Machu Picchu Pueblo (formally known as Aguas Calientes) Machu Picchu Pueblo is a town in the Urubamba River Valley whose sole purpose is tourism. There are only 2 ways into town: by rail or by foot. It began life early in the 20th century when the railroad was constructed through the mountains. It's known for its thermal baths (Aguas Calientes means Hot Waters in Spanish) and as a gateway to the nearby Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. We were fortunate enough to...

The ancient Incan sanctuary of Machu Picchu is considered one of humanity's greatest architectural achievements and is on almost everyone's bucket list of places to see. Needless to say a visit here is a "once in a lifetime" thing for me. Once you arrive in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town) it seemed to be a mad dash off the train to the bus station. There are buses that travel to the Sanctuary from Machu Picchu town, leaving every 15 minutes from 05:30 am on...

Ollantaytambo (pronounced O-yan-tai-tam-bo) The Incas built Ollantaytambo against a hill, with a spectacular view of the adjacent mountain and the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Ollantaytambo is the only Inca town that is still inhabited and is known as the 'Living Inca City'. Its stone streets preserve the Inca architecture combined with temples and colonial squares. Ollantaytambo has beautiful Inca lithic structures. Because it was the scene of hard battles bet...

Today is all about two very different ancient sites that are geographically close. Only 50 Km from Cusco, the Moray ruins are made up of terraces that were supposedly used by the Incas as a plant nursery. Although the real purpose of these terraces is not confirmed, modern historians speculate that on Moray's steps, it was possible to simulate all the microclimates of the Inca empire, thus permitting the priest-scientists who worked there to experiment with ...

Though the most famous Inca's ruin is Machu Picchu there are many other Peru ancient ruins that are also worth a visit. Today is dedicated to visiting and learning about some of the Inca archaeological ruins of the Sacred Valley. Being the epicentre of Inca civilization many of these sites are clustered around Cusco. This rich assortment of ancient ruins is a testament to the Incas great civilization. The Incas constructed huge buildings, walls and fortificatio...