Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sits at 2,430 meters (7,970 feet) in the Peruvian Andes and is the single most-visited archaeological site in South America. It is also, by any practical measure, the best-preserved large Inca complex in the world.
The name means “Old Peak” in Quechua. The site was built in the 15th century under Emperor Pachacuti, probably as a royal estate rather than a city, and it was never found by the Spanish. That is why the stonework still stands: the Temple of the Sun, the Intihuatana ritual stone, the Sacred Plaza, the agricultural terraces that stopped the whole hillside from sliding into the Urubamba.
Most visitors arrive by train from Cusco or Ollantaytambo and then take the Consettur bus up the switchbacks from Aguas Calientes. Peruways books the full chain in a single checkout — train, bus, citadel entry — and the circuit system since 2024 means you now choose a specific route (there are three) when you buy the ticket.
Plan the day with a bit of care and the visit does what it says on the tin.
