Machu Picchu · lodge
A riverside lodge below Machu Picchu
A riverside lodge in Aguas Calientes, close to the first buses up to the citadel and away from the noise of the station.
Cusco & the Sacred Valley
Machu Picchu
The citadel itself, and everything you need to get the timing right
- Altitude
- ~2,430 m (7,972 ft)verify
- Altitude band
- Moderate
- Time needed
- 1 night in Aguas Calientes, or a long day trip
Machu Picchu tickets come in time slots and sell out. Book the trip, then breathe. The citadel sits lower than Cusco, on a ridge wrapped in cloud forest, and you'll see it by a set circuit at a set hour. We plan the train, the bus, the slot and the circuit so the only thing you need to do is look up.
Altitude note: The citadel is about 2,430 m; Aguas Calientes, the town below, is about 2,040 m (verify).
Few people notice it. A good place to sleep while you adjust. Altitude, explained
Highlights
- Ticket circuits and time slots
- Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (separate tickets)
- The Sun Gate
- Aguas Calientes hot springs
What to eat here
Choclo con queso
Giant-kernel white corn from the Sacred Valley, eaten on the cob with a slab of fresh cheese.
Coffee
Grown on the misty eastern slopes. Salkantay trekkers pass coffee farms on the way down to Machu Picchu.
Chicha morada
A sweet, spiced drink made from purple corn, pineapple and cinnamon. Non-alcoholic and very popular with kids.
Accommodation
Where to stay in Machu Picchu
Journeys
Journeys that go here
10 daysFirst Peru, Done Right
Lima's tables, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, in the order your lungs would choose.
From US$4,200 pp
8 daysThe Classic Inca Trail
Two nights acclimatising first, then four days on original stone paths to the Sun Gate.
From US$3,600 pp
9 daysSalkantay to Machu Picchu
A wild, permit-free trek from a glacier pass down through coffee country to the citadel.
From US$3,900 pp
14 daysAndes & Amazon
The Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, then down into the rainforest, and a last night by the Pacific.
From US$6,800 pp
10 daysPeru for Food Lovers
Lima's tables, Sacred Valley farms, Cusco's markets and Arequipa's picanterías.
From US$4,800 pp
11 daysPeru with Kids
Sea lions, Inca ruins, a train through the gorge and three days in the rainforest, at a family pace.
From US$4,600 pp
Cusco & the Sacred Valley
Nearby too
Cusco
~3,400 mInca walls under colonial balconies, at about 3,400 metres
The Sacred Valley: lower, greener and the best place to start
The Inca Trail & Salkantay
~4,215 mTwo great walks to Machu Picchu, each with its own rules
Rainbow Mountain
~5,000 mStriped mineral slopes at about 5,000 metres. Only once you're acclimatised
Add Machu Picchu to your trip
Tell us when you'd like to go and what you'd love to see. Your Peru Specialist will come back with ideas, honest advice on altitude and timing, and a clear price.