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1.- How to get There
2.- How to visit
3.- General Services
4.- Public Services
5.- Aguas Calientes Town
6.- Handicrafts Market
7.- Visiting rules
8.- Special Information
HOW TO GET
THERE
Traveling to Machu Picchu is one of
most gratifying and sought after trips. There is a certain sense of
serenity and enlightenment one feels when walking through the once
inhabited stonewalls of the 500-year-old Incan city. It is awe
inspiring to think of the effort put forth to build such an
expansive city in such a harsh, unforgiving environment The best way
to get there is to fly to Lima and take the earliest available
departure to Cusco.
Stay the first night in
Cusco city, then taking the train from Cusco is an easy trip, but
more adventurous souls may want to sign up for the 4day trek up the
Inca trail and discover Machu Picchu revealing itselft at sunrise.
Whichever way you decide to take, give yourself a day or two to get
used to the altitude.
ONCE IN MACHUPICCHU:
You have to take a 25 minutes bus from the Aguas Calientes Town to
the Archaeological site the bus comes and goes with no schedule, the
fee is
US$12 per person round trip
ENTRANCE TO THE ARCHEAOLOGICAL SITE:
The entrance is US$36 per person and is open from 6:30 am to 5:00pm
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HOW TO VISIT
The sanctuary of Machu Picchu is divided into two large sectors -
one the agricultural sector and the other the urban or the citadel -
of which the first surrounds the second. We could consider the peak
Wayna Picchu as a third sector.
The principal road to approach Machu Picchu, which comes from Cuzco
through the south (Qosqoñan), crosses the crest of the mountain and
goes to the entrance to the sanctuary after passing through areas
with isolated constructions - such as what is now called the
watchtower - posts for lookouts or guards, qolqa or granaries and
abundant agricultural terraces.
There were also other roads, such as that which made the river
accessible from the sanctuary on the northeast. At present a road
has been constructed for tourist visits, a road which did not exist
before and now runs parallel to the Qosqoñan.
The sanctuary properly speaking is a citadel made up of palaces and
temples, dwellings and storehouses, but above all for buildings
which clearly fulfill ceremonial religious functions, the more
luxurious and spectacular components of which are the mausoleums
carved in the rock.
The buildings as well as the plazas and the platforms that
constitute the urban sector are connected among themselves by a
system of narrow lanes or paths, mostly in the form of flights of
steps, which cross the terraces which follow a flat longitudinal
axis. The main platform of the urban sector is an extensive plaza -
the main plaza - which in turn divides the buildings into hanan ("above"
or "upper") and urin ("below" or "lower"). The urban sector was
surrounded by impediments to gaining access to the sanctuary such as
a defense wall and the deep and wide ditch, or dry moat, which
surrounded the whole complex, not as part of a military
fortification rather as a form of restricted ceremonial isolation.
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GENERAL
SERVICES
The Aguas Calientes offers standard services for making your stay
confortable, is a small town where you can easily walk from one
place to another, there are not even taxis, the only transportation
you will see are the trains that arrives from Cusco and the buses
that comes and goes from there to the Archeaological site. There are
facilities such as running water, electric power, fixed and mobile
phones, radio and TV, internet and exchange offices.
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PUBLIC SERVICES
Health
There are two drugstores and two medical centers, both for
emergencies only, .
National Police in Peru
There is only one police station in town with personnel trained in
rescue, civil safety, and emergency matters.
Tourist Protection Bureau in Machu Picchu There are special services
to strengthen civil safety and protect tourists offered by the town
councils,
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AGUAS CALIENTES
TOWN
At a distance of 800m East of the town of Aguas Calientes, there are
underground hot sulfur springs which bubble up from the rocky ground
at varying temperatures. The especially-built pools at this resort
are the basis of its use as hot mineral baths. The average
temperature of the water runs from 38ºc to 46ºc. There are also
changing rooms, bathrooms and a small snack bar.
RAIL TRANSPORT
Tourist Train, It only operates in the high season, leaving Cusco in
the morning, stopping at the most important stations (Ollantaytambo,
Km.88 or Ooriwayrachina) until it arrives at the station of Puente
Ruinas. The trip takes four hours and returns in the evening.
Autovagon, This tourist service leaves Cusco in the morning and
takes three hours. The trip from The Sacred Valley of the Incas
(Urubamba to Ollantaytambo) takes 1,1/2 hours. It returns in the
evening. It is recommended to check all timetables in train stations
and travel agencies, as they are modified according to the season.
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HANDICRAFT
MARKET
Peru all handmade all designes are about the incas culture items
such as Rugs, tapestries, blankets, alpaca bedspreads, blankets,
gourds all of these with the traditional process of making our items,
The Peruvian Handicrafts are well known around the world and are
really appreciated.
The production areas are located here in Machu Picchu or in its
agricultural communities There are also craftsmen from Cusco, Pisaq,
Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and other areas displaying their wares, the
best appreciated in the following :
· Antiques
· Carvings and cuttings
· Inca pottery
· Textile and carpets
· Silverware and jewelry
· Plaster casts
· Repoussé leather items
· Paintings and canvases from the Cusco school · Straw basketwork ·
Woolen vicuña and alpaca fabrics
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VISITING RULES
FOR THE HISTORICAL SANCTUARY OF MACHU PICCHU
Park authorities may occasionally designate different campsites than
those indicate The Inca Trail is part of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary,
a protected area of 32,592 hectares, managed by the National
Institute of Natural Resources, INRENA. Every visitor must obey park
regulations prohibiting littering, cutting or damaging trees,
removing or damaging stones of ruins and the Trail, removing plants,
killing animals, lighting open fires or camping in the archeological
sites (Only authorized campsites can be used).
Inca Trail Rules
The Inca Trail has recently imposed new regulations, designed to
minimize the damage to the ruins and terrain, to conserve this
historical resource. You must have a permit and a guide. Permits are
limited to 500 people per day (including porters). For the most
popular months of July and August, book well in advance. Disposable
plastic water bottles are not allowed. You may take the Nalgene type
water bottles or your water hydration system. Hiking poles are
permitted, but you must use rubber tips, to minimize the impact on
the terrain (rocks and earth).
The Porters Association has succeeded in getting a limit to the
weight they can carry. Since they carry your main pack, this
translates to an eight-kilogram limit for your personal backpack/duffel.
You may carry what you wish in your day pack - water, jacket,
raingear, camera, sunscreen...
For much of the trail, burros, horses and llamas are not allowed.
Local people, of course, have them If you are inspired to go to Peru
for trekking, here are the good months - May through October.
November through March is wet (their summer season). They close the
Inca Trail in February for trail clean up. April is iffy, we had
both sun and rain days. July and August are the best, as they are
the driest, but they are also the coldest (their winter season)
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