✔️ Enjoy the strategic location of the Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu and the surrounding lush canyon from the different angled view points such as: Huayna Picchu Mountain, Sun Gate, Machu Picchu Mountain (not to be confused with the citadel itself), Llactapata Inca ruins, Putukusi Mountain and the Inca bridge section.
Those who are doing the Inca Trail will see Machu Picchu for the first time from the Sun Gate, which is one of the reasons why people choose the Inca Trail Trek. Those doing alternative treks arrive in Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes. After the last day of your trek, you will stay a night in a hotel in Aguas Calientes and take the early bus the next morning to Machu Picchu to enjoy the sunrise.
The great Machu Picchu mountain rises more than 652m/2,139ft above the Sacred City of Machu Picchu and is located at 3,082m/10,111ft above sea level. It offers some breath taking views of Machu Picchu, a uniqueness like no other place in the world. It is seated at the base of the Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu. Thousands are drawn everyday, by the unique energy emanating from the earth at Machu Picchu, which is considered sacred to the Inca civilization. Machu Picchu Mountain’s summit was used by Inca priests to perform rituals on special dates and is a place of worship of the Apu Salkantay.
***This is an optional trek within Machu Picchu that does not include a guide. The climb is usually done on your own after you tour of Machu Picchu.
***You must always respect the scheduled entrance times between 7 to 8am or 9 to 10am. If you arrive 5 minutes late you will not be allowed to enter!
The amount of time to climb Machu Picchu mountain depends on the physical condition of the individual and can range from 1 to 1.5 hours to climb or 2 to 3 hours (round-trip). From the top, you have incredible views of Machu Picchu and the last part of the Classic Inca Trail. You can also admire the amazing canyon formed by the slope of the Vilcanota river with green mountains on one side and on the other side the mountains of the Cordillera Vilcabamba, and the snowy summit of Salkantay (6,271 m/20,574ft) and more.
The climb to Machu Picchu Mountain is considered moderate to difficult but not challenging. An average physical condition is required. During the rainy season, the road can be very slippery, making the ascent more difficult.
***This is the time you start the hike. It takes approximately 3 hours (roundtrip) to hike Machu Picchu Mountain.
*** To hike the Machu Picchu mt, you need ot follow the circuit 3, with this ticket, you are not allowed to explore Machu Picchu Inca city anymore.
You only have the opportunity to access the Sun Gate if you are doing the Inca trail. According to new regulations, you can no longer walk up to the Sun Gate from Machu Picchu.
For travellers who trek the Inca Trail, they enter Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate, also called Inti Punku, and watch the sunrise. For those who don’t do this multi-day trek, it’s still possible to enjoy the impressive views from the Sun Gate by doing the Short Inca Trail or the 1-day I ca Trail, arriving at Machu Picchu as the crowds start to disperse, therefore giving you the most peaceful time of the day to observe the Citadel.
The trail to the Inca Bridge wraps around the backside of a mountain in the opposite direction of the Machu Picchu ruins. A special ticket is not needed to walk the path, although daily traffic to the Inca Bridge is documented. Each visitor must log their name in a book at the entrance and then sign out. It’s about a 20-minute hike along a fairly narrow path towards the bridge. While the climb isn’t steep, some of the drop-offs along the edges may make some people uneasy.
The Inca Bridge is made of a few narrow logs perched above a sheer vertical drop – it´s believed to have served as a secret entrance to Machu Picchu. Crossing the bridge itself is strictly forbidden today for safety reasons but you can take as many photos as you like. On the return hike, you’re likely to ponder whether or not you would have the courage to cross the bridge if you lived during the time of the Incas.
When heading for Machu Picchu, climbers often want a bird’s eye view of the ruins and most head up to the summit of the famous Huayna Picchu. This mountain makes the backdrop for Machu Picchu. Wait! There’s another mountain just a little further away from the ruins. Visited less frequently, this mountain also gives the climber great views: Putukusi (also spelled Putucusi) lays directly across the Urubamba River from the ruins of Machu Picchu.
