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The Route to Machu Picchu

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Cloaked in forest undergrowth until 1911, when archaeologist Hiram Bingham stumbled upon it, the 15th-century ruins of Machu Picchu— believed to have been a retreat for Incan nobility—are a maze of paths, partly standing granite buildings, and stone steps. Though it sits on a remote Andean ridge 7,790 feet above the sea, the lost city is Peru's most visited attraction.

WHEN TO GO

May through October is the dry season, during which 1,500 visitors a day make the trek. The crowds—and the prices—drop during the rainy season, from November through April.

HOW TO GET THERE AND WHERE TO STAY

Start in the former Incan capital of Cuzco, a thriving colonial city 44 miles south of the ruins (it's a one-hour flight from Lima). From Cuzco, backpackers hike the Inca Trail, a guided several-day journey not for the young or unfit. A pricey new helicopter service (inkaterra.com; from $895 round-trip) gets you there in 25 minutes. Most people, however, go by train (for rail options and tickets, see perurail.com), a four-hour journey through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to the town of Aguas Calientes, where a 15-minute bus ride zips visitors to the site. It's a doable day trip, but consider spending a night just outside scruffy Aguas Calientes at the 85-room Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (inkaterra.com; doubles from $195), with pretty casitas in a cloud forest. Or splurge at the cushy if overpriced Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge (sanctuarylodge.net; doubles from $640), the only hotel right outside the gates to the ruins.

ALTITUDE ADVISORY

Cuzco is 11,600 feet above sea level, Machu Picchu almost 8,000 feet. To adjust, take an easy day or two in Cuzco after you arrive. Altitude sickness strikes randomly; to learn about symptoms and remedies, visit the International Society for Mountain Medicine's Web site, ismmed.org.

TOUR COMPANIES

Cuzco-based Lima Tours (limatours.com.pe) and Inca Explorers (incaexplorers.com) can plan and book your journey for you. A number of international outfitters—including Thomson Family Adventures, Backroads, and Abercrombie & Kent—lead family-focused group vacations to Machu Picchu.

Copyright © 2008, American Express Publishing. All rights reserved.