Machu Picchu stands at 2,430 metres (7,970 feet), set on a narrow ridge above the Urubamba. Lower than Cusco at 3,400 metres, it still sits well above the altitudes most visitors are used to, and the setting — mist, condors, the sheer drops either side — is part of what the site is remembered for.
Built by Pachacuti around 1450 as a royal estate, Machu Picchu holds the Temple of the Sun with its carved rock altar, the Intihuatana aligned to the solstices, and the Three Windows looking east over the Urubamba gorge. The agricultural terraces that climb the ridge are themselves an engineering story.
Acclimatise before you go. Two or three nights at altitude — Cusco or the Sacred Valley — settle most visitors into the air. Water, coca tea and a slow first day do the rest.
Peruways handles the trip in: PeruRail or Inca Rail, the Aguas Calientes shuttle, and the entrance ticket matched to the circuit you want to walk.
Plan the climb with Peruways.
