The Incas build Machu Picchu around AD 1400 but it was abandoned a hundred years later at the time of the Spanish conquest. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being "discovered " in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham.

The Inca Trail trail to Machu Picchu is a spectacular 3 or 4 days hike in the Andes mountain range and passes through cloud forests, alpine tundra, spectacular mountain passes.

Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Peru”s most visited tourist attraction and a major revenue generator. However there are great concerns about overuse leading to erosion, on both the trail and the site.