Travel Tips

We collected some practical tips for you so that you can enjoy your trip to Machu Picchu to the fullest! 

• Backpacks: Avoid large backpacks! All backpacks larger than 20 liters need to be handed in at the entrance of Machu Picchu anyways. Especially if you plan to do a hike in that area, do not carry to much stuff with you!

• Food & Drinks: You should think about food and drinks before you start your trip. Pack some snacks and a lot of water because restaurants in front of the entrance ask high prices (30 Soles = 9€ for a Coke!).

• The early bird: We advise you to start the trip at 5.30 AM at the latest. Between 10 and 11 AM Machu Picchu becomes a very crowded place full of tourists and visitors. That is the perfect time to have your lunch and get back at 1 or 2 PM when the masses disappear.

• Weather: You need you check the weather forecast because it can be either really sunny and hot or cold and rainy in that area. In either case you should bring enough bug spray because Machu Picchu has jungle climate, which is perfect for all types of mosquitos and flies.

• Mountain hike: If you decide to climb one of the mountains of Machu Picchu you should do that first. Gates open at 7 AM and close at 2 PM. It takes approximately 2 hours to get up the stairs and if it is a sunny day, from 10.30 AM the heat will be unbearable!

If you keep these tips in mind, your trip to Machu Picchu is going to be just amazing!

For now we are going to leave you with that. We will have our press conference at the 1st of July to provide you with further information on the Lost City of the Incas travel package.

Please stay tuned for further awesome reveals!

Travel package

In this post we want to explain our travel package including an explanation of the planning and all prices. 

The tour lasts for five days and 4 nights starting in Cusco, the capital of Cusco Region as well as the Cusco Province. The first two days can be used to visit Plaza de Armas, the historic main square, the mountain village Qenqo to meet local people and soaking up the fresh mountain air at Sacsayhuaman, a zigzagging stone citadel located on a steep hill overlooking the city.

Cusco

From there the 3.5-hour train ride starts off to Aguas Calientes, which is the closest village to Machu Picchu. The next two nights are spent in this village. There are three different options for trips including visiting only Machu Picchu (128 Soles), visiting Machu Picchu and Montaña, the Machu Picchu mountain (142 Soles) or visiting Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, the the towering mountain behind the actual site of Machu Picchu (152 Soles).

You have to plan your trip in advance because only a small amount of people is allowed to visit the sights per day, e.g. 400 per day at Huayna Picchu. To travel from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu it is possible to take a 1 to 1.5-hour hike or to use the shuttle bus for 38 Soles per ride.

Aguas Calientes

Machu Picchu

The costs per person for the whole trip are set up as follows:

2 nights at Cusco:                          50 Soles

2 nights at Agua Calientes:             40 Soles

Tickets:                                 128-142 Soles
Travelling Costs:                           200 Soles

Food & Drinks:           130 Soles

Approximately                            555 Soles = €150

                                           

HISTORY OF MACHU PICCHU

Greetings from the wonderful and sunny Machu Picchu!

Our adventure is about to begin! Are you ready to get into a millennial culture? Are you prepared to be lost in one of the seventh Wonder of the World? Let's go! 

The history of the Lost City of the Incas is complex and fascinating, as you will see. 

If you want to go deeper into its history and culture, you should continue reading. Before you arrive to this wornderful marvel, you might be interested in learning about it. 

We can prove that Machu Picchu is not only an impressive remnant of the Inca civilization  it is also one of the world's most important archeological sites. 

Machu Picchu is believed to have been a royal estate or sacred religious site for Inca leaders, whose civilization was virtually wiped out by Spanish invaders in the 16th century.

If you want to be conscious of what are you looking at, you might like to know that although it was built in the 1400´s, Machu Picchu was hardly known outside of the region until 1911, as the Incans kept this relic a secret.

An American explorer named Hiram Bingham found the site at that time. There were 135 skeletons, among them more than 100 were women. For this reason, archaeologists have speculated that Machu Picchu was a temple or sanctuary for high priests and women who have been referred to as Virgins of the Sun. 

Nevertheless, it could have been used by the emperor and his family as a temporary respite. Interestingly, the dwelling of the emperor is located in the southwest part of the site, away from the other elite residences.

This site has helped historians to learn more about the Inca civilization. Archaeologists have divided all the sections of the site into three categories: religious, agricultural, and urban. With our guided-tours, you will always know what you're looking at. Examples of some elements of the larger site include Great Central Temple, known for its intricate stonework. Nearby is the Temple of the Sun, where the best stonework of the whole archeological site can be found. When you visit Machu Picchu, be prepared to climb steps that reveal astounding views of the whole valley.

