Ruins

With ruins, tombs and structures dating as far back as 300 BC, the Petra World Heritage Site should be your first port of call.

When Hiram Bingham stumbled upon the ruins of Machu Picchu in 1911, he was quick to share his discovery with the Western world.

There are even maps which show reference to the ruins as early as 1874, strengthening the theory that Bingham was certainly not the first there.

After excavating the ruins of Machu Picchu Bingham made the conclusion that he had found the Lost City, and published his findings.

This of course prompted further thorough investigation, as well as the millions of visitors that flock to the now famous ruins every year.

Ironically, Bingham actually stumbled upon the ruins of the lost city on his way towards Machu Picchu, but dismissed it without much thought and continued on his journey.

It wasn't until 1964 that Gene Savoy identified the ruins as Vilcabamba, which is widely accepted among scholars, historians and archaeologists as true.