Getting up to Machu Picchu is half the trip. The Consettur shuttle climbs the switchbacks from Aguas Calientes in about 25 minutes, going from river level at 2,040m up to the citadel’s ridge at 2,430m.

Each turn in the road opens a new angle on the valley — terraces, waterfalls, cloud forest. The scale starts to register before you even reach the entrance.

Peruways books the whole chain in one go: train from Cusco or Ollantaytambo, Consettur shuttle, citadel entry. Start at Peruways.