This intricate and beautiful complex was built at the height of the Inca Empire, but it was in use for less than 100 years. Around the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru, in the early sixteenth century, Machu Picchu was abandoned. 

Once this UNESCO World Heritage Site had been discovered, you can't miss the opportunity to visit it and get in touch with one of the most dazzling cultures and archaeological sites in the world.

It is time for action! Don't let others tell you about this magical place, tell your own story. 

If you want to plunge deeper into this civilization, don´t forget to read our next article!

History of the Incas

Buenos días explorers!

Before travelling to Machu Picchu to visit the Lost City of the Incas, we thought it would be really important to learn something about the Incas first in order to better understand what the Lost City actually is and to provide you with a complete travel experience at the end.

During our stay in the Cusco region, we met a lot of interesting people and we learned a lot about the history of the region and the indigenous called the Incas. Here are some interesting facts we gathered along our travels: 

The Inca civilization flourished in ancient Peru between c. 1400 and 1533 CE, and their empire eventually extended across western South America from Quito in the north to Santiago in the south, making it the largest empire ever seen in the Americas and the largest in the world at that time.

The true history of the Inca is still being written and the are many myths surrounding it. According to one story, four brothers emerged from Lake Titicaca. During a long journey, all but one disappeared. Manco Capac survived to plunge a golden staff into the ground where the Rios Tullamayo and Huantanay meet. He founded the sacred city of Cuzco.

The Inca Civilization was an agrarian civilization and at its height in 1500 AD reached more than 10 million people.

They shared a common polytheistic religion based on the worship of the Sun and the Sapa Inca (their king) as his son. That’s why they are also called the “children of the sun”. 
Each June, the Incas held their most important festival - the festival of the Sun. The people believed the Sun was holding this festival. So everyone wore their best and feasted and were joyous. All the nobles came to Cusco. 
The festival lasted nine days and on the fourth day, everyone in the empire would stretch out their arms to the sun and make kissing noises, to make sure the sun knew how grateful they were.

The Inca civilization achieved highly  developed art forms such as pottery, weaving techniques, metallurgy, music and architecture. A great example of their architectural achievement is Machu Picchu built by Inca Pachacuti around 1460AD. Their exquisite buildings were built without the use of modern tools and the wheel and they have withstood five centuries in an earthquake prone zone.

The decline of the Incas started before the Spanish arrived in Inca territory. Their arrival accelerated its decline and eventually its fall. The conquest of Peru officially started in 1532 when a group led by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro arrived.

Despite its glory, the Incas was a brittle empire, held together by promises and threats. When Pizarro executed the last emperor, it rapidly collapsed. Catholic priests demanding allegiance to a new Christian god soon replaced the Children of the Sun.

As you can see the history of the Incas is very rich and fascinating. Keep it locked to our blog so you won't miss out on any further updates of our trip and astonishing history lessons!

The Machu Picchu

Explorers!

We are glad you're back. 

Todays we are going to tell you something about the Machu Picchu we hope you will find it useful and interesting.

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. It's three primary structures are the Inti Watana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu.

The site is roughly divided into an urban sector and an agricultural sector, as well as the upper town and the lower town. The temples are part of the upper town, the warehouses are part of the lower town.

It is noteworthy that the architecture is adapted to the natural form of the mountains. You will appreciate that immediately. Approximately 200 buildings are arranged on wide parallel terraces around a vast central square that is oriented east-west. The various kanchas or compounds are long and narrow in order to exploit the terrain. Extensive terraces were used for agriculture and sophisticated channeling systems provided irrigation for the fields. Numerous stone stairways set in the walls allowed access to the different levels across the site. The eastern section of the city was probably residential. The western section, separated by the square, was for religious and ceremonial purposes. This section contains the Torreón, a massive tower which may have been used as an observatory.

Don´t forget to take notes about all of this. Anyway, you will not be lost with our guided tours.

The Residential District, is the place where the lower-class people lived. It includes storage buildings and simple houses. Located in the first zone are the primary archaeological treasures: the Inti Watana, the Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows. These were dedicated to Inti, their sun god and greatest deity.

To give you a first impression of how it looks like, this picture represents the Temple of the Sun.

On the other hand, you will also have the opportunity to explore the royalty area, a sector for the nobility. It is a group of houses located in rows over a slope. The residence of the amautas (wise persons) was characterized by its reddish walls, and the zone of the ñustas (princesses) had trapezoid-shaped rooms. The Monumental Mausoleum is a carved statue with a vaulted interior and carved drawings. It was used for rites or sacrifices.

