The visit to Machu Picchu includes a tour of its stone buildings, which have a lot of history to tell. In addition, in the sector of the Guardian’s House or in the agricultural sector, visitors can get the classic postcard photo, the one that is shared on social networks by thousands of people. However, the Inca city has much more to offer: from hiking trails to high mountains to walks through museums or a moment of relaxation in the thermal baths of the place. Learn about other activities that few know about during a visit to the Wonder of the World.

• Visiting Machu Picchu, the Wonder of the Modern World
• Other activities in Machu Picchu that few people know about
• The hikes in the Inca city of Machu Picchu
• The Machu Picchu site museum
• The botanical garden of Machu Picchu museum
• The thermal baths of Machu Picchu town
• The town of Aguas Calientes or Machu Picchu village
• Questions and answers about activities in Machu Picchu

Panoramic view of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, one of the best tourist destinations on the planet
We know that people who travel to Machu Picchu, seek to get the best out of this travel experience, since the trip is not an everyday experience. However, not everyone gets to see everything interesting that the Inca city has to offer. Machu Picchu has more to offer than just the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows or the Intihuatana; it has many amazing places, which most people overlook because they do not know about them. Some of them are the hikes to its mountains, such as the Huayna Picchu, the Huchuy Picchu or the Machu Picchu mountain. Or the visit to the Machu Picchu site museum and its botanical garden. Or the afternoon of relaxation in the thermal baths in the town of Aguas Calientes.

Visiting Machu Picchu, the Wonder of the Modern World

• The visit to Machu Picchu is one of the objectives of thousands of travelers around the world.
• The Inca city receives about 1.5 million people every year. This makes it one of the most visited historical sites.
• The way most people know Machu Picchu is through the train trip departing from the city of Cusco, in the Andes Mountains of Peru.
• The train ride to Machu Picchu takes about 4 hours and also includes a bus ride. The other ways to visit Machu Picchu are through the Inca Trail 4 days and the route by Hydroelectric of 8 hours on average.
• Once in Machu Picchu, visitors can take a classic photo in the Inca city in any of the three available circuits: circuit (panoramic photo), circuit 2 (panoramic photo on the lower terrace) or circuit 3 (panoramic photo from the agricultural area).
• The tour of the archaeological site depends on the circuit you choose. The most recommended is circuit 2 that offers the visit to the main Inca temples: the Temple of the Sun, the Main Temple, the Temple of the 3 Windows, the Sacred Rock, the Hall of Mirrors, the Sacred Fountains and the agricultural area.
• The average tour of Machu Picchu takes 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Full view of Machu Picchu

Other activities in Machu Picchu that few people know about

• In Machu Picchu, in addition to visiting the archaeological site, there are other activities to do.
• The most striking thing is to see the beautiful nature that surrounds the Inca city. This can be achieved from high mountains such as Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain. In addition, you can enjoy the nature of the Inca city in the viewpoints of Intipunku (Sun Gate), the Inca Bridge or the Temple of the Moon (the Great Cavern).
• The visit to all these viewpoints and mountains is done by hiking to one of the ends of Machu Picchu. The only way to do this is by acquiring one of the ten types of new tickets:
  • Ticket Machu Picchu Classic Photo (circuit 1).
  • Ticket Machu Picchu Classic (circuit 2).
  • Ticket Machu Picchu Classic lower terrace (circuit 2).
  • Ticket Machu Picchu Temples of the lower part (circuit 3).
  • Ticket Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu (circuit 3).
  • Ticket Machu Picchu with Inca Bridge (circuit 1).
  • Ticket Machu Picchu with Intipunku (circuit 1).
  • Ticket Machu Picchu with Mountain (circuit 1).
  • Ticket Machu Picchu with Huchuy Picchu (circuit 3).
  • Ticket Machu Picchu with Temple of the Moon (circuit 3).

Circuits in Machu Picchu

The hikes in the Inca city of Machu Picchu

• Machu Picchu National Park offers one of the most amazing natural environments on the planet, and gives you the opportunity to tour it, on short hikes inside the park.
• One of the most requested is the hike to the top of Huayna Picchu mountain (2 kilometers uphill route). Although this is not exactly one of the things to overlook in Machu Picchu, as it must be booked at least 6 months in advance; but there are other beautiful hikes that are not well known by people who travel to Machu Picchu.
• Such as the hike to the Sun Gate or Intipunku (2 km route), the hike to Machu Picchu Mountain (2.5 km route), or others such as the hike to Putucusi Mountain (route currently closed to tourists).
• These are the trekking routes that you can do inside Machu Picchu:
  • Hike to Huayna Picchu mountain (2 km challenging route).
  • Hike to Machu Picchu mountain (challenging route of 2.5 km).
  • Hike to Huchuy Picchu mountain (easy route of only 1 km).
  • Hike to Intipunku, the Sun Gate (moderate route of 2 km).
  • Hike to the Inca Bridge of Machu Picchu (easy route of only 1 km).

