Peru - Part 3: Machu Picchu

19 May 2025

Mount Fitzroy is wonderful. The Iguazu Falls is stunning. The Atacama is arrestingly surreal. But Machu Picchu (“old mountain” in the Quechua language) is probably South America’s real genuine bucket-list classic, up there with Angkor Wat and the Pyramids. Its “discovery” by Hiram Bingham in 1911 and the ­nickname of “Lost City of the Incas” have endowed the site with a quasi-mythical allure that exerts a pull on travelers from all corners of the world.

The Peruvian government isn’t sure how best to grow its honeypot. For all that alternative ancient sites have been promoted and provided with tourism infrastructure, Machu Picchu is by some measure the country’s most popular attraction, registering more than 190,000 visitors in the first two months of 2025, according to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism. A new international airport at Chinchero, scheduled for opening in 2026 is likely to generate further overtourism pressures.

Notwithstanding these issues, Machu Picchu retains its magnetic pull. It’s a target destination, a climax to any trip. We slowed down our arrival there to enjoy the build-up. We stayed in Cuzco for a few days to see its magnificent archaeological treasures. We toured through the Sacred Valley and visited the ruins of Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Moray and Salinas.

Having sufficiently whet our appetite, we took the train from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes (also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo). The town lies in a deep gorge below the ruins, a virtual island, cut off from all roads and enclosed by stone cliffs, towering cloud forest and two rushing rivers. Despite its gorgeous location, Aguas Calientes has the feel of a goldrush town, with a large itinerant population and slack services that count on one-time customers.  With merchants pushing the hard sell, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed.

We had booked our ticket to Machu Picchu online some two months before to be sure of  gaining entry. Unfortunately, we had miscalculated how long it would take us to travel around the continent to get there. Rather than wait another two weeks to use them, we decided to queue up with hundreds of other aspirants in the main town square in the hope of getting two of the limited number of tickets made available each day. This process took over two days before we were finally rewarded with the precious tickets (others had waited up to a week for theirs). An ecstatic middle-aged couple in front of us branded theirs in the air as if they had just been given a winning lottery ticket.

On the day, we queued again, this time for a bus to bring to the ruins. We could have actually walked it as well, since it was not far, but it would have been a steep climb in the burning heat. We selected an English-speaking guide outside the entrance and then finally, we were in, at  one of the most iconic archaeological sites in the world.

The main site, which UNESCO calls the ­“Historical Sanctuary”, is a 550-year-old citadel built by the most advanced – and in Peru, the last – major pre-­Columbian society in the spectacular setting of a saddle between two ­forest-clad Andean peaks that has been preserved enough to be ­recognizable as a city. It’s high (2’430m above sea level) but lower than Cuzco, so we were already acclimatized. The site, including an adjoining wilderness and forest area, covers some 116 square miles. Three hours was plenty of time to explore the ruins, which are about the size of a village. 

It was very beautiful, exactly like on all the Instagram pics. It has been surveyed, studied and dug up more than any other Inca site, yet it remains mysterious. The saddle in the mountain where it sits was evidently selected because it was close to the gods and also very defensible. Its functions were partly residential and partly religious. But we are still guessing about its cosmic positioning and its academic importance to the Incas. This, and the swirling clouds, flashes of sun on ancient stone, and sheer audacity of the construction, make it a genuine world wonder.

It had been well worth all the effort to get there!