The Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self-Guided Tour

If you are thinking of doing this amazing site without a guide take this book. It brings the whole area alive. My whole family agree that without this book Machu Picchu wouldhave been ruins in a stunning landscape but this book brought the Inks civilization and how M P was used, as far as is known, alive. The only book you need .

Was due to take this on holiday with me two days after lockdown. :(

Definately worth reading before visiting Machu Picchu. An extensive walk through guide, comprehensively written. A guide book that I would recommend.

The book was written in a very user-friendly, informative style & was ideal both as concise pre-reading & a very portable reference during the Machu Picchu visit itself. A perfect companion for helping the reader to understand & enjoy the whole breathtaking experience. Highly recommended.

Excellent guide - essential when you're there as the place is amazing. Easy to follow with lots of interesting information in an easy to read narrative.Don't go there without it..!!

Book was exactly as described

Very informative

Just the job

Read for an important note for anyone visiting Machu PIcchu post-pandemic.This book is *the* best one out there for getting into the specifics of the individual structures of Machu Picchu for a visit. Other guidebooks may have a short section on Machu Picchu; this one is *entirely* about the lost city. In great detail, by an author/authority who spent many years researching it and visiting it.However, post-pandemic, Machu Picchu has completely re-done how you can visit the entire site. You are no longer permitted to wander the site freely, which is what this book was designed for and would be most useful for. You can now visit *only* by buying tickets to specific "circuits" that take you through the site one time only, in one direction, on a path. The good news about this is that it now never feels crowded and the number of visitors is strictly limited and enforced.This has the unfortunate side effect of rendering this book much less of a practical guide for when you're there, and instead turns it into more of a reference book.It still is GREAT, and I'd highly recommend it if you are headed to Machu Picchu-- its depth of information is excellent, and will give you a finer appreciation of the things you do see. (Also, hire a guide for your time there, for sure... there are plenty that solicit you on the spot or in town, you won't have trouble getting one and they're licensed and regulated.) So this book is still worth picking up. Just know that you won't be able to use it to just wander and explore the ruins, as it was intended. And that policy is unlikely to change.

we visited machu picchu twice and each time, as we discussed the site using the book, peruvian guides would come over and listen to our discussions which were way beyond what they knew. actually, as we listened to them, they often gave totally erroneous information. buy the book and read it before you go (and have it with you, highlighted) as it provides a wealth of information available no where else.

Very good bussiness. Quick delivery ( I am from Spain ) and perfect packaging. Highly recommended trader. Thanks a lot

Great book for the plane rides, waiting in airports, evenings in the hostel and overall prep for the trip. Escential guide book while on the monutain once the guide allows you to explore. Helped me to validate what the guides were saying as well as call their bulls***. Don't be fooled by the guides, not everything is for the summer solstice!

I'm a spaz. Anything that goes into my backpack better be dang worth the extra weight. This book 100% was. We hiked 5 days to Macchu Picchu and on the day we arrived 2 of our 5 had food poisoning. They hung outside the bathrooms and didn't even go in while the rest of us went on our tour.At first, I was bummed because I didn't use the book at all! The tour moved quickly and I didn't have time to take it out; just followed along, snapping pictures and listening to the guide.Now thankfully (Ha, I know they would not agree), my friends with food poisoning missed the tour. We ended up staying in Aguas C for a 2nd day so that the next day we could take the bus back up to MP and they could see what they just spent a ton of money and 5 days hiking to see :). That's when I got a chance to whip out this book and CRAP! It was fantastic. There was so much in here that our tour guide did not mention. Photos and descriptions; it was fantastic!Now: what I would actually recommend so that you get the best experience (heck, you prob only come here once), is get a tour guide and take his/her tour. They will show you around and also give you a chance to get familiar with the layout. They give you great information, great personal experience, etc. Plus they are pretty cheap. THEN either come up the next day, or I am sure your tour isn't that long. Then have this book and walk around by yourself. Lay out in a grassy area, and read up. Then walk around and read while you see what is in the book. The book also has great photos so now 6 months later when I pick it up, I see the photo, I see the description and then i remember how awesome it was. I'm horribly unorganized so my photos from the trip are great, but nothing is labeled so I've forgotten a lot of it. The book is worth keeping after the trip to remember the details.I also always buy a Fodor's or Lonely Planet book and then highlight or staple in menus. tickets, write notes in the pages about things we did. Such a fun way to reflect back on a trip!