At 2,430 metres, Machu Picchu is lower than Cusco (3,400 m) and the Sacred Valley (2,800 m). The real acclimatisation happens in Cusco first; the citadel itself feels manageable by the time you reach it.
Peruways runs the chain: hotel pickup in Cusco, transfer to Ollantaytambo, train through the Urubamba gorge, Consettur bus up to the citadel gate from Aguas Calientes, licensed guide inside.
The ruins sit on a saddle between Huayna Picchu to the north and Machu Picchu Mountain to the south, with the Urubamba River 500 metres below in the gorge. The views open across the Vilcabamba range.
Peruways tailors the day to interest — more time at the Intihuatana for astronomy, slower pace through the terraces for engineering, longer stops at viewpoints for photography.
Book the Machu Picchu day through Peruways once dates are firm.
