Putucusi soars 8,400 feet (2,560 meters) into the air inside the Sacred Valley of the Inca, near to Machu Picchu, the massive UNESCO-listed Inca fortress on the top of a mountain that is truly beyond the imagination, no matter how many photos seen. Travelers may opt to take a two-day tour along the fabled Inca Trail to visit the village’s cobbled streets and the monolithic stones of the Temple of the Sun built by Pachacuti in the 1400s.xa0
Other tours include a hike along the Salkantay Trail, a remote trek in the same Andean region as the Inca Trail, offers travelers spectacular scenery—soaring mountains, picturesque villages, lakes, and lush jungle—minus the crowds. Inca Trail tours are typically booked far in advance, making Salkantay a flexible and affordable alternative to reach Machu Picchu.