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It is one of the most iconic attractions in the world and now it has been visited by one of the most famous boy bands on earth.

As Harry Styles and Liam Payne visited the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, fellow tourists were delighted to snap pictures of the One Direction stars at Peru's most famous site.

While the young stars soaked up the view - and even photobombed a couple of keen tourists - they added a certain star appeal to the Unesco World Heritage Sit.

On top of the world: Liam looked like he was enjoying the view whilst visiting the Machu Picchu

Taking in the view: Harry and Liam hiked to one of the world heritage site Machu Picchu near the Peruvian city of Cusco

But they're not the only celebrities to visit the 15th-century ruins, which were lost to the jungle when the city was deserted by its Inca inhabitants.

Ever since American archeologist Hiram Bingham rediscovered Machu Picchu in 1911, the great and the good have flocked to visit the Peruvian site.

Cameron Diaz, U2's Bono and even Homer Simpson have made the trek to the ruins, which sit at 7,970ft above sea level.

Star visit: MTV Canada host Sol Guy and Cameron Diaz filmed at Machu Picchu in 2007, but the actress inadvertently offended Peruvians with her Maoist bag

The One Direction boys visited this week when they were taking time off from their world tour which began a week ago and will see them visit an exhausting 21 cities globally.

Liam was certainly enjoying his taste for adventure as he tweeted on Monday: 'My real job is explorer all the rest of the stuff just part time keeping busy'

Actress Cameron Diaz also caused a stir when she visited the site back in 2007 while taking part in a television show that celebrated Peru's culture.

Family visit: Bono made his first trip to Peru with his wife and caused quite a stir when he called in at the Inca ruins

Celebration: Susan Sarandon was one of the stars who reopened the Inca citadel after it was forced to close following damage form heavy rains

The actress was in Peru as part of '4 REAL', a Canadian TV production that focuses on young community leaders around the world.

However the Hollywood star was forced to apologise when she was pictured wearing an olive green bag emblazoned with a red star and the words 'Serve the People' printed in Chinese.

The star had bought the bag as a tourist in China and hadn't realised that the famous Maoist phrase would cause offence in a country where the Maoist Shining Path insurgency that fought the government in the 1980s and early 1990s left nearly 70,000 people dead.

Rocking out: Rolling Stones star Mick Jagger had his owns songs sung to him by locals when he visited Machu Picchu

Rainy day: Richard Gere almost escaped unnoticed as he sheltered under a poncho to visit the ruins

In 2012, U2 front man and philanthropist Bono took a tour of Machu Picchu, much to the delight of fellow tourists who cheered the star as he strolled around the site and Mick Jagger had Rolling Stones sung to his when he called in.

Hollywood star Richard Gere looked like an average tourist when he sheltered under a poncho to visit the site on a rainy day, while fellow star Susan Sarandon was at the star-studded reopening of the site in 2010 after it as forced to close when heavy rains caused damage to the ruins.

On his many travels around the world Michael Palin has also visited the Inca site while filming his BBC documentary Full Circle.

And The Simpsons patriarch himself has also discovered the lost city of the Incas while looking for an errant Bart.

Liam Payne and Harry Styles of 1D visit Machu Picchu

Snap happy: Liam couldn't resist taking a few snaps of his own as they walked around

Not on their own: The boys were surrounded by quite a crew during their trip

The superstar boy band kicked off their Where We Are world tour in South America on Friday evening and it's said the four boys were given a huge entourage of guards and police to ensure their safety while they performed in an area known for being a kidnapping hot spot.

It's claimed the boys had more than 200 people protecting them and have even been given 'hostile environment' training.

Proving their boy power credentials, the five young men performed to an estimated 40,000 screaming fans at the El Campin stadium in Columbia – where they opened their Where We Are world tour, which will see them deliver 67 dates across the globe.

The epic Where We Are tour then opens in Europe in Croke Park Ireland on 23 May before landing in London's Wembley Stadium on 6 June.

Deep in thought: At one point Liam looked contemplative as he sat on rock

Laid back: Liam looked cool with a plaid shirt tied around his waist

Keeping their balance: Harry and Liam looked like they were enjoying navigating the hilly site together

Don't look down: Harry looked sheepish as he gazed down the valley from the huge height of the mountain