Trekking in Machu Picchu

The Machu Picchu site museum

• The site museum is one of the places that most people overlook; however, in our opinion, it is one of the places you should visit on your trip to Machu Picchu.
• The Manuel Chavez Ballon Site Museum is located 20 minutes from the town of Aguas Calientes (on the Hiram Bingham Highway, at the Puente Ruinas).
• In it, you will not only learn about the history of the Inca civilization and its masterpiece Machu Picchu, but you will also see very interesting objects, such as the original 1913 edition, where National Geographic magazine published the article in which Hiram Bingham announced to the world that he had discovered “the Lost City of the Incas”.
• You can access the museum with the entrance to Machu Picchu for free from noon to 4 pm.
• If you visit in the morning you must buy your ticket with this rate:

The botanical garden of Machu Picchu museum

• It is another of the “secret places” of Machu Picchu. The botanical garden is located in the same place as the Machu Picchu Site Museum, and houses many of the most impressive types of orchids in the Historic Sanctuary.
• Some of the orchids in the museum cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. If you are one of those people who enjoy flowers, don’t miss the opportunity to see this incomparable collection.
• The entrance ticket to the Machu Picchu Site Museum already includes the visit to the botanical garden.
• These are some of the most famous orchid species in Machu Picchu:
  • Masdevallia veitchiana.
  • Pleurothallis.
  • Oncidium.
  • The Brassia.
  • Encyclia.
  • Stanhopea.
  • Anguloa maxillaria.
  • Phragmipedium.
  • Odontoglossum.

One of the orchids at Machu Picchu

The thermal baths of Machu Picchu town

• Yes, there are hot springs in Machu Picchu, they give the town of Aguas Calientes its name and are the best way to end a day’s excursion to Machu Picchu, or for people who have finished the 2 or 4 day Inca Trail.
• It is not a very sophisticated place, it is located 15 minutes from the city (walking) from Machu Picchu town (Aguas Calientes), towards the northeast towards the mountain behind the town (at the end of Pachacutec Avenue).
• These are hot springs that emerge from the rocky ground, which are directed to several small pools.
• It is open every day from 5 in the morning until 8 at night. And the price of the admission ticket is $6.00 (S/. 20) for foreign adults and $3.00 (S/. 10). The water of these springs is indicated for the treatment of bone diseases, such as arthrosis, arthritis, rheumatism and others.

Thermal baths of Machu Picchu village

The town of Aguas Calientes or Machu Picchu village

• Many people only come to Aguas Calientes to enter the Inca city of Machu Picchu, but Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town) offers much more than that.
• In recent years, this small village has become one of the most enjoyable places in Machu Picchu, and offers the opportunity to live, “for the time you have available”, with people from all corners of the world with different cultures, customs and reasons, just like the city of Cusco, which is undoubtedly the most cosmopolitan city in Peru.
• In addition, in the town of Aguas Calientes you can enjoy some of its good quality tourist services, such as: hotels, cafes, restaurants, bars, etc.
• These are the main tourist attractions of the town of Aguas Calientes:
  • Hot springs of Aguas Calientes.
  • Putucusi mountain.
  • The Machu Picchu site museum.
  • The circuit of stone sculptures.
  • The waterfalls of Aguas Calientes.
  • The gardens of Mandorpampa.
  • The bridge of the padlocks.

Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Picchu town

Questions and answers about activities in Machu Picchu

• 1) What are the mountain routes inside Machu Picchu?

  In Machu Picchu there are three mountain trekking routes: the hike to Huayna Picchu, the hike to Huchuy Picchu and the hike to Machu Picchu mountain.

• 2) Can I visit the Machu Picchu site museum for free?

  Yes, entrance to the Machu Picchu site museum is free for everyone from 12 pm to 4 pm by showing your Machu Picchu entrance ticket.

• 3) What are the visiting hours of the thermal baths of Machu Picchu town?

  The thermal baths of Machu Picchu town(Aguas Calientes) are available every day from 5:00 am to 8:00 pm.

• 4) Can I hike Putucusi mountain in Aguas Calientes?

  No, this alternative trekking route is closed to the public due to the danger of its slopes. In the past, it required a lot of physical effort to hike up the cliffs to the top (3 or 4 hour hike).

• 5) What are the main tourist attractions in the town of Machu Picchu?

  In the town of Aguas Calientes you can do activities such as: thermal baths of Aguas Calientes, the Putucusi mountain, the Machu Picchu site museum, the circuit of stone sculptures, the waterfalls of Aguas Calientes, the gardens of Mandorpampa or the bridge of the padlocks.

• 6) What activities are recommended on a free day in Machu Picchu?

  On a free day you can tour the mountains of Machu Picchu or simply visit the various tourist attractions in the town of Aguas Calientes.

• 7) In how many days can I do all the activities in Machu Picchu?

  Visiting all of Machu Picchu definitely needs more than 1 day. In two days you can complete the visit to Machu Picchu and an additional trekking route.

• 8) What is the best hike I can do during my visit to Machu Picchu?

  The hike to the top of Huayna Picchu mountain (2,693 meters above sea level) is considered the best inside Machu Picchu.

• 9) Where can I get excellent photos besides Machu Picchu?

  In addition to the classic Machu Picchu photo, you can get excellent shots on the peaks of Intipunku (Sun Gate), Huayna Picchu mountain or Machu Picchu mountain.

• 10) How much does it cost to visit the thermal baths of Machu Picchu town?

  The price of the admission ticket is $ 6.00 (S/. 20) for foreign adults and $ 3.00 (S/. 10).

Advice from people who have been there

Machu Picchu

By: Luz R.

“An incredible hike!“

“Machu Picchu is a magical place, full of energy that activates all the senses. Walking around the citadel is wonderful. Be careful to be able to see the arrows of orientation. Bring liquids, snacks or fruit, and a bag for your waste. If you traveled without a guide you can ask one who already has his group if you can join, they always accept and will ask 15 or 20 soles for the guide.“

By Ticket Machu Picchu – Last updated, November 4, 2024