A Machu Picchu Tour Package Can Create A Dream Vacation

By Sandra Russell


Vacations are usually special times for people. Not everyone gets to spend an extended period relaxing or doing something out of the ordinary. Some individuals save up for years for that perfect vacation they have dreamt about. The dream may include seeing relatives, spending time at a beachfront bungalow, or taking the whole family to a famous theme park in Florida or California. Still others dream of taking a once in a lifetime tour of an exotic and exciting faraway place. If you are one of these dreamers, you might want to look into a Machu Picchu tour package destination.

Some believe that this fifteenth century city was actually designed as an estate for the current emperor who planned to use it as a religious retreat. Other historians disagree, but its religious significance cannot be ignored. The city seems to have been built with only one entrance, perhaps in order to allow only a select few to enter. It was never completed and appears to have been abandoned when Europeans landed and spread disease throughout the region. At any rate, the amazing city remained known only to a few and was only reintroduced to the world in the early twentieth century when an American adventurer discovered it.

Since that time it has been explored, researched, and written about by hundreds of scientists and historians. Today Machu Picchu is a favorite destination for hundreds of thousands of eager visitors every year. Many tours begin in the Sacred Valley where the ancient Incas met to exchange goods in the marketplace. One of this area's most distinctive landmarks is the Temple of the Sun.

Those who are interested in the agricultural techniques of Incas can investigate the terraces and the way the citizens tilled their crops. You will probably be very impressed when you learn that they had to haul the top soil up from the valleys below to create those terraces.

The irrigation system the Incas created here is also very ingenious. It seems that they had extremely advanced ideas for their time. Existing stonework also suggests that they understood how to build structures that would last through time.

In order to get a real feel for the way people lived in this region, many choose to take hiking tours. Hikes may last for a couple of days or more than a week, and they may vary in intensity. Trip organizers often employ locals as guides. It is probably to use a guide f you are not very familiar with the area. Some people choose to strike out on their own or in small private groups. This is not a decision that everyone wants to make however.

If an extended hiking tour seems a little more strenuous than you were planning, you can still enjoy the area and your vacation time. You can browse the marketplaces and choose from many of the fine restaurants and shops found here. You can decide which areas of the ruins most interest you and where you want to spend your time.

Machu Picchu, Peru, and South America all have much to offer. They offer spectacular scenery, helpful friendly residents, and a unique history that cannot be matched anywhere else in the world.




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