There are a number of other activities, walks and visits that you can do before or after one of our Machu Picchu tours that add extra interest and value to your trip! If the client has time we always suggest spending one night in Aguas Calientes so that they are able to re-visit Machu Picchu and do one or two of these other activities.
Inca Drawbridge
A walk to the site of the old Inca drawbridge gives you speactacular views down the very steep cliffs protecting Machu Picchu from the East. This route was an alternate one used to reach the Inca Trail and there is a gap in the trail that would have had logs placed across it that could be removed quickly by pulling ropes to cut invaders off. This path is not for those who suffer vertigo and please take care on the steep path!
Huayna Picchu Mountain
Another vertigo inducing experience but if you are not affected by the drops you are rewarded by amazing reverse views of the main site. Most of the panoramic photos of Machu Picchu are taken from near to the gatekeepers hut with Huayna Picchu being the large mountain in the background comanding the site. This is the mountain you can climb to get the opposite effect. Be aware of new regulations regarding entry, see our press release below:
Read our PR on the recent changes in entry policy.
Walk back to the Sun Gate
If you are not one of the people who have walked the Inca Trail you can still walk in the footsteps of the Incas and witness the lovely view from the Sun Gate or “Inti Punku” as the trekkers do. Walking up to the left from near the gatekeepers hut you will walk along part of the wide Inca highway that was the route to and from Cusco. This Inca Trail takes you to the Sun Gate which commands superb views over Machu Picchu and places the site in the context of its surrounding mountains and snow caps. It is a fairly easy walk if you take it steady.
Machu Picchu Mountain
To start the ascent you need to walk a little way back up from the ‘Caretakers Hut’, where the classic Inca Trail enters Machu Picchu to find the start on the right hand side. There may be a book for you to sign in, regulations change regularly as you have seen with our PR.
The trail to the top is a steep 600m ascent at times on steps and at others on a dirt path. The trail at times passes through thick foliage and at others you are in the open. Parts of the trail are steep and others more gentle. En route to the top there are several points where you have great views of the Machu Picchu site below. Towards the top there are more steps and signs of Inca construction.
At the summit is an open area with a flag of the department of Cusco and fantastic views, not just of the site way below, but the river valley and many of the mountains of the Vilcabamba range including the magnificent Salcantay.
Temple of the Moon
The Temple of the Moon is located at the back of Huayna Picchu Mountain lower than the site of Machu Picchu. In order to visit the site you would need an entrance ticket for Huayna Picchu mountain of which 400 are sold each day (See earlier PR).
Most people who choose to visit the site climb to the top of Huayna Picchu before making their way down the rear of the mountain to the temple which is located primarily within a cave. It is then a steep climb back up to the main site of Machu Picchu.
Alternatively you can head straight to the temple turning off to the left from the main path up Huayna Picchu part way up. There are steep up and down sections and also a ladder to navigate. Very few people tend to visit the temple so you may have the path and even the site to completely to yourself.
Mandor Waterfall
A visit to this lovely area requires a walk along the railway tracks from the town keeping the river on your left hand side i.e. away from Cusco. After around an hour walking you will come to a triangle in the railway tracks where the locomotives turn around. You will then be able to see a small rustic house and a sign for Mandor. At the time of writing entry is 5 soles (2 USD) and this allows you on to the private ex-coffee plantation. A dirt track takes you up through an orchard with many types of fruit trees including banana and coffee bushes until after 20 minutes or so you reach the 12 meter waterfall, a great place to sit and enjoy a picnic.
Putucusi
This climb to the rounded mountain to the side of Machu Picchu may or may not be possible at the time you are reading this as parts of the wooden ladder section were destroyed by flooding in early 2011. Several members of our office have done the climb and it is challenging and at times scary for you thrill seekers and offers an oblique view of the Inca site from the top.
Again walking in the direction of Mandor but for only 10 minutes or so you will come across a small sign labelled Putucusi on the right and a small track heading up into the jungle. From here it is one and a half hour to the summit using steep dirt tracks, stone steps and the aformentioned wodden ladders. Please take care and if it not open then choose one of the other hikes detailed here, they are all excellent.
Aguas Calientes – Hot Springs
Set above the town at the end of the main pedestrian street these hot springs, from where Aguas Calientes gets its name, are very popular amongst tourists and locals alike. Check out or Aguas Calientes guide here for more information.
