Machu Picchu: The Complete Guide to Peru's Most Famous Ruin

Machu Picchu was built in the mid-15th century at the height of the Inca Empire and abandoned less than a hundred years later, probably in the chaos following the Spanish conquest. It was unknown to the outside world until 1911, when the American explorer Hiram Bingham was led to it by a local farmer — though the surrounding communities had always known it was there. The site sits at 2,430 metres on a ridge above the Urubamba River, surrounded by cloud forest and overlooked by the peak of Huayna Picchu.

The Inca Trail is the most famous approach to Machu Picchu — a four-day, 43-kilometre trek through cloud forest, alpine tundra, and Inca ruins that ends at the Sun Gate above the citadel at dawn. Permits are limited to 500 people per day (including guides and porters) and sell out months in advance, particularly for the peak season of May to September. The trail is genuinely demanding — the highest pass, Dead Woman's Pass, reaches 4,215 metres — but the combination of scenery and the final arrival at the Sun Gate makes it one of the world's great walks.

For those who cannot get Inca Trail permits or prefer a less strenuous approach, the train from Cusco or Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (the town below Machu Picchu) is a spectacular journey in its own right — the railway descends from the Sacred Valley into the cloud forest along the Urubamba River, passing through landscapes that become increasingly lush and dramatic. From Aguas Calientes, buses run to the site entrance in 25 minutes.

The site itself is divided into two main areas: the agricultural terraces to the south and the urban sector to the north, where the temples, palaces, and residential quarters are concentrated. The Temple of the Sun, the Intihuatana stone (a ritual sundial), and the Room of the Three Windows are the most architecturally significant structures, but the overall impression of the site — the precision of the stonework, the integration with the landscape, the views over the cloud forest — is more powerful than any individual building.

Huayna Picchu, the dramatic peak that rises behind the citadel in every photograph of Machu Picchu, can be climbed in about an hour on a steep, narrow trail. The view from the summit — looking down on the citadel with the Urubamba River far below — is one of the finest in South America. Permits are limited to 400 people per day and must be booked in advance through the official Machu Picchu ticketing system.

The best time to visit Machu Picchu is during the dry season, from May to October, when the skies are clearer and the Inca Trail is open. The wet season (November to April) brings daily rain and mist, which can actually make the site more atmospheric — the clouds drifting through the ruins, the green of the terraces intensified by the rain — but the Inca Trail is closed in February for maintenance.

The practical reality of visiting Machu Picchu is that it requires planning. Entry tickets must be booked in advance through the official website (machupicchu.gob.pe), and the site now operates a timed entry system with morning and afternoon slots. Arriving at opening time (6am) gives the best light and the fewest crowds. Spending at least one night in Aguas Calientes allows an early start and the option to visit the site twice — once in the morning mist and once in the afternoon light.