A rainbow, a sky full of fluffy white clouds and the best weather is what made singer Shawn Mendes feel “like a lucky boy”. He began his year by travelling to Peru in Central America and the 26-year-old visited the historic site of Machu Picchu. He took to Instagram to post snippets of his trip to the Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains.
Often referred to as the Lost City of the Incas, it is wrapped in a mysterious aura that makes it the perfect backdrop for several adventure films like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023), The Emperor’s New Grove (2000), The Road to El Dorado (2000) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), among others. The ancient Incan site, one of the only few ruins found intact, was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983 after it was discovered by American senator and explorer Hiram Bingham.
This historic spot sits at an elevation of 7,710 feet in a cloud forest. However, its purpose during the Incan times is still unclear. Some research says it was a kind of holiday home for the royalty, while others believe it was a religious site used for rituals. According to UNESCO, it would probably have been an architectural marvel built during the height of the Incan empire. However, it was abandoned just 100 years later for reasons unknown. The Inca had no written language, so they left no record of why they built the site or how they used it.
Spread over 32,592 hectares, its giant walls, temples, palaces and homes seem as if they have been cut naturally in the rock. With sprawling terrace gardens, areas for religious ceremonies and astronomical observations, this citadel is best known for its stone walls that’s been built with cut stone fit together so tightly without mortar that its cracks still can’t be penetrated by a knife. It sits on a ridge of the mountain and is surrounded by the Urubamba River on three sides making it a beautiful yet impenetrable stronghold.
When is the best time to visit?
{{/usCountry}}Spread over 32,592 hectares, its giant walls, temples, palaces and homes seem as if they have been cut naturally in the rock. With sprawling terrace gardens, areas for religious ceremonies and astronomical observations, this citadel is best known for its stone walls that’s been built with cut stone fit together so tightly without mortar that its cracks still can’t be penetrated by a knife. It sits on a ridge of the mountain and is surrounded by the Urubamba River on three sides making it a beautiful yet impenetrable stronghold.
When is the best time to visit?
{{/usCountry}}The best time to visit is from April to September, with peak months beginning in June and ending in August. As Machu Picchu has been drawing massive crowds, the Central American state has begun limiting the number of visitors per day. Only a certain number of tourists around 4,500, are allowed to hike up to the ancient site during one of two timeslots in an effort to prevent overcrowding. On exceptional days, 5,600 people might be allowed. Each tour guide is only permitted to accompany ten guests at a time.
How to get there:
To get to Machu Picchu from India, one can apply apply for a visa at the Embassy of Peru in New Delhi for ₹2,550. You can then fly into the Jorge Chávez International Airport in Peru. There are daily trains from Cusco Lake or one can also opt to trek up the mountains like the Incans of old did over 2 to 4 days. However, the most popular way to reach the summit is to begin the hike from the Machu Picchu citadel.
Things to do in Peru?
Enjoying the slow life while people-watching at the Plaza de Armas de Cusco or Lima Main Square is a must; see the turquoise waters of the Humantay Lake; visit Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake and take a boat ride to the floating Uros Islands made of reeds