While it’s true that there is information all over the internet on the widely discussed subject of Machu Picchu, after experiencing it first hand it became clear that there is a fair bit of noise out there and a concise guide would have been really helpful.
Getting There
Most people don’t realize how much work it actually is to get to this World Wonder. For Backpackers and the Outdoor Adventurer types, the preferred way to get there is to hike the Inca Trail. They might tell you that if you don’t hike it – why go at all? Personally I’d love to have hiked the whole 50 kilometers or whatever, but our time was short, so we did the simpler thing.
All it took was a 1.5 hour flight, a 2 hour bus ride and 2 hour train ride and we finally arrived in Aguas Calientes, or what’s commonly referred to as the Pueblo of Machu Picchu.
The Skinny Version
- ✈️ Flight from Lima -> Cusco (1.5 hours)
- 🚍 Bus from Cusco -> Ollaytantambo (2.5 hours)
- 🚂 Train from Ollaytantambo -> Agues Calientes (2 hours)
- 🚍 Bus from Aguas Calientes -> Machu Picchu Entrance (25 minutes)
Along the Way
We found a cheap, budget flight to Cusco from Lima. You can get tickets for as cheap as $65. When booking flights I always search first on Google Flights, as they seem to aggregate the best results and don’t seem to charge any extra fee for their service. Once I find the flight I’m interested in I usually book it directly from the airlines website. If the website seems poorly made or hard to navigate, I take it as a warning sign that the flight experience may be turbulent.
Cusco
While in Cusco, use the opportunity to secure your tickets to get into the Machu Picchu site. The basic ticket costs $45 and is sold at the Ministry of Cultura office or you can buy them online here. When you arrive, you will soon realize that you are at pretty high altitude. At over 11,000 feet, Cusco is more than double the elevation of Denver! For most people, altitude sickness typically kicks in after 8,000ft so you need to prepare accordingly. There are medications such as Diamox which can help, but I’m not a shaman, so check with your doctor before consuming. The locals drink coca tea or chew coca leaves (no, this is not the same as cocaine), which you can buy legally in Peru and is sold in most markets in Cusco for very cheap.
The Bus to Ollaytantambo
The bus ride from Cusco was surprisingly pleasant and incredibly scenic. Our bus left Cusco at 5am and by 7:30am we arrived in Ollaytantambo. That is a mouthful. This little town is right in the heart of the Sacred Valley and is situated right along the Urubamba river, 20 minutes from the town of Urubamba.
Train from Poroy Station (Ollaytantambo) to Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes)
Kirsty and I booked our bus/train through PeruRail, though there is another company called Inca Rail which seemed equally as good. At about $60 per person, these tickets cost almost as much as the airfare to get to Cusco! It is very important to book this in advance. If you allotted a week for Cusco & the Sacred Valley then you might get away with booking once you arrive in Cusco, but why risk it. February isn’t even peak season for Machu Picchu but our bus and train were both completely packed. The PeruRail staff were very punctual, orderly, and professional. This is in contrast with other parts of Peru which seemed more laid back and chaotic. Driving laws for example, are non-existent. One could theoretically drive all the way to Agues Calientes but besides the mountainous roads, you have to deal with Peruvian drivers, some of whom will casually pass you on a double-yellow line, around a bend, on the side of a mountain, with a sheer vertical drop.
The train ride can be classified as an experience in itself. It follows the Urubamba river – and I’m talking RIGHT. ALONG. THE RIVER. So for almost 2 hours you can see this raging beauty as you wonder how the hell the Inca’s ever found this place in the first place. I also found myself wondering how the Peruvians built this impressive railroad through the mountains yet much of the houses in the countryside lacked a roof. The rail cars themselves were especially impressive. The seats were big and comfortable and the roof was partially made of glass so one can peer out into the vast valley and see the peaks of mountains in the distance.
Aguas Calientes
The train drops you off in Aguas Calientes, which is at the base of Machu Picchu. In Spanish, Aguas Calientes literally means ‘hot waters’ and the town is true to its name, with thermal springs that are open to visitors located at the top of the town. Before arriving, be prepared for the onslaught of street vendors who want to sell you llama keychains and alpaca hats. The town is the definition of a ‘tourist trap’. But Kirsty and I still found it picturesque.
We stayed here for a night and hiked Machu Picchu the next morning but many people took the early morning bus/train, did the hike, and then took the same way back to Cusco all in a single day. This is definitely doable and works if you are really tight on time.
Machu Picchu – The Citadel City of the Inca
Once you arrive, you still need to find a way to get into the Machu Picchu site. They say when the Spanish conquistadores were in Peru, they never knew about this Incan treasure and it wasn’t until 1911 when an American explorer named Hiram Bingham came across the site and stunned the rest of the world with its existence. That’s because that even from the base of Aguas Calientes, you still must climb over a mile just to get to the entrance of the site!
Before you arrive, make sure you book your tickets for the actual site. It’s easy to overlook this part but it is best to do this in advance. Due to its popularity, Machu Picchu is limited to 800 visitors at a time. An additional 400 people are allowed to visit Huayna Picchu, which is the top most mountain peak you see in all the photos. This is more expensive and is a very advanced hike with lots of sheer vertical drops and jaw-dropping views. Remember that MP sits at 8,000ft and there is less oxygen. While altitude sickness usually won’t be a factor, you should be properly hydrated when exploring and use sunscreen because the UV is extremely strong and will singe you even if you go early in the morning.
The basic ticket to Machu Picchu goes for $45 and they do sell out often. Each person is given a 4 hour time window to visit the site so that not all 800 people go at once. It does seem like you can buy them on site but there is no guarantee that the site won’t sell out for the day. You might often hear that you need a guide to tour the site, this is not accurate. There are simply not enough guides for every group of people, but you are welcome to try get one if you are interested. Most guides speak some English and will seek you out and offer their services without much work on your part.
With tickets in hand the last step is to find a way to the entrance. There is a bus that can take you from the town entrance in Aguas Calientes, to the entrance of Machu Picchu. The bus is surprisingly expensive, at $12 per person, each way. Its only a 30 minute ride and tickets are available at a counter near the bus stop. The first bus goes up to the site at 5:30am and they run every 5-10 minutes or so.
If hiking is more your thing, you can follow the trail up to the entrance. The distance is not far and takes about 1.5 hours each way. But it does include some killer stairs. Almost 1km of straight stairs! When you get to the top and start exploring the site, you begin to realize just why people go so far out of their way to get there.
They say that the site was built as an estate for an Incan king in the 1500’s and that up to 1000 people lived here at a time. But after only 80 years, the site was abandoned and there is much debate as to why.
The Mystery Continues…
Why go through the trouble of building something so magnificent only to leave? Even more impressive is the engineering feats that the Inca’s were able to accomplish in just 80 years. I have a hard time believing that this was even possible. That only 1000 people built all this at an elevation of 8600ft without machine tools in just 80 years?
The terraces used for farming are so vast they seem to go on forever. And the stones used in the temples are just massive and so precisely cut. Seeing it in person you can’t help but wonder if it has been around much longer than people realize. The enigmatic history and the breathtaking landscape make Machu Picchu well worth the effort to get there!
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