This is the most amazing pearl of Inca’s kingdom, shown to the world only around 100 years ago. It was once a city with almost 1000 inhabitants, with a pretty big palace, few temples and other buildings. Today it is a tourist destination number 1 in Peru, part of the national park protected area and of course being on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1983.
The famous Machu Picchu lies on the altitude of 2.380 meters, between few high mountains, which offered the city some great protection. Not many paths are leading to the Machu Picchu, as Inca’s really knew how to get rid of any unwanted visitors. For proper exploration and discovery of the city and its surroundings you should take a whole day of time. Especially if you want to visit a botanical garden and small site museum, which are just across the bridge.
Remains of old ruins in Machu Picchu
Endangered and sometimes dangerous
You can easily arrive to the city from many different directions. Visitors mostly buy tickets or organized tours in Cusco, so they don’t have to worry about anything afterwards. You also have to know that Machu Picchu has been put on the list of most endangered cities in the world. One important reason for that are masses of tourist visiting it daily and the other reason is related to bad weather. It can rain here almost at any day, and when large quantities of rain fall, land gets really muddy. In 2010 a big disaster happened in the area and many villages and also the famous ruins of this city were damaged due to severe rainfalls and mudslides.
Remains of old buildings in Machu Picchu
If you want to get a great view on Machu Picchu and take some amazing pictures, don’t forget to follow the path to Huayna Picchu. But the path can be dangerous, so make sure the steps are not wet and that you don’t drop down on any of more dangerous points. Climbing is available for those with more strength. Slowly you can reach the point in about 2 hours, but a faster pace can save you about half an hour.
Best Machupicchu attractions
Ruins of Machu Picchu with Palace, Fountains, Temples and many other interesting buildings, Huayna Picchu viewpoint, Site museum, Botanical garden
