chakanatourperu.com — Inca Trail specialist Chakana Adventure Travel is a specialists tour operator and travel agency offering challenging small-group treks and tours, throughout Peru, as well as individually created tailor made itineraries, we aim to discover the spectacular wilderness areas, fascinating native cultures and diverse wildlife of this spellbinding cou
Oct 17, 2009 View in Crawl 4
incatrail121Aug 26, 2010
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,430 metres (8,000 ft) above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", Machu Picchu is one of the most familiar symbols of the Inca Empire. Although known locally, it was said to have been forgotten for centuries when the site was brought to worldwide attention in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American historian. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction. Previously, in 1867 by a German businessman, Augusto Berns. In fact, there is substantial evidence that a British missionary, Thomas Payne, and a German engineer, J. M. von Hassel, arrived earlier than Hiram, and maps found by historians show references to Machu Picchu as early as 1874.
incatrail060Dec 8, 2010
Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.