MACHU PICCHU, PERU

The final destination on this list is the city of Machu Picchu in Peru. This trip is definitely not meant for everyone. You need to be fit to handle the hiking and possible altitude sickness. In 2013 a British man died as a result of the altitude sickness.

Machu Picchu, a UNESCO site, is visited by 400,000 people annually. It’s a citadel of cut stone fit together so tightly that its cracks still can’t be penetrated by a knife’s blade. The city is built on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley. The city sits in a saddle between the two mountains Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, with a commanding view down the two valleys and a nearly impassable mountain at its back. The hillsides leading to it have been terraced, not only to provide more farmland to grow crops, but to steepen the slopes which invaders would have to ascend.

Historians still cannot agree on the purpose of this city. Was this complex of palaces, temples and homes built as a ceremonial site, a military stronghold or a retreat for royals. It’s an amazing location, certainly well suited for any of those purposes.