Where is Machu Picchu? And how do I get there?

We have no stats to back up this claim, but we'll hazard a guess that Machu Picchu is the #1 South America bucket list item for most adventure travellers. Even in its ruined state, the city is one of the greatest testaments to the engineering genius of the Inca civilisation.

So, naturally, many would-be visitors to this Inca citadel go online to ask: Where is Machu Picchu? And how do I get there?

We've got you covered.

The city of Machu Picchu with the mountain of Waynapicchu rising steeply behind it

Machu Picchu can be found tucked in the Andes mountain of southeast Peru. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it sits within the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, a protected site controlled by the Peruvian government.

The city ruins sit perched on a saddle of land connecting the two peaks of Huayna Picchu (or Waynapicchu) mountain (2,693 m or 8,835 ft) and Machu Picchu mountain (3,082 m or 10,111 ft). Zoom out just a little and it's surrounded on all sides by further, even higher mountains whose slopes are draped in cloud forest and whose summits are often cloaked in cloud.

Machu Picchu itself has an average elevation of 2,430 m (7,972 ft). It overlooks the Urubamba River and town of Aguas Calientes (2,040 m or 6,693 ft) far below.

Machu Picchu was abandoned by the Incas in the sixteenth century after the conquest of the nearby Inca capital of Cusco by the Spanish conquistadores. It was never inhabited in any proper way again.

The city receded into obscurity for centuries, but was 'rediscovered' in 1911 by Hiram Bingham in the early twentieth century when a local Inca descendant led him to it. Bingham, a professor at Yale University in the US, put it back on the map, so to speak.

You can learn more on this topic in Why was Machu Picchu built on that high ridge? And why abandoned so soon after?

No, you cannot fly directly to Machu Picchu.

The nearest airport to Machu Picchu is in the mountain city of Cusco, the historic capital city of the Inca Empire.

So if you live far from Peru, you're going to want to:

An airplane in the Cusco valley readies for takeoff

Cusco is located 75 km (47 mi) from Machu Picchu as the bird flies. While that's not terribly far, it will take you longer than usual to actually travel the distance, and the journey will include various modes of transport.

Map showing transport links between Cusco and the Sacred Valley

As you can see in the map above, you can either trek the last stretch of the journey to Machu Picchu along the Inca Trail. Or you can take transport the entire way. Let's look first at how best to get there via transport. Afterwards, we'll discuss trekking there.

For starters, you'll need to drive north from Cusco to the town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. Much of this journey is via twisting mountain roads, so the going is slow and the trip usually takes around two hours.

Machu Picchu is also located within the Sacred Valley, but there are no roads leading to it But there is a railway line, so now it's out of the car and onto the train!

The train connecting Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes follows the Urubamba River

Once in the Sacred Valley, you must catch a train ride from the town of Ollantaytambo, an Inca town that was built over by the Spaniards but still contains many beautiful Inca ruins.

This train journey takes you down river and deposits you in the centre of Machu Picchu Town (more commonly known as Aguas Calientes in honour of the hot springs there). The duration of the ride varies, but usually lasts between 70 minutes and two hours.

Happily, this train ride is very scenic, as the railway runs parallel to the Urubamba River. Try to sit riverside to enjoy the best views, which means sitting on the left if you're travelling to Aguas Calientes and on the right if you're travelling back to Ollantaytambo.

Aguas Calientes is a bewitching town given its position embedded between two incredibly steep mountain walls with the powerful Urubamba River rushing through its centre. It's a destination in its own right.

From Aguas Calientes, you could feasibly hike up to the ruins, but this would be a taxing climb; you must ascend 300 vertical metres (or 985 vertical feet) to reach the lower entrance gate to Machu Picchu. Given that you must constantly cross the zigzagging road leading up to Machu Picchu, it's also not a particularly special hike. And note that once you reach the ruins, you still have lots of step climbing ahead of you, given the sprawling and highly vertiginous nature of the city. So most people who've travelled in by train just catch a bus ride up to Machu Picchu so that they're fresh when exploring the ruins.

The road connecting Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes

Only buses are allowed on the road between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu, so your only choice of transport is hopping on one of these. Fortunately the wait is never long, as there's a fleet that plies the road, up and down, up and down, all day long. The road is a series of hairpin (and hair-raising) bends that must be navigated slowly, so the ride takes around 30 minutes each way.

Map of Cusco and the Sacred Valley, including the classic Inca Trail

In the heyday of the Inca Empire, there existed an extensive network of dirt and paved footpaths and steps allowing people to travel swiftly between locations. Today we refer to the section of that network that connects Machu Picchu with the upper Sacred Valley as the Inca Trail. And the Inca Trail has become a mecca for high-altitude trekkers.

To reach the Inca Trail from Cusco, your first step of the journey is the same as it is for everyone: drive from Cusco to the Sacred Valley.

Once within the Sacred Valley, you can choose between variations of of the Inca Trail trek. If you're trekking the classic Inca Trail route (the most well-known and popular variation), then you'll take the train from Ollantaytambo as though heading to Aguas Calientes, but you'll hop off much earlier, namely at the station called Km 82. It's here that the classic Inca Trail route begins.

As the map above shows, the Inca Trail will lead you straight to Machu Picchu via the route used by the Inca themselves when travelling between Cusco and Machu Picchu. Excitingly, this includes approaching the city from the iconic viewpoint offered at Sun Gate (Inti Punku), as shown below.

Inca Trail trekkers are awarded their first view of Machu Picchu from above

At Follow Alice, we offer the Classic Inca Trail as a four-day trek (though it can also be done as a five-day trek if you wish). We also offer a lovely alternative trek, also four days, for those who wish to see a quieter, more traditional corner of the Sacred Valley whilst still trekking the best section of the Inca Trail (namely, the final section).

Whatever version of the Inca Trail appeals to you the most, we'd love to help you make this South American adventure a reality! Please check out our exciting Machu Picchu trekking trip packages. And you might also like to consider a history and culinary Lima itinerary on your way in or out of Peru, as well as an exciting Peruvian Amazon rainforest stopover!