Summary: Machu Picchu Pueblo also known as Aquas Calientes (“Hot Waters” - because of its famous hot springs) is the gateway to the world’s most famous archeological site, Machu Picchu. Founded in 1911 along with the railway (a monumental engineering feat), the town began just ten years after the modern-day discovery of the Incan royal city of Machu Picchu. It is the end of the line for the daily trains that bring visitors from Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Besides being the starting point for a twenty-minute bus ride or a hour and half hike to the archeological site, the town offers its own attractions. The central market is filled with a large selection of tourist trinkets, as well as local goods, such as colorful hand-woven textiles, fresh fruits and produce, exotic sounding and smelling herbs and natural homemade concoctions created for your benefit. I was glad to find a fresh supply of Maca, a powder made from a root crop that is said to have been used by Incan royalty for strength and stamina. Of course, there are stalls offering Coca leaves, which are especially good for the treatment of the high altitude illness often encountered by flatlanders newly arrived in the Andes. There are a surprising number of good restaurants in town. Indio Feliz offers an eclectic menu and an abundance of spirited fun that gets your Andean vacation off to a good start. An elegant stop for local and fusion foods is the Tree House, where you may get a Thai spiced fish or hearty Peruvian meat dish with your genuine Pisco sours. Since spending a night in Machu Picchu Pueblo in order to beat the tour groups and be one of the first at the archeological site is one of my best recommendations, it’s a good that there are a wide selection of accommodations in town. They run the gamut from student hostels to five-star properties, yet none even closely compares with the glorious Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, a Relais & Chateaux property. Tucked away in a 12-acre garden of tropical flora, the intimate 85-casita hotel conjures up an Andean village in architecture and spirit. Located on the edge of the Vilcanota River, it offers a gentle refuge from the overflow of people in town and at up at the site. Dinner at its first-class restaurant is within ear shot of the rushing river (breakfast and lunch are included in your hotel package) and was one of the highlights of my and Julie’s Peruvian adventure. In my latest pod cast, I discuss the property and the hotel’s commitment to the protection and preservation of Peru’s natural treasures, including the endangered Andean Bear, with hotel general manager Joaquin Escudero. For information on all the Inkaterra properties in Peru go to Inkaterra.com. For more on the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel visit their website.