The summit has wide open views over Machu Picchu as well as the surrounding valleys and mountain peaks. It’s best to get there early (around 6:00 am) to see the ruins before the crowds enter Machu Picchu. Also, the light is best at that time of the day.
Aguas Calientes is a small village surrounded by rugged impenetrable mountains in the eastern part of Peru’s Oriental Cordillera . The entire town exists for one sole purpose: to serve the millions of yearly visitors to Machu Picchu.
Right next to Aguas Calientes, even closer than Machu Picchu, Putukusi is a sheer cliff, a jungle coated mountain rising the better part of two thousand feet up from the valley. On a clear day, it’s possible to see Machu Picchu with snow-capped Salkantay behind it, which is an absolutely spectacular sight. Putukusi is the best and almost only thing to do in the Aguas Calientes area that doesn’t involve Machu Picchu and doesn’t require paying an entry fee.
The mountain, like all others in the area, is composed of near vertical, perfectly smooth stone walls with steep gullies intersecting them. The walls are entirely covered by cloud forest.
The trail leading up the mountain is more vertical than horizontal; that seems to be the general pattern among the mountains here. When looking out at Machu Picchu from the summit of Putukusi, it is interesting to ponder why the Incas chose to build their empire in such a rugged place. Surely the incredible beauty of the landscape inspired them and they thought of themselves as standing in the presence of their gods. The wilderness here is some of the most pristine left anywhere on earth. It is interesting to imagine that there might be another “Machu Picchu” hidden in these mountains that nobody knows even exists. Choquequirao has recently been dubbed the new Machu Picchu.
Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024
All our guides have many years of experience in the industry and come highly recommended. They are fully versed in the values and vision of Spider Travel and will provide a service inline with those values. Our guides are knowledgeable and passionate about Inca Heritage and culture and in Peru as a whole. They dedicate themselves to continuous professional development and growth to ensure that you receive the most recent accurate and recognized theories about Inca and Andean culture. They are well educated, usually holding a degree in more than one field of study and can therefore hold a conversation on a broad spectrum of issues. Finally, expect to have an amazing time while trekking, our guides are fun loving and great sportsmen.
Our porters personify hard work. We employ about 90 porters from local communities. They are mostly farmers by trade and are native Quechua speakers. They mainly come from the indigenous communities around the trail. We refer to our super porters as ¨Red Machine¨. This is because they work hard during the treks but carrying duffel bags, camping gear, and more! It is important to us that we employ porters from local villages because we are supporting them to become self-efficient and helping communities grow their economy to better the quality of lives.
We provide the following items to our porters and cooks for free: Working insurance, Jacket, sun hat, warm hat, t-shirt, pants, hiking boots, comfortable duffle bags, canteen, girdle for protecting their spine, sleeping bags, mattress.
Our porters are what make everything look seamless and smooth. They have your tent ready before your arrival in your tent and most importantly they significantly lighten that camping gear load.
This is where youth comes in handy. Our chefs are fully trained to provide the most scrumptious, abundant and simply mouthwatering meals in the outdoors with limited equipment. Our chefs prepare the best of fusion cooking that includes Peruvian and International dishes, using organic local and exotic ingredients. Our chefs are very versatile, serving even better specialty dishes for those with food allergies and specific dietary requirements. It has been a highlight for a majority of our hikers and we have yet to disappoint a trekker. Enjoy a complete and immersive culinary experience while trekking through the rugged Andes Mountains.
Enjoy a good night sleep in our 4 season igloo waterproof, spacious and professional EUREKA tent. All our tents are 4 person tents. ONLY 2 people will sleep in each, leaving lots of room to spread out comfortably and store your duffel bag. They also include a little vestibule in front, giving you some extra outdoor space to leave your boots and walking poles so you don’t have to bring the dirt inside. We also bring our own portable camping toilet, so you can use our clean facilities instead of the ones provided by the government. Our dining tent is spacious, with room to hangout during meal time and get to know your fellow hikers and guide.
