Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, commonly referred to as ‘Lost City of Incas’. When visiting Peru, your holiday vacation can never be complete without landing in Machu Picchu. However, Machu Picchu is not only crowded by a visit here can be quite expensive for the average traveler. These ruins were first discovered to the world of science in 1911by an American archaeologist by the name Hiram Bingham. Machu Picchu has quite a remarkable story and it is one of Peru’s major attractions. At the ruins, don’t expect to find any vehicles and you should carry along some comfortable shoes to walk around the ruins. Visitors are restricted from carrying walking sticks when going for hikes.

The major ruins in Machu Picchu are easily walk-able and fairly compact. When at the site, take your time to explore everything around you. While you might not need a guide, having one will help you have a better understand of the ruins and its history. However, you should keep in mind the fact that not so much is known regarding the history of Machu Picchu or what it was used for during the ancient times.

When entering Machu Picchu through Inka Trail, you will first experience the Sun Gate. The Temple of Sun has incredible stonework especially on the temple. If you look keenly, you will realize that there are numerous stone walls with most rough stones being held together using mud. However, you will be amazed to note that most of the buildings also have more impressive and distinctive stonework.

Intihuatana is a uniquely curved stone such that it makes a unique shadow when faced by the sun and thus works a local sundial. There are several temples at Machu Picchu such as Temple of Three Windows, Temple of Condor and Main Temple. For people with some extra energy, hiking in Machu Picchu is always an interesting activity even though it can be quite tiresome. The towering Wayna Picchu appears to be quite daunting and it can be dangerous at times. Machu Picchu has a very beautiful landscape and the walk can be quite thrilling and you get great views of the entire site. You will also see some beautiful ruins if you look at the top and this is what makes hiking at Machu Picchu worthwhile.

Being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Machu Picchu is a very popular destination and it is also well marketed as well. It is regarded as a place of exceptional attractiveness and natural beauty. Due to this popularity, Machu Picchu is also a very expensive place to visit and might not go down well with budget travelers.

Being very touristy, the place is also very crowded and the staff members at the site have been known to be quite arrogant. However, there are also a few alternatives to Machu Picchu if you chose not to visit the area such as Inca ruins. All in all, the ruins are a fantastic place to visit and worthy a consideration when thinking about an adventurous holiday trip.