If you like orchids and adventure, and you are not afraid of heights and walking then I recommend you to visit the Machu Picchu sanctuary.
The starting point is the city of Cuzco, where you take a train to Aguas Calientes, a small town of 9000 inhabitants that live exclusively from tourism. In this small town there is accomodation that can range from US$15 for a double room to US$145 in the more exclusive hotel. In Aguas Calientes you can visit the Thermal baths that are situated at about 800 meters from the railway station, on the way I photographed three different orchids in flower, Alstenstenia fimbriata,a pink Epidendrum secundum and a Lycaste trifoliata.
If you stay at the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, then you can admire their gardens where they claim to have over 140 species of orchids from the region,(not all from the sanctuary) they also allow visitors, but you will have to pay US$5 as an entry fee.The gardens consist of native forest where a lot of orchid plants can be seen, the best months for floration are October and November, during the month of April I was able to photograph the following species: Phragmipedium caudatum, Hofmeisterella eumicroscopica, Oncidium scansor, Encyclia fusca, Oncidium pentadactilon, Pleurothalis ruberrima, Scaphiglotis leucantha, as well as various unidentified species.
From Aguas Calientes if one walks 300 meters down the railway line, comes to a path that will take you to the "Mirador", recomended only for young adventurous people, since in three places along the path one has to climb 150 feet ladders that are stuck against the rock and are very slippery due to the permanent rains in the region. Nevertheless in the first half of this path, besides the good view of the river, can see Sobralia dichotoma, which by itself makes the effort worth while.
The Inca Trail is an exciting experience that takes on average four days, the highest point is the pass at Warmiwanuska at 4800 meters (14500 feet). For those that are not so intrepid, exists the possibility of doing the Royal Inca Trail, which has been opened to the tourist only recently and takes only two days, it starts at Km.104 and climbs from 6500 feet to 10000 feet at Wiñay Huayna (Means "always young" in the Quechua language, and it is also the name given to Epidendrum secundum that grows throughout the year in this region) it is here that usually one spends the night, there is accomodation (very rustic) and not always available. The ruins at Wiñay Huayna are worth while visiting, they are surrounded by lush forest, of special interest are the row of baths where water still runs in between the stone masonry. For the orchid lower, the walk from Wiñay Huayna to Machu Picchu is an unforgettable experience since it is full of bromeliads and orchids, I was able to photograph Epidendrum secundum, a pink and a white variety, Lycaste longipetala, Masdevallia veitchiana, Pleurothalis stenophilla, two types of Elleanthus, one Odontoglossum, Maxillaria gigantea and the ever present Sobralia dichotoma. The distance from Wiñay Huayna to Machu Picchu is six kilometers that will take from three to six hours, depending on the amount of orchids you will come across.
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