Trekking to Machu Picchu and Other Related Information

Written by: Sam Travel | 29 September, 2016

Sam Travel Peru holds the trophy of grand design for unique trekking routes to the awe-inspiring ancient Inca Citadel ruins of Machu Picchu. Masses create a constant flow of long anticipated excitement upon entering the UNESCO World Heritage Site, voted one of the New Wonders of the World. Many enter via trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu or one of the alternative trails to this citadel.

Machu Picchu citadel was built in the 1450s, during the reign of Inca emperor Pachucuti, the exact purpose of these masterful ruins carry to the beyond spiritually. A variety of stories and legends laying dormant. Still to this current day, it stands alone in its air of grandeur and mystery. Urban and agricultural sectors elude over the plateau of Machu Picchu, with clear structures that demarcate areas of important religious purposes. Layered agricultural terraces surround much of the city, producing food to sustain around 1,000 inhabitants. The terraces also played an important role in providing efficient drainage to mitigate the impact of earthquakes and landslides.

Constructed with architectural genius using the ashlar method of placing stone on stone without mortar; even with our current technologies ,we have minimal understanding of how the Incas managed to move and lay stones of such size with ultimate precision. Contemplating this architectural beauty is both humbling and mystifying.
The citadel nurtures the Temple of the Sun, the Astronomical Observatory and the Intihuatana structures. Influenced by universal elements on a grand cosmic scale, the Incas astrological understanding of the Sun and it’s planetary influences are incomprehensible.

Strategically placed between two mountainsMachu Picchu Mountain(not to be confused with the citadel itself) to the south and Huayna Picchu to the north, the city provides unrivalled plunging of valleys on both sides with guarded access points of Inti Punku (the Sun Gate) and the Inca Draw bridge.  After Bingham’s discovery, the site gained international prominence as the Lost City of the Incas.

Machu Picchu Trek – Trails and Routes

The Inca Trail or an alternate trek will reforge a negotiation of life with nature. The combination of the wildest landscapes, the remote and prestine transverses, typical peruvian awe-inspiring mountain ranges, diverse flora and fauna, it is nature in its purest form.
Its popularity, are concerns over the impact of so many visitors to the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu. The trail has a limited number of 500 trekkers per day (only about 200 for trekkers). It is essential to book early, particularly during peak season May-September.

If you are interested in doing a Classic Inca Trail or one of our alternative treks to Machu Picchu, we have numerous treks on our website: www.samtravelperu.com  Please see below the links available for detailed information on some our most popular tresks.  Some possibilites are:

Join the thousands of satisfied customers who rate us #1 on TripAdvisor

Bernie s 2023/03/02

Had a great trip with our guide Ray Herrera and driver Alfredo. Lots of good experiences in a short period of time 4 days. Learnt a lot not just about the main tourist destinations but Peru in general by Ray. Ray has a passion for Inca history and local produce. Ray knows all the good photo spots and we managed the sun out every day .. Good culture and if you want to get on a tour ask for Ray at Sams Travel = amazing

Tanya H 2023/03/02

Ray was our Tour Guide and Alfredo was our driver for a 4 day tour we did with SAM Travel Peru. Ray's knowledge of the history of Cusco and Machu Picchu was outstanding. Ray was very accommodating with all our needs. He stayed alongside us when trekking and helped where he could. His sense of humour was pleasant to be around. Ray spoke very good English. He is such a nice guy. I would strongly recommend Ray to be your tour guide to visit Machu Picchu. Ray explained everyday what the plans were for the next day, which was reassuring what we needed to take etc

Captanjack 2023/01/012

Our 1 day tour thru the Sacred Vally with Danny was wonderful. He was very knowledgeable and able to answer all our questions in detail. I would recommend asking for him personally if you are able.

Sherry 2022/12/26

We booked the Classic Cusco to Machu Picchu tour with SAM travel which we really had a good experience. SAM travel is very responsive during the communication and cater to our changes needed. Our guide is Ray who is also an very awesome guide. He is knowledgeable, patient, humorous as well reliable, he help us take many good photos and also go extra mile to help with our request. Thanks Ray! Thanks SAM travel that gave us good memories in Peru! Highly recommend if you consider booking any tour in Cusco.

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C Clark 2023/01/20

Wow. We had such an incredible experience in Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Our guide, Dayvit, is the most knowledgeable guide we have ever had. He has such an extensive knowledge of the history and is very friendly and helpful. If you are planning a trip to Peru, I highly recommend SAM travel and be sure to request Dayvit!

Emma Dinzebach Clark 2023/01/10

2 day tour sacred valley / Machu Picchu highly recommend! David was the best tour guide. He knows an incredible amount about Incan culture and is personable and funny. He also kept us up to date on a political situation happening when we were there and was informative. Overall, this tour checks all the boxes. Thank you!

Nupur Joshi 2023/01/02

We used SAM Travel for a 2D/1N trip from Cusco to Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu on Dec 25-26, 2022. The team was good with communication from the start - both Saul and Junior were very helpful and professional with answering any questions and clearing up any misunderstandings. Our guide, Miguel, was prompt, pleasant, and quite knowledgeable. We enjoyed his company and insight over the 2 day trip and recommend him to anyone booking with SAM Travel.

Xueying Chen 2022/12/20

We booked the Classic Cusco to Machu Picchu tour with SAM travel which we really had a good experience. SAM travel is very responsive during the communication and cater to our changes needed. Our guide is Ray who is also an very awesome guide. He is knowledgeable, patient, humorous as well reliable, he help us take many good photos and also go extra mile to help with our request. Thanks Ray! Thanks SAM travel that gave us good memories in Peru! Highly recommend if you consider booking any tour in Cusco.

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Brandon Slater 2022/09/30

My wife and I just completed two excursions with SAM Travel Peru and we absolutely loved them. We did the 4 Day Salkantay Wilderness + Machu Picchu and then the 2-Day Rainbow Mountain + 7 Lakes trek with guide Carlos Estrada, chefs Nerio & Lucio, and horseman Unarato. Over the last 6 days we have learned so much about the Inca culture, discovered some of the most incredible sights, and ate delicious food every step of the way. We would definitely recommend SAM Travel (especially with Carlos!) to anyone that wants an incredible Peruvian adventure. The Wilderness trek is a much quieter trail than the standard Salkantay and goes a bit higher elevation, but camping at the base of Salkantay was incredible. Carlos's guided tour through Machu Picchu was so informative. We would have missed so much without him taking the time to share his knowledge.

Kellie Taylor 2022/04/06

Big thanks to David he was an amazing tour guide who really cared for our group. He allowed us to go at our own pace and was a brilliant photographer He was really funny and is full of interesting information & his passion for his inca ancestors is very obvious and warming. He also brought us to great restaurants! This company are very good and from what I can recall were cheaper than most. Thank you!

Mike Geelhoed 2021/06/10

They took care of everything! Saul the owner is very responsive and helpful. Johnny our guide was fantastic, as were our chef, assistant chef and horsemen. I can’t recommend them highly enough and will definitely use them again if we return to Peru!

Janice-Kaneki Chen 2020/01/28

Three of us decided to choose Sam Travel Peru, reason being is it is a local travel company that help indegenious communities. We picked Lares Trek 4D3N to have cultural experience while hiking. Good foods provided by talented Mario Chef! Johnny is our tour guide, very helpful tour guide. He even helped me to carry my daypack as I was too exhausted to carry it on day 1 hiking. Strongly recommend to those like to have local experience while hiking.

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