Exploring Machu Picchu
Groups of people can be seen exploring spectacular Machu Picchu in this panoramic view from near the entrance. Best seen large to appreciate the scale, this is a stitched three shot panorama of the 15th century Inca site which is located on a mountain ridge at about 8000 feet elevation. The ruins lie in a saddle between the the two mountains Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, and are frequently shrouded in clouds. Machu Picchu is situated above a loop of the Urubamba River, which surrounds the site on three sides, with cliffs dropping vertically for 1,480 feet to the river at their base. The site was abandoned after the Spanish conquest, and rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham. Because it was not known to the Spanish, it is relatively intact, and is a World Heritage site.
See another view from above in the comments, and more from Machu Picchu in my Peru set. www.flickr.com/photos/12496504@N06/sets/72157612123432710/
Exploring Machu Picchu
Groups of people can be seen exploring spectacular Machu Picchu in this panoramic view from near the entrance. Best seen large to appreciate the scale, this is a stitched three shot panorama of the 15th century Inca site which is located on a mountain ridge at about 8000 feet elevation. The ruins lie in a saddle between the the two mountains Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, and are frequently shrouded in clouds. Machu Picchu is situated above a loop of the Urubamba River, which surrounds the site on three sides, with cliffs dropping vertically for 1,480 feet to the river at their base. The site was abandoned after the Spanish conquest, and rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham. Because it was not known to the Spanish, it is relatively intact, and is a World Heritage site.
See another view from above in the comments, and more from Machu Picchu in my Peru set. www.flickr.com/photos/12496504@N06/sets/72157612123432710/