Machu Picchu - The most visited attraction in Peru

The most visited attraction in Peru and Perhaps one of the most the most famous attractions in the world, Machu Picchu is a truly mesmerising and unforgettable place!

Machu Picchu is translated into “Old Mountain” and is situated above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, 2400 metres above sea level. Known as “the lost city of the Incas” Machu Picchu was believed to have been built around 1450 at the height of the Inca empire but abandoned only 100 years later before it could be destroyed by the Spanish in their conquest of the Inca empire. It is not known for what reason the city was constructed, and there are many theories, including the traditional birthplace of the Inca people or a spiritual centre, and one suggestion it was even a prison for people who had committed very serious crimes against the Inca people and their empire!

Machu Picchu was claimed to have been rediscovered by the American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911, but there is evidence to suggest that it was discovered long before that by three people who carved their names in some stone with a date of 1901. There are also other claims to suggest it was discovered in 1904 by an engineer seeing it from another mountain and again by climbers in 1906 who actually claim to have climbed right up to the ruins. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the discovery of Machu Picchu is that perhaps the city was never lost at all, as when Bingham publicised the discovery of the ruins in 1911 there were mummies and even some surviving families still living on the site.

Today Machu Picchu is the most popular tourist attraction in Peru and in 1983 was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2007 named as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World! Many people today embark on Machu Picchu tours and trips exploring the ancient city first hand. A Machu Picchu tour for most tourists is the absolute highlight on their holiday to Peru and an experience they will never forget!

Beyond Machu Picchu, The True Peru Experience.

Holidays to Peru can take many forms to suit a variety of interests. Tours to Peru are probably the most popular form of Peru holidays where everything is organised as a package. Time spent with the map of Peru beforehand will be time well spent.

Peru travel tours are not all the same by any means. Trekking Peru is a wonderful way of getting up close to everything and with the help of your Peru travel guide you won’t miss anything.

Peru holidays must include tours of Machu Picchu, the fabled lost city of the Incas. Indeed so absorbing is this site that holidays to Machu Picchu alone are not unknown. A map of Machu Picchu will be a great help here.

Apart from those planning a gap year Peru time will be limited for most visitors and no holiday in Peru would be complete without visiting Machu Picchu there is much more to Peru. Following the Inca trail to such gems as Lake Titicaca, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world for instance. There you can tour the lake and its islands by boat. Have a look at a map of Lake Titicaca so you’ll know where are.

Tour Cuzco the regional capital which dates from even before the Incas. Use a map of Cuzco to find the historic sites. There are many things to do in Cuzco but our tour Peru still has more to show you. Bring a map of Lima, the capital because there’s a lot to see there. Tours in Lima are available and are well worth taking.

So you see your adventure Peru can be so much more than just adventure Machu Picchu. Just look at a map of Inca trail and you’ll see that trips to Machu Picchu are just part of it.

The rivers are an excellent way to travel Peru and it has so many, mostly tributaries and branches of the mighty Amazon. Rafting Peru is yet another eco-friendly option offered by Addicted to Travel.

Travel to Peru with Addicted to Travel and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that your tour company takes its responsibility to care for the environment and provide sustainable tourism very seriously. It’s a long way to Peru but well worth the journey.

Andean Adventures In Peru

Everyone knows that Paddington Bear arrived in England from Deepest Darkest Peru. That description of his homeland arises from the dense, brooding rainforests covering large areas of the country but of course that’s only part of what makes holidays to Peru so special.

There are the mighty Andes mountains rising up out of the dark green blanket of jungle and the rivers, notably the incomparable Amazon that for centuries were the only way into the heartland of the country. As if the breathtaking scenery alone were not enough to make Peru Holidays the most unforgettable you could ever experience there’s more. There’s the romance and history of the country. The Incas and the Spanish Conquistadores have left us the most intriguing relics to remind us of their dramatic stories.

If hiking is your thing you can go Trekking Peru and follow ancient tracks to the Sacred Valley of the Incas and visit Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas which sits on a high saddle between two much higher peaks in the mountains North West of Cuzco. Here you begin to get some idea of the mighty empire of the Incas and the advanced civilisation they created so long ago.

The ruins you gaze at today in awe and wonder lay hidden from the eyes of outsiders for centuries before being re-discovered as recently as 1911 by an archaeologist from Yale University in the United States, one Hiram Bingham. It’s due to his efforts, and it must have been tremendous undertaking especially back then, that you’re able to see this wonder of the ancient world today and from it learn so much about the Incas and their way of life. So remember old Hiram and his companions.

Not far from the Urubamba valley, known as the Sacred Valley, lies the Regional Capital, Cusco, often spelled “Cuzco”. This city was the capital of the Inca Empire from about the 1200s to 1535 when it was sacked by the conquistadores led by Francisco Pizarro.

Although several of the buildings erected by the conquistadores were practically destroyed in a severe earthquake in 1950 most of the old Inca structures survived and their remains can be seen to this day. Your Andean adventure should certainly include a visit to this city where modern life goes on amid so much history.

High in the Andes you must find your way to the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, lake Titicaca, 12,507 feet (3,812m if you must) above sea level. It’s also the largest lake in South America in terms of volume of water. As you gaze across the lake from Peru the next land on the far side is Bolivia. You can take excursions by boat on the lake and explore its islands.

Of course all of these well known sites such as Machu Picchu and Cuzco, so rich in Inca heritage and Lake Titicaca too are unmissable visits for all Peru holidays but they are still only part of what this incredible country has to offer.

One feature you can’t miss of course because of its sheer size is the mighty Amazon. Whether it’s the longest river in the world or the second longest seems to be the subject of some debate. What is certain is that it’s the largest in terms of volume of water flow. In fact one fifth of all the water that flows along all the world’s rivers flows down the Amazon.

The mouth of the Amazon is in Brazil on the Atlantic coast of South America while its source is in Peru so anywhere in Peru is a long way upstream. Nevertheless the river in Peru is already large enough for quite large vessels to use it and it has long been the easiest means of access to large areas of the country. Today trekking Peru usually involves travelling by boat at least some of the time.

You can spend a whole holiday in Peru on and near to the Amazon or one of its many tributaries. Kayaking is very popular for those who want to get really close to nature but if comfort is more your thing there are various cruises on the rivers with knowledgeable local guides.

In Peru as elsewhere in South America the rainforests are under threat from various factors and you won’t want to add to the problems. Tourism has to be sustainable in these sensitive areas so when you look for a holiday company which organises Peru holidays it’s important to choose one that can demonstrate its commitment to sustainability in all its activities.

Peru is a long way away from the UK so make your journey worthwhile by allowing yourself as much time there as possible. It’ll be an experience you will never forget.