Machu Picchu Tours

What makes holidays to Machu Picchu so compelling, annually drawing countless tourists here, is that it stood forgotten for centuries until Hiram Bingham brought it to the world’s attention in 1911.

Theories abound. Machu Picchu is thought to have been constructed perhaps as a site of astronomical significance, an observatory, an important agricultural station, a military fortress, a place of learning, an important ceremonial centre, a royal Inca retreat, or perhaps just to celebrate the unspeakable greatness of the natural beauty around it.

It certainly achieves the final aim.

While it is possible to reach Machu Picchu by train, most adventure travellers strive to reach these dizzy heights with the power of their own two feet on the Inca Trail. Once you’ve scaled Dead Woman’s Pass, pushed yourself to your limits on the ancient Inca pathways, passed through the mystic cloud forest, and countless Inca ruins en route, you’ll be rewarded at the Sun Gate – Intipunku – by the panorama of Machu Picchu before you. Truly one of the world’s most thrilling viewpoints and the only way to see Machu Picchu in its full glory.

Those hiking to Machu Picchu along the Inca Trail will get their first glimpse of the ruins at the Sun Gate.

One of the best places to see this is the Principal Temple – the largest building in the entire Machu Picchu citadel – facing the main plaza.

During the summer solstice, the sunrise shines through the temple window on the rock. This is only one of many places you’ll discover on your Machu Picchu holiday that was built following the movements of the sun and the stars.

Can ancient monuments like Machu Picchu sustain the impact of 21st-century tourism? It’s a troubling question, especially as scientists have already discovered landslide-threatening subsidence on its western side, while UNESCO has called for restrictions on the number of visitors taking Machu Picchu tours in recent years. 

Currently, the international community is keeping a watchful eye on the situation and the Inca Trail already operates responsible tourism policies with restrictions on numbers, licensed local guides, organised porter welfare, and eco-camping regulations.