Welcome to the land of the mysterious Incas, high Andean mountains, steamy rainforests and inviting beaches. Whether you're after River Rafting or hiking the Inca trail, Peru has it all! With well over 100 distinct ecological zones and a rich cultural heritage, Peru has something to offer everyone. There are many wonderful tourist destinations across the length and breadth of Peru. Visit the cities of Peru, where the past and present coexist in unique ways. We welcome you to our comprehensive website for Inca trail hiking To Machu Picchu, Peru.

The 4 days Inca Trails to Machu Picchu is rated among the ten best trekking trails in the world because of its striking beauty, ancient Inca ruins and diverse ecological zones.

This route traverses very diverse terrains, from high desert plateau to tropical Andean rainforest. Following an ancient Inca trail, we will be walking past mysterious archaeological sites half-cloaked in jungle overgrowth that makes it look like you are discovering them for the first time.

Llactapata:

(also spelled Llaqtapata) is a combination of two Quechua words. Hiram Bingham, discoverer of Machu Picchu and many other Incan sites, states that Llacta Pata is a descriptive term; "llacta" means "town" and "pata" means "a height". Thus, more than one site has been, and is, referred to by this name. Hiram Bingham first discovered Llactapata in 1912. "We found evidence that some Inca chieftain had built his home here and had included in the plan ten or a dozen buildings." Bingham locates the site "on top of a ridge between the valleys of the Aobamba and the Salkantay, about 5,000 feet above the estate of Huaquina." "Here we discovered a number of ruins and two or three modern huts. The Indians said that the place was called Llacta Pata." Bingham did not investigate the ruins thoroughly, however, and they were not studied again for another 70 years.

A mid-2003 study of the site was conducted by Thomson and Ziegler and concluded that Llactapata's location along the Inca trail suggests that it was an important rest stop and roadside shrine on the journey to Machu Picchu. The complex is located some four kilometers west of Machu Picchu high on a ridge between the Aobamba and Santa Teresa drainages. This and subsequent investigations revealed an extensive complex of structures and features related to and connected with Machu Picchu by a continuation of the Inca Trail leading onward into the Vilcabamba. Llactapata may have been a member of the network of interrelated administrative and ceremonial sites which supported the regional center at Machu Picchu. It probably played an important astronomical function during the solstices and equinoxes.