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Where is Machu Picchu located?

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Where is Machu Picchu located?

Machu Picchu was probably the most amazing architectural realization of the Inca Empire in its heyday. Its walls, terraces, and gigantic ramps give the impression of having been sculpted in the escarpments of the rock as if they were part of it. 

 

Machu Picchu is a place full of mysticism, it is a monument to the deity, where the man feels like a creature of the gods, the overwhelming look of his spirit, seems to transport him to a magical place where anything is possible, in an unimaginable way. It is where the strange forces of nature transport you to an incomparable cosmic state, which can only be experienced in Machu Picchu. 

 

Machu Picchu is a World Heritage Site, one of the 7 new wonders of the world, one of the 100 places you must visit before dying, and the Lost City of the Incas .... but, where is Machu Picchu located?

 

Machu Picchu Location

Where is Machu Picchu located in the world?

Machu Picchu is located in South America (LATAM)

Country: Peru

City: Cusco

Pronvice: Cusco

Distritic: Urubamba

Machu Picchu location

Machu Picchu is located in

 

Machu Picchu Tickets 2024

 

 

Where is Machu Picchu Located?

Machu Picchu is located in the Peruvian eastern cordillera of the Andes, about 450 km southeast of Lima or 70 km northwest of Cusco as the crow flies. It lies at an altitude of around 2400 m on a wide ridge that has been modified by humans, around 700 m above a wildly roaring river, the Rio Urubamba. This belongs to the river system of the Amazon. The Inca city is located in the mountain rainforests on the Vilcanota.

 

The site is strategically protected from three sides. Access was from the southeast via the Inca Trail, which is regularly secured by fortifications, through the Sun Gate. The further surroundings of the city form rugged high mountains, in the west the Cordillera Vilcabamba (up to 6271 m) and in the east the Cordillera Vilcanota.

 

During than 400 years Machu Picchu was a "hidden city" until its jungle-covered ruins were rediscovered in 1911. Since 1983, the entire city complex, including the surrounding nature, has been part of the world cultural heritage of mankind. It is an excellent example of the high culture of the Incas.

 

The feelings of looking over the facilities and the scenery of the surrounding steaming green mountains can hardly be described.

 

Strategic location 

Machu Picchu, which in Spanish means "old mountain", is the most famous Inca citadel in the world. Located 110 kilometers northeast of Cusco, in the province of Urubamba, this architectural jewel is surrounded by temples, platforms, and water channels.  

 

The Inca city of Machu Picchu are located halfway between the peaks of both mountains, 450 meters above the level of the valley and 2,438 meters above sea level. The Quebrada de Machu Picchu is also located halfway between the Andes and the Amazon forest. 

 

It is the most touristic place in the country of Peru, it is a sacred place of the Incas. Machu Picchu is located exactly in a stone village built on top of a mountain, 2,500 meters high. 

 

To access where is Machu Picchu located, there is 112km of the railway line between the city of Cusco and the Puente Ruinas or Machu Picchu station. The trip starts at the train station in Ollantaytambo. 

 

Altitude of Machu Picchu

The impressive ruin of Machu Picchu lies at an altitude of 2,430 and 7,971 feet. Taking as reference the centric square of the Inca Citadel Machu Picchu is 2,490 meters above sea level.  

 

Surface of Machu Picchu 

The archaeological complex of the "Lost City" has an area of approximately 10 hectares. The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu extends an area of 32,592 thousand hectares, 80,535 acres (325.29 km2, 125.83 m2), a super-broad land of the province of Urubamba in the department of Cusco. its coordinates are 13º 10 '19 "and 13º 14' 00" south latitude, and 72º 30 '5 "and 27º 36' 33" west longitude.  

 

RELATED STORY: AGUAS CALIENTES TO MACHU PICCHU

 

General information

  • Machu Picchu means old mountain, named after the location of the Inca citadel. 
  • The architectural complex was built approximately in the 15th century and according to historians it would have been built at the request of the Inca Pachacutec. 
  • The exact location is in the district of Machu Picchu town, province of Urubamba, 110 km northeast of the city of Cusco. 
  • Machu Picchu was interconnected with the entire Inca Empire through the Qhapaq Ñan, a known route of the Inca roads.
  • Its annual temperature is 6.2º C minimum and maximum of 29.5º C. 
  • The citadel has two sectors: the agricultural one, formed by the platforms, and the urban one, which fulfilled administrative functions. 
  • The average altitude of the citadel is 2450 meters above sea level. 
  • The mountains of Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu are ideal for panoramic photographs of the entire architectural complex. 

Inca Trail Tours 2024

 

Visits to the Inca City of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu tour can be done at any time of the year and has a limit of 1,500 visitors per day. 

 

The traditional way to get to Where is Machu Picchu located is by Machu Picchu train tour from Cusco or the Sacred Valley of the Incas

 

The archaeological site of the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is located within the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, declared as a Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is located 6 km from Machu Picchu Town, urban and commercial area, hotels, and restaurants, to where tourists enter from Cusco or the Sacred Valley of the Incas to start their visit.

 

All visitors must acquire the entrance ticket to the archaeological zone in Machu Picchu Town. The ascent to the mountain can be done on foot or in minibusses, whose tickets must also be purchased in the town. 

 

Alternatively, you can reach where Machu Picchu is located through a trek on the Inca Trail for 4 days

 

Within the archaeological zone, there are no hygienic services or sale of food or drinks. These services are located in the area adjacent to the control post, in the upper part of the mountain. 

 

To prevent setbacks and long lines at the ticket sales offices, it is recommended to take an organized tour that includes guiding, tickets and transportation. 

 

RELATED STORY: MACHU PICCHU WEATHER BY MONTH

 

Transportation in Minibus to the Inca city of Machu Picchu 

The daily service begins the ascent from the town to the archaeological zone from 5:30 am to 3 pm, every 15 minutes, the journey takes approximately 25 minutes. The return of the minibusses starts at 6:30 am. and the last service leaves at 5:45 pm. 

 

Entrance tickets to the Inca city of Machu Picchu 

All people must show at the checkpoint (upper part of the mountain) an Entry ticket to Machu Picchu, which is only sold in the village. People who want to extend their visit to the mountain of Huayna Picchu should buy the extension of visit (which is limited to 400 people per day).

 

How to travel to Machu Picchu

 

Machu Picchu Trips

Machu Picchu is lower than Cusco (11,000 feet) or Machu Picchu (just shy of 8,000 feet). If you want to visit Machu Picchu and it is the first time, we recommend the following trips:

These trips are the most popular trips and requests for all travelers, usually, this tours are starting in Cusco or Sacred Valley of the Incas, then immediately take the train to Machu Picchu, spend a night or you can visit Machu Picchu on the same day if you want to have more experience you can add the Rainbow Mountain or Inti Raymi 2024. The Inti Raymi is celebrated on June 24th every year.

 

Machu Picchu Hike

The second option to visit to the lost city of the Incas is the Inca Trail tours or alternative hikes to Machu Picchu.

 

The most famous way to hike to Machu Picchu is along a section of one classic trail of Incan roads built as the empire expanded. These trails are known as the Inca Path. These trails are the 4-day Inca TrailMachu Picchu 3-day hike, Short Inca Trail, and Salkantay to Inca Trail.

 

For those who would like a less crowded experience, or are looking to scenic and experience other aspects of Peru on their trail to Machu Picchu, there are several diverse hiking alternatives:

Peru offers a variety destinations for all travellers, cultural, taste food, adventure and Amazon If you want trips from Lima to Machu Picchu and others destinations of Peru, we recommend to visit the Peru travel packages or Multi-Adventure tours

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