Exploring Machu Picchu

Who does not dream of going to Machu Picchu? The Inca village soaring in the clouds is breathtaking but there’s so much more waiting for you in the Peruvian highlands if you want to explore the Sacred Valley. Make the most of your time in this amazing wonder with this guide:

Cusco

Many trips to Machu Picchu start here. This one-time capital of Inca is filled with shops, hotels, restaurants and historical sites, including the Coricancha. Behind the magnificent pink edifices, other colonial churches nearby the central square of Cusco offer amazing gilded altars, woodwork, paintings and sculptures. 

Sacsayhuaman

The terrace walls that originated in the 15th century at the hilltop on top of Cusco have  giant stone blocks (bigger than any of the pyramids in Egypt) suited together like jigsaw pieces into sawtooth retaining walls. The size of these stones will certainly make you feel a Lilliputian in Gulliver’s Travels.

Ollantaytambo

This remarkable site at the Urubamba River's bend situated in the Sacred Valley served as a background to a historical battle between Spanish invaders and retreating Incas. The place will reward you with picturesque sights of stair-stepped stone walls and the Urubamba canyon.