A Day Trip to Machu Picchu: how to get there and what to expect

 

I’m not a big planner.  And I’ve learned from my past trips that sometimes the best things come from unmade plans.  So my Peru trip was much like that- before we left we had two things figured out: our tickets to and from Peru, and the knowledge that we wanted to see Machu Picchu (and I wanted to see MP on my birthday).  “We” is myself and Australian Adam, whom I met last summer and is my dear friend. While I knew that we both love to travel, I didn’t know until this trip that his travel style is exactly like mine- so we hopped around the country, making plans the evening before we did something and having an absolute blast together.

 

Before we left the US I had read a lot of travel blogs, mostly trying to make sense of how to get around Peru. Though I read a lot, I was still completely unprepared for how this trip went down and how I could have prepared in advance (bring toilet paper!), so I’m going to try and explain it in a way that would have helped me out, in the hopes