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Rediscover Machu Picchu, the lost Inca city in the Andean clouds!

Take a dive into the mystery of the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu!

The mysterious Inca citadel hidden deep in the green Urubamba Valley's jungle, high on a mountain top is the most well preserved city of the great Inca Empire. Recently selected as one of the "New 7 Wonders of the World", it is undoubtedly the World's top mystery site!

If you want to learn about Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, the Incas and Peru, then you couldn't have found a better place than this site!

The mysteries & myths around Machu Picchu

The complex lay hidden in the Peruvian Andes, away from the eyes of the invading Spanish conquistadores and this helped it survive intact. Francisco Pizarro's soldiers have often raided villages and cities nearby, destroyed many Inca temples, passed through the Urubamba Valley below, but they never had a clue what lies above their heads!

The "Lost City of the Incas", as it is often called, Machu Picchu was linked to numerous myths about hidden treasures, secret cities.

When Hiram Bingham was searching for the legendary Vilcabamba, he accidentally discovered Machu Picchu in 1911. Some people thought that these ruins are actually those of Paititi, a mythical lost Inca city, believed to hold priceless treasures.

The real value of the city of Machu Picchu lies in its aesthetical and archaeological properties. Experts affirm that it was a religious sanctuary of the high class Incas. The presence of multiple temples and sacred objects used for ceremonies have given wings to the fantasies of those who believe in supernatural phenomena.

Who built Machu Picchu, who lived there and how did the population disappear?

Explore Machu Picchu with us, access our rich in-depth informational resources!

Spectacular views of the "Old Peak"...       

Enjoy the beauty of the ancient Inca city...

(click on the images to enlarge)

Machu Picchu, a wonder of Inca construction

The city lies at 2.400 m above sea level, high on a steep mountain with a flattened top. Around 200 stone structures have been erected on the plateau where except houses and temples with sacral objects, ancient Inca aqueducts/irrigation systems for the agricultural terraces, doorways with locking systems and a rock quarry can also be found. The most visited and most loved object up there is the Intihuatana Stone, which many believe has supernatural powers. 

Interestingly, the Incas used no mortar at all when putting together large blocks of perfectly cut hard & heavy stones.

Even today, fountains and aqueducts still function, most of the buildings are in very good condition and the rocks used for construction are so tightly put together that in many places one can't even push a razor blade between them!

There's also a less known part of Machu Picchu, located about 400 meters higher than the part that lies on the plateau. That part of the city is known as Huayna Picchu or Waynapicchu, meaning "Young Peak" and it was built on the steep mountain arising right behind the main sectors of Machu Picchu, visible on most photographs about the ruins.

Read more about the construction of Machu Picchu under our dedicated section!

Travelling to Peru

If you would like to visit the mysterious ruins of Machu Picchu, then plan your trip efficiently with our help!

Our in-depth resources will guide you through and "fill you up" with important information that you wouldn't find elsewhere anywhere! Find info about destinations, special attractions, "must see" things, as well as health risks & other possible dangers and how you can avoid them.

Our travelling & activities is dedicated to suggestions on how you can travel through Peru, the Sacred Valley and how you can visit Machu Picchu. We also provide information about the activities that you have there: hiking, trekking, mountain biking, assisting festivals, etc. 

Cuzco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas

The Sacred Valley is a unique region of Peru, a place that holds many special attractions, which was one in the heart of the Inca Empire.

Cuzco (also known as Cusco) used to be the capital of the Inca Empire and today it is the largest city just south of the Sacred Valley with many architectural and other attractions.

The region if full of archaeological ruins, Inca sites, old villages and towns. Just to mention of few: Písac, a reddish complex of buildings on the side of a mountain, the fortress of Sacsayhuamán, the circular terraces of Moray, the site of Tambomachay, Ollantaytambo.

Discover other attractions across Peru!

There's more to see in Peru than you can visit in a whole month! If you want to see Peru's most interesting travel attractions, you'll need to be well documented, there are many unique, mysterious places that you must not miss!

Explore our resources to find out about the Nazca Lines, the Peruvian capital of Lima, Lake Titicaca and its floating islands where people actually live (!), the hot Amazonian city of Iquitos, the mysterious ruins of Kuelap, which was built by the Chachapoya people, also the unearthly-like gigantic gate of Aramu Muru, the World's oldest city of Caral & more!

The Inca civilization

The Incas were South America's largest civilization, before the Spanish conquest.

Even though the Spanish army has erased most of what the Incas have constructed, ruins and mostly intact buildings still exist, reflecting the high degree of knowledge that this ancient civilization had. The Incas did not write, nor did they know the wheel. Yet, their colourful legends, myths are still alive and much of their infrastructure (like the Inca Trail), the Inca agricultural terraces and irrigation system still exist today.

Under our Inca civilization section, you can find articles covering a wide variety of heritage and culture-related issues.   

Machu Picchu, the dreamlike lost city...

The "Old Peak" guarding the skyline above the Sacred Valley is not just an archaeological site. It's much more. Spectacular unique views of the beautiful Andes, surrounding the region, of the Urubamba Jungle below...

Often, the nearby mountains are "swimming" in clouds, partially covered by myst, adding more to the mystery and the beauty of the ancient Inca city... Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda once wrote:

"Machu Picchu es un viaje a la serenidad del alma, a la eterna fusión con el cosmos, allí sentimos nuestra fragilidad. Es una de las maravillas más grandes de Sudamérica. Un reposar de mariposas en el epicentro del gran círculo de la vida. Otro milagro más."

...its meaning in English is:

"Machu Picchu is a trip to the serenity of the soul, to eternal fusion with the cosmos, there we feel our own fragility. It is one of the greatest marvels of South America. A resting place of butterflies at the epicenter of the great circle of life. Another miracle."
     

The place is special indeed, only those who have wandered on top of the mountain can experience the unique feelings generated by the beautiful view. Setting your foot into Machu Picchu can be a dreamlike trip back into the past...   

Machu Picchu, a wonder in danger!            

If Pizarro's army did not inflict damage on Machu Picchu due to its remote location, then tourism will!

Today, the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu receive around 5.000 visitors every day. This has a negative effect on the whole complex, stone blocks are being stepped-on and touched every day by so many people. As a result, some of the blocks, especially on trails, steps, have started deteriorating, shifting away form each other.

Tremendous effort is being made in order to preserve this magic place, the World's most mysterious cities.

UNESCO has put Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List and the international community, as well as specialists and a variety of organizations are pushing the Peruvian government to take more actions in order to better preserve the ruins.

Peru has limited the number of daily visitors to 70.000 in order not to overcrowd and not to deteriorate the site. However, 5.000 people a day are already too much. Crowds of tourists arrive daily, the components of the structures are being deteriorated gradually and the situation is worsening.

Recently, Peru launched the idea of building a cable-cabin system that will transport visitors all the way up to the ruins, instead of them being driven up on the windy road by bus, as it happens today. Many oppose this idea, so do we!

Unfortunately, another bad step has been made forward towards the degradation of Machu Picchu: helicopters now transport travelers close to the ruins. This is another threat to the ruins.

New measures have been recommended by UNESCO and Peru wants to limit the number of visitors to 2.500 a day. The entry tickets would also cost around 35 USD instead of the previous 20 USD.

The Inca Trail is also in danger. Therefore only 500 people are allowed to pass through it every day. Even this small number contributes to the deterioration of the trail.

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