Machu Picchu sits at 2,430 metres (7,970 feet) above sea level — a thousand metres below Cusco at 3,400 metres, and about four hundred above the Sacred Valley floor. For visitors who have spent a couple of nights at altitude first, it is usually the easiest piece of a southern Peru itinerary.
The low altitude relative to Cusco means Machu Picchu is often a better acclimatisation checkpoint than a challenge. Still, if you fly straight from the coast and go directly to the ridge, the climb through the terraces will feel long. Two or three nights at Cusco or in the Sacred Valley before the citadel visit smooths the transition.
The elevation is also what gives Machu Picchu its view. The ridge-top position between Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain, with the Urubamba oxbowing far below, is only possible because the Incas built the city where the valley narrows and the mountains rise sharply either side.
Plan with Peruways — trains, shuttles, entrance by circuit, acclimatisation pacing and a Cusco or Sacred Valley hotel in the chain.
Walk the altitude with Peruways.