The Guardhouse is a three-sided building, with one of its long sides opening onto the Terrace of the Ceremonial Rock. The three-sided style of Inca architecture is known as the wayrona style.

We are pretty sure that the Incas were masters in the architecture. The central buildings of Machu Picchu use the classical Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. They used a technique called ashlar, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions in the central city are so perfect that it is said not even a blade of grass fits between the stones.

Interested already? Well stay tuned for more interesting facts and discoveries in the coming days!

Cusco region and other destinations

It's time to share some first hand impressions on the Cusco regions and it's surroundings, so here you go!

Cusco itself is an amazing city full of Inca sites and museums, and you'll want to spen more than a day there.

Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire and nowadays it is the biggest city in the region.

When you arrive at Cusco, the first thing you should do is visit Coricancha, an old Inca temple. Here you will also find Spanish colonial churches and other religious places as well as the Plaza de Armas.

Because of its antiquity and importance, the city center retains many buildings, plazas, streets and churches of pre-Columbian times and colonial buildings, which led to it being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983.

And now let's take a look at what you must see and do when in the city!

Barrio de San Blas is a neighborhood housing artisans, workshops and craft shops, and it is one of the most picturesque sites in the city. Its streets are steep and narrow with old houses built by the Spanish over important Inca foundations.

Hatun Rumiyuq is the most visited street by tourists. On the street Hatun Rumiyoq ("the one with the big stone") was the palace of Inca Roca, which was converted to the Archbishop's residence.

Along this street that runs from the Plaza de Armas to the Barrio de San Blas, one can see the Stone of Twelve Angles, which is viewed as marvel of ancient stonework and has become emblematic of the city's history.

Another important attraction is the Convent and Church of la Merced. Its foundation dates from 1536. The first complex was destroyed by the earthquake of 1650 and the rebuilding of the church and convent was completed in 1675.

Its cloisters of Baroque Renaissance style, choir stalls, colonial paintings and wood carvings are highlights of a visit to this church, now a popular museum and tourist attraction.

All in all, Cusco is a city full of old and picturesque attractions that you don't want to miss.

Trujillo is another interesting destination.

The city was founded in 1534 by famous the conquistador, Diego de Almagro. 

Trujillo city was constructed on an area where 4 Chimú settlements were located. The Spaniards wanted to ally with the Chimú People against the Incas.

Interestingly, Trujillo was the first major city of Peru and has served as a temporary capital in 1825, after Peru's independence was gained in 1821.

Here you will also find typical Spanish colonial architecture.

Some of its attractions are the main square, that is called Plaza de Armas.

The streets of the center are colorful and some of them are surprisingly elegant and ornamented, despite their small dimensions. 

Finally, Chan Chan is an archaelogical park with buildings inside like temples, burial chambers, houses or ceremonial buildings. 

What is peculiar and beautiful are the carefully made carvings on these walls. These carvings are mostly textures, but on many portions they contain animal and other humanoid-shaped figures.

Chan Chan is considered to be the biggest adobe city in the World!

We invite you to visit Machu Picchu and it's surroundings and to contact our agency in case you have any further questions!

Welcome to CUSCO City

Our adventure has started, we landed in the beautiful city of Cusco.

Weaving through the city, we were drawn more to the people than the buildings of Cusco. 

The street are buzzing with colorfully striped ponchos with matching hats and small papooses slung over the petite Peruvian women's backs and children peering out. Every Peruvian we encountered up until now has been very friendly and welcoming; whether they were kind shopkeepers trying to entice us with their colorful merchandise, proud waiters boasting about their delicious dishes, adorable children dancing in the plazas, or just random Peruvians enjoying their day and smiling at us as they pass by.

We first stopped at a cozy organic café for some power breakfast and enjoyed stout cups of Peruvian hot chocolate (Peruvian chocolate is a pure delicacy, it is much more rich and decadent than any chocolate we ever tried). Then we made our way to the main plaza of Cusco, the plaza de Armas (which is the only plaza in the world with two churches), where we were honored to witness a magnificent traditional Peruvian dance performed by local children. which was the highlight of the day!

Just like European cities, Cusco was able to develop a modern culture while still preserving its past, which is the national pride. For locals, Cusco is more than just a fun tourist destination. The surrounding countryside and its ruins are a vital part of a continuing heritage and link to their distant past. 

We are very much looking forward to what tomorrow will bring us. But for now, buenas noches!