Top 5 Reasons to Visit Machu Picchu

Number one on the Top 5 reasons to visit Machu Picchu is the challenge presented.Going to Machu Picchu is not your regular “visit grandma in Florida for her birthday” type of vacation. It takes careful planning and most importantly you have to know exactly what the best route for you to get there is. With so many roads leading to Machu Picchu in the forms of trains and the adventurous trails, the possibilities for fun are endless. figuring out how to get there is one thing but actually doing it is something completely different. Imagine trekking through the Andes mountains at over 15,000 feet and camping under the crisp Andean night sky for 3 nights via the classic Inca trail before entering Machu Picchu at the crack of dawn? Or taking the vistadome train through the Sacred Valley into Aguas Calientes thereby crossing highlands and cloud forest all in the same day while enjoying the amazing scenery presented.

Machu Picchu can be as exotic as it gets. Its mere geographic location is something to ponder and once you are actually there, the magnitude of this stone city can be hard to believe. Why settle for a trip anyone can take when you can visit somewhere only some will ever get to see? Machu Picchu is settled in a region known as “cloud forest”. This geographic location is neither a jungle nor the highland but something in between, you still have the views of the amazing highlands but at a lower altitude with greener surroundings. Just as a reminder, Machu Picchu was traditionally a place for royalty, it was not a place just anyone could go and visit, you had to be on the upper echelon of Inca royalty to even fathom on entering this Inca city.

Once you come to the conclusion that a hike to Machu Picchu is the optimal path for you, the task turns into picking the correct trail. Machu Picchu trails vary but ultimately land on three different possibilities, there are more but let’s focus on the top 3. The classic 4 day Inca trail, The 5 Day Salkantay Trek and the 2 Day Inca trail.

The Classic 4 day Inca trail is the more popular hike in almost any way you look at it. It is a moderately difficult hike that has you hiking straight into Machu Picchu on day 4. Booking for this hike needs to be done 6-8 months in advance or else it will be quite difficult to get a permit.

The 2 day Inca trail is also known as the express Inca trail. It involves a full day of hiking through the Peruvian highland, in the evening you arrive at Aguas Calientes, the town at the bottom of Machu Picchu. The following morning you either hike to Machu Picchu (2.5 hours) or take the tourist shuttle (20 minutes).

The 5 day Salkantay trek is arguably the most beautiful hike to Machu Picchu. To some, the scenery is superior to the classic 4-day hike albeit a more difficult hike as well. You will see fewer ruins along the way to Machu Picchu but as a tradeoff the views are spectacular. You are also more likely to spot local wildlife on this hike than any of the others.

In 2007 Machu Picchu was voted as one of the new 7 wonders of the world. After that event it popularity skyrocketed and it became one of the destinations on most people’s bucket lists. If you are looking to complete tour visiting list of “wonders of the world”, Machu Picchu is a place you just can’t miss.

Peru is a popular destination overall! Machu Picchu might take, on most accounts, the title of major destination within the country but there is so much more to see and experience. Peru has won the world travel awards on various categories, as best culinary destination alone it’s won the last 7 consecutive years. That’s not all, Peru also has the Amazon rainforest, The Colca canyon (deepest canyon in the world), the enigmatic Nazca lines and much more. All this variety makes it into the list for top 5 reasons to visit Machu Picchu.