Aguas Calientes Hot Springs (Machu Picchu Pueblo) near Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes)

After a day climbing around Machu Picchu, many visitors walk ten minutes uphill from the plaza in Aguas Calientes, the town the springs named, to these municipal pools. The setting is the best part: a narrow gorge with jungle-covered cliffs rising straight up on both sides. There are about seven concrete pools, with temperatures reported from the mid-30s to the low 40s °C, and the water is yellowish and cloudy from its sulphur and mineral content rather than from dirt.

Entry is around S/20 to 25 for foreigners, paid in cash at the booth; ignore street sellers offering discount tickets. Hours run from 5 am into the evening, and you get about an hour and a half in the water. Bring a swimsuit, towel, sandals and a padlock for the lockers.

A small bar serves drinks poolside. The honest downside: between late morning and mid-afternoon the pools get packed with day-trippers, and the cloudy water and basic changing rooms disappoint some people.