The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is considered by the National Geographic and other recognized magazines as one of the 5 best treks in the world. This 45 km cobbled path takes you after 4 days of walking to one of the 7 wonders of the world Machu Picchu and to learn the most amazing details of one of the most impressive discoveries of the 21st century.
In addition to the beautiful landscapes and the mystique of this ancient Inca trail. The classic Inca trail allows you to explore other Inca citadels that are closely linked to the sacred citadel of Machu Picchu.
Book your spot for the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and enjoy one of the most fascinating hiking experiences in the world.
Summary
The 4 most important cities on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Within the archaeological park of Machu Picchu there are around 200 kilometers of Inca trails and an endless number of archaeological complexes that have not yet been shown to tourists. On the 4-day Inca trail, you can see around 7 Inca sites.
Llactapata
1. Llactapata
Llactapata is one of the most famous archaeological sites on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. To visit this place, you must walk 5 kilometers from kilometer 82. It is a citadel and administrative control center within the vast network of Inca trails. Today it preserves part of its walls and set of platforms in good condition. Although they can be appreciated from a distance, the only way to see them up close is through the Inca Trail.
What is Llactapata?
It is the first archaeological site that the tourist will appreciate during the 4-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. It is also known as Patallacta. This last name, according to various investigations, was the original Inca name of the citadel that we know today as Machu Picchu.
It was an urban center and an administrative checkpoint on the Inca trail that led to Antisuyo. Like the other Inca urban centers built on the site, it also served as an agricultural center where products such as potatoes, corn, and quinoa were grown.
Its name comes from two Quechua words ‘Llacta’ and ‘Pata’ which together mean ‘Town on platforms’. This is due to its location on top of a set of agricultural and containment platforms.
This archaeological site should not be confused with another place of the same name, located to the west of Machu Picchu. This last archaeological site can be visited during the famous 5-day Salkantay trek.
Sayacmarca
2. Sayacmarca
Sayacmarca is an enigmatic place located between the last Andean foothills and the beginning of the Amazon cloud forest. This Inca citadel is located 20 kilometers on foot from the starting point of the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. A few steps away is the Chaquicocha camp, where tourists spend the second night. The site is famous for its cliff-edge structures as well as its extensive platform system.
What is Sayacmarca?
It is one of the Inca archaeological sites that can only be visited through the famous 4-day Inca Trail.
Its name comes from two Quechua words «Sayac» «Marca» which mean «impassable town». Its buildings are on the edge of a precipice, which gives it the appearance of being an impenetrable castle.
It is a set of narrow streets, enclosures and passages arranged in different planes, squares, canals, walls with niches or niches and trapezoidal doors. All built on a rough terrain, where they had to overcome the inclination.
Its function was that of an urban center where approximately 200 people lived. It also presents religious temples where the Incas worshiped their most important gods: the sun, the moon, the mountains, etc.
Sayacmarca was discovered in 1915 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham, the same one who scientifically found Machu Picchu in 1911. The researcher gave it the name ‘Cedrobamba’ (cedar forest) because these trees were abundant at that time. In 1941, the expedition led by Paúl Fejos changed its name to Sayacmarca.
Some investigations suggest that Sayacmarca has a past before the Incas. However, it was the Incas who best adapted this construction, implementing dozens of agricultural terraces for the self-subsistence of the two hundred inhabitants on average who occupied this place in the 15th century.
Phuyupatamarca
3. Phuyupatamarca
It is one of the most beautiful archaeological sites on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. It is a sacred urban center where it has platforms for the cultivation of different agricultural products. It is located 32 kilometers from kilometer 82 (it is located just 11 kilometers from Machu Picchu). The only way to visit it is through the 4-day Inca Trail tour. Just a few steps away is the camp of the same name (considered by some to be the most beautiful camp on the Inca trail).
Phuyupatamarca, citadel above the clouds
It is a citadel perched behind the Machu Picchu mountain. It has one of the most amazing views of the Inca trail to Machu Picchu.
Its name comes from Quechua words that mean: «Place above the clouds.» This due to its geographical location on a mountain surrounded by mist, especially in the morning.
Like many Inca citadels around, Phuyupatamarca fulfilled an urban, sacred and astronomical function. In addition, dozens of platforms were built there for agricultural production that made it self-sustaining.
The entire complex is surrounded by abundant vegetation, typical of the jungle. It is in good condition.
Wiñaywayna
4. Wiñayhuayna
Is currently the best preserved citadel on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. Its mountainous geography, as well as its stone constructions, give it a similarity to Machu Picchu. This Inca site can be visited on the third or fourth day of the hike. Due to its scenic beauty and historical importance, it is one of the most photographed tourist attractions on the Inca trail.
Mini Machu Picchu
Wiñayhuayna is one of the most famous architectural monuments of the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary. It was built by Emperor Pachacutec in the 15th century, almost at the same time that Machupicchu was built.
Wiñayhuayna is a Quechua name that means ‘Forever young’ or ‘Eternally young’. The reason for this name is that orchids named in this way abound in this territory.
Due to its location on top of a mountain, its entrance is exclusive for tourists who make the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, either the classic 4-day Inca trail or the short Inca trail.
Wiñayhuayna is made up of more than 40 agricultural terraces built on the slopes of the mountain. The lower buildings were built for the common population while the upper structures for the Inca elite. These have fine carvings and sets of windows overlooking the beautiful mountainous landscape.
Likewise, the set of liturgical sources stand out, on a strongly inclined surface. The entire small city is made of granite rock and seen from a high part, clearly, we can notice that it has the same architectural layout as Machu Picchu.
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is the most important pre-Hispanic and tourist trail in Latin America and walking it gives you the opportunity to connect with Mother Earth and the mountains and thus understand why Machu Picchu was built in such a wild place.
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