail that goes high through the Andes, and where you will go 3 times over a pass that goes over the 4000 meters above sea level. You also will see cloud-forest, subtropical jungle and many Inca paving stones and ruins. The moment arrive at the final destination of Machu Picchu, is the greatest moment of the journey. What you have to take into account though is that there are regulations for going on the track, a maximum amount of persons per day of 500 which includes all the guides, cooks porters etc, which makes that only a good 200 tourists are able to get on the track per day. For all the information on the Inca Trail, please see our special Inca Trail section. There we also present alternatives that are as attractive as the official Inca trail, but where you can avoid the crowds. We also give you all the other necessary information and more! see http://www.incatrailperu.com By road There is no official road to Machu Picchu, but really adventurous travelers can get their by the back road; Santa María-Santa Teresa-"Hidroeléctrica" Your aim is to arrive in Santa Teresa and then a short taxi-ride further is Hidroelectrica where you can take a train to Aguas Calientes or take a 2 and a half hour walk there. Cusco to Santa María is a 4-hour journey by minivan and costs about 30 soles, or you can take a bus (15 soles) for a 5-hour drive. The dirt road is narrow and winding, surrounded by deep hills. This route allows travelers on a tight budget to reach Machu Picchu but it might be dangerous during the rainy season (high risk of landslides, avalanches) so please get advice before leaving Cusco.some of the best known destinies:
- Archeological capital of the Americas and the former Inca Capital Cusco (or Cuzco). You will find amazing stonework in this beautiful town, happily enough there is still much to see of what was once the centre of a great empire. You will be able to see amazing precise and enormous stonewalls in Sacsayhuaman of which we still do not know how and when exactly they have been made, this is just above Cusco, and other vestiges that can be visited from Cusco in for example the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Cusco is also the starting point for your train trip to Machu Picchu, or for the Inca trail if you prefer to walk to Machu Picchu through the great sceneries of the Andes highlands. Cusco is also an excelent base for other activites like adventure tourism, other trails less crowded than the Inca trail, excursions to the jungle, and the city itself has an enormous amount of restaurants. pubs and café's. Altogehter it is one of the most attractive cities in the World.
- Machu Picchu has been declared on of the new seven world wonders. It's beautiful settings and the amazing stonework, makes it a unique experience to be there. It is the top destiny of Peru. You can go there by train or walking the inca trailor the alternative Salkantay trail. For mroe about Machu Picchu, with pictures and videos, click here. but remember, there is no such thing as the real thing!
- Arequipa, the White City, is the second city of Peru, at more than 2000 meters above sea level in the southern Andes region, jus below the Volcano 'El Misti'. You'll find impressing colonial architecture and from here you can make excursions to the deeperst canyon of the World, the Colca canyon.
- The jungle. Peru consist for the biggest part of jungle, mainly inhabited, with Reservates as Manu where we find enormnous amounts of wild life with many unique species. In the north we have the city of Iquitos, from where you can make tours on the Amazon river and to jungle lodges. The southern part of the jungle can be reached flying to Puerto Maldonado, or by car parting from Cusco.
- The Coast. Peru has a long and narrow coastline that goes from North to South, separating the Andes from the Pacific ocean. This aerea is mainly desert, with green oases where rivers flow from the Andes towards the ocean. Here we find large aereas of rice, cotton and asparagus for example. The Capital Lima is located here, as are other big cities like Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura and Tumbez. There are splendid beaches, large amounts of pyramids and the rest of ancient cultures as the Moches, Lambayeque and Chimu cultures in the North, with main archaeological sites in Chiclayo and Trujillo. Only a few years ago, just north of Lima, the supposed most ancient city of the American continent was discovered: Caral. It is possible now to visit this city as a tourist.
- Worth mentioning apart, is the region of Paracas, Ica and Nazca, on the coast south from Lima. Nazca is famous for the Nazca lines, enormous figures and lines made in the desert that can only be recognized from above and of which it is still unclear what was there function and when and who made them. Paracas is famous for the Ballestas Islands just near the coast, where many species of birds and other sealife can be found, worth to make an excursion by boat to visit the islands. On the way to the islands we find the famous Candelabro, a big tree like form made in the sandstone of unknown origin. The whole aerea is scattered with ancient rests of giant marine life like whales and sharks, but also rests of ancient people, strange elongated skulls are still found in those areas and they are a complete mystery.
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