From the Sacred Valley, we took that train for 1 1/2 hours to Aguas Callentes.  Then we traveled another 30 minutes to get up the windy road to Machu Picchu which is in a very remote place.  It is such an icredible place.  And we are so glad that we got to spend a couple of days there.  We had a guide for the first 4-5 hours we were there, then we were free to roam about as we wished.  It was nice to have a guide to tell us more about all the nooks and crannies including the royalty section, the workers and farmers section, the temples, etc.  Just fascinating.  There were llamas up there "mowing" the grasss in some areas.  The elevation of Machu Picchu is about 8,000 feet which is much lower than Cuzco which is 11,500 feet with a pass over 13,000 feet to go over.  The high altitudes affected us a little if we were going up hill and hauling luggage, but most of the time we had no trouble.  However, at night at the high altitudes in Cuzco and Puno, we had difficulty sleeping at night.