Peru: What to See & Do: Sights: Visiting Machu Picchu

Visiting Machu Picchu

Base yourself at Aguas Calientes and with a dawn start, you can reach Machu Picchu up to four hours before most visitors, who make day trips from the city of Cusco, farther up the train line. Though you won’t have the place to yourself, you’ll get a better idea of how the extraordinary complex of temples, houses and terraces looked when it was built. I found a three-hour tour with an individual guide an excellent introduction, though you can easily spend far longer there.

INDAGARE TIP: There are no facilities inside the Machu Picchu complex, so take advantage of the restaurant and restrooms at the entrance, and carry plenty of water. Admission tickets do allow multiple reentry, however, so you can return for a coffee or lunch break.