Welcome to the home of the one of the most magnificent Machu Picchu Tours on the globe! Explore with us, the great ruins of Machu Picchu, the sacred lost city, and be transported back in time and culture to one of the most wondrous places in the world!

At a distance of 120 km. (75 miles) from Cuzco, in the valley of the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu rises to an altitude of 2,400 meters (7,900 ft.) above sea level between the Huayna Picchu (young peak) and Machu Picchu (old peak). It lies within the spectacular framework provided by the lush vegetation of nearby mountaine rainforest and the rugged landscape.

Witness, first hand, Machu Picchu which legends and myths indicate was revered as a sacred place from a time long ago. Invisible from below, completely self-contained, sustained by agricultural terraces sufficient to feed the population, and watered by natural springs, Machu Picchu was certainly an important and secretive ceremonial city. Over two thousand feet above the rumbling Urubamba River, the cloud shrouded ruins have palaces, temples, baths, dwellings, and storage buildings all of which are in a remarkable state of preservation. See, feel, touch and experience these structures, carved from the gray granite of the mountain top which are wonders of both architectural and aesthetic genius. Many of the building blocks weigh more than 50 tons and yet, are so precisely sculpted, and fitted together with such exactness that the mortarless joints will not permit the insertion of even a thin-blade knife.

The magnificent ruins are situated on the eastern slope of Machu Picchu in two different areas: the agricultural and the urban. The latter includes the civil sector (dwellings, terraces), and the sacred sector (temples, squares, royal houses). Although constructions show different levels of architecture, religious buildings exhibit an extremely high degree of perfection. The unbelievable construction was generally of stone, with the roofs built of tree trunks and thatched with ichu straw. The walls were made with an inclination inward to protect against earthquake collapses.

Little is known of the social or religious use of the site during Incan times, but many theories have arisen. One of Machu Picchu's primary functions, and one that evidence can still be seen today, is that of an astronomical observatory. The Intihuatana Stone (meaning 'Hitching Post of the Sun') has been shown to be a precise indicator of the date of the two equinoxes and other significant celestial periods. The Intihuatana (also called the Saywa or Sukhanka Stone) is designed to “hitch” the Sun at the two equinoxes. At midday on March 21st and September 21st, the Sun stands almost directly over the pillar, creating not the hint of a shadow. At this precise moment the Sun "sits with all its might upon the pillar" and is for a moment "tied" to the stone. At these periods, the Incas held ceremonies at the stone in which they "tied the Sun" to halt its northward movement in the sky.

Shamanic legends say that when sensitive persons touch their foreheads to the stone, the Intihuatana opens one's vision to the spirit world. Intihuatana Stones were the supremely sacred objects of the Inca people and were systematically searched for and destroyed by the Spaniards. When the Intihuatana Stone was broken at an Inca shrine, the Inca believed that the deities of the place died or departed. The Spaniards never found Machu Picchu, even though they suspected its existence, thus the Intihuatana Stone and its resident spirits remain in their original position. The mountain top sanctuary fell into disuse and was abandoned some forty years after the Spanish took Cuzco in 1533. Supply lines linking the many Incan social centers were disrupted and the great empire came to an end.

From the peak of the Huayna Picchu, situated opposite Machu Picchu, there is a spectacular panoramic view of the imposing mass of ruins and the Urubamba Valley. The breathtaking views from this mountain-top citadel and its well-preserved ruins are a photographer’s dream!

You will also browse the village markets where ancient traditions live on in the hearts of the Andean people and where much of their art and work has remained unchanged for thousands of years. Visit other spectacular Inca ruins such as Sacsayhuamán, Pisac, and Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley that accent Machu Picchu and its people.

You will be mesmerized by the ruins, the people and the culture that live very much like they did centuries ago. Experiencing Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley transport you back to a culture that will leave you breathless and inspired by the beauty and engineering achievements they were able to work.

Cusco: Four roads once led from Cuzco's main square to the four corners of the Inca empire that extended from what is today Ecuador and part of Colombia to northern Chile and Argentina, including all of Peru and Bolivia. An empire almost as vast as the Roman Empire, the Inca nation was connected by a road network stretching over 23,000 km. (14,300 miles). Due to its position as the capital of the Inca dynasty, contemporary Cuzco, a city 3,300 meters above sea level (10,500 ft.) is a showcase of several different cultures: Pre-Inca, Inca, Colonial and republican. But Cuzco was more than just a capital city. It was an administrative, military and holy city, similar to Mecca, and is now the oldest inhabited city of the Americas. Many kinds of architecture are found here and one's eyes can feast on their splendid variety and combinations.

The Inca's most sacred building in Cuzco, the Korikancha (Temple of the Sun), today forms part of the Spanish church of Santo Domingo. Ruins, temples, churches, and mansions make this a memorable destination, full of history and culture. A city with a splendid legacy, Cuzco's winding cobbled streets transport visitors through its rich and beautiful past.

These tours are designed to allow you the freedom to take in the wonders of the Andes, but also to give you local Incan descendents to guide you and provide insight needed to appreciate the culture and the people that transformed the region.