The wonder of the world Machu Picchu is on the wish list of almost eight billion people on the planet. Around two million people a year travel to this iconic World Heritage site. However, most people head straight for the Inca citadel and miss out on some of the other great things to do in Machu Picchu town also commonly called Aguas Calientes, the starting point for any visit to Machu Picchu. Give yourself a little time to discover the most interesting places in the small but interesting town closest to the wonder of the world.
Summary
1. Visit the Butterfly Garden
This place is a 20-minute walk from Machu Picchu town (to avoid confusion remember that the official name is Machu Picchu Pueblo= Town, however it is called locally as Aguas Calientes).
On the banks of the Vilcanota River and before beginning the ascent to the Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu is one of the places most committed to nature and the environment in all of Cusco: the Machu Picchu Butterflies Research and Interpretation Center, which studies to the more than 300 lepidoptera that inhabit the area.
The project, started in 2006, already shows some concrete results, such as the location of the first endemic butterfly of the place whose scientific name is Battus Madyes Monteban. This is characterized by its black color, as explained to El Comercio, Leonardo Serrano, one of those in charge of the project.
«This butterfly cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Like the plant it feeds on called Aristolochia Killipiana. Special care must be given here in Machu Picchu,» Serrano said.
There are tourist guides that provide a guided tour that lasts between 15 and 20 minutes. The cost to this incredible place is only 10 soles.
Butterfly house
2. Explore the Manuel Chavez Ballon Museum
This museum is located just 20 minutes from Machu Picchu town and just 300 meters from the butterfly garden.
The today remodeled Manuel Chávez Ballón Museum, receives the tourist, local, national and foreign, promoting the cultural visit to our museum, where in each of the rooms, archaeological collections from the archaeological interventions developed are dynamically displayed. in different years and archaeological monuments of the Machupicchu National Archaeological Park.
An impressive sample that has been developed according to the museographic script, designed to demonstrate the cultural processes and historical-archaeological moments that occurred in the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu – Machupicchu National Archaeological Park.
The content is shown through eight sequences, which are distributed among infographics, panels, maps, videos, and of course samples of our collections such as ceramics, lithics, metals, and others.
At the Manuel Chavez Ballon Museum you can learn more about the history, culture and rediscovery of Machu Picchu. The special thing about the museum are the four exhibition rooms with more than 250 original objects made of stone, bone, ceramic, metal, etc., that have been found in the city of Machu Picchu and on the Inca Trail in recent decades.
The cost of admission to this museum is only 22 soles per person.
Chavez Ballon Museum
3. Mandor’s Gardens
It is one of the tourist attractions of Machu Picchu town, which has areas of abundant vegetation, fauna and flora characteristic of the high jungle region. It offers a pleasant short walk as well as a 30 meter high waterfall, the most famous point in the gardens. Despite being a very beautiful place, few tourists visit it.
The Mandor gardens are located almost 2 kilometers from the town of Aguas Calientes in Cusco. It could also be said that it is located at the foot of Machu Picchu, on one side of the Vilcanota River and within a tropical forest with abundant flora and fauna.
To get to the Mandor gardens, you must follow the train tracks that go from Machu Picchu town in the direction of the Hydroelectric station. Almost 2 kilometers from the route, a sign announcing the entrance to Mandorpampa can be seen on one side of the road. You only have to follow the path that leads to the ticket office. After paying the entrance ticket, which costs 20 soles, you follow a path surrounded by trees to finally arrive at the falls, the central point of the Mandor gardens.
Mandor fall
4. Visit the hot springs
After an arduous walk on the Salkantay trek or the Inca trail, relax in the hot springs of Machu Picchu town. Because this town has these hot springs, it is commonly called Aguas Calientes.
These hot springs are open every day from 5 in the morning to 7 at night and have a cost of 20 soles.
Thermal baths
5. Visit the stone sculptures of Aguas Calientes
To beautify Machu Picchu town, the mayor ordered the construction of 37 stone sculptures that make up the so-called Stone Chronicles circuit. The sculptures were made by artists from Cusco. They all have an Andean theme that attracts the attention of visitors. The tour of the sculptures is free for everyone.
The most striking sculptures in Aguas Calientes are:
Mama Qocha.
Munay sonqo.
Cusi Qoyllur ecstasy.
Hope of humanity.
Inkari.
Couple sculpture.
Pachamama.
Sculpture encounters.
Siqlla.
Capaq qolla.
Holy cross.
Macchu Picchu.
Ayllu family
Sculpture maternal wisdom.
Cougar.
Sun disk.
Conopas
Condor.
kisses of the gods
Inca purification.
Spectacled bear sculpture.
Ukuku.
Siwar qente.
Wiraqocha.
The stone sculptures of Machu Picchu town are free for all visitors and most are found in the main square and streets of the town.
Some sculptures are found inside the thermal baths of Aguas Calientes
Munay Sonqo
6. Climb Putucusi Mountain
If you like outdoor walks, Putucusi Mountain is the preferred activity for adventurous people in Machu Picchu town.
This hiking activity is one of the most difficult short hikes in Machu Picchu town. It crosses a poorly marked path as well as some extreme vertical stairs. The one-way journey takes approximately 2 hours.
The top of this mountain will allow you to take amazing views of the Inca citadel of Machupicchu from a little known angle.
Putucusi mountain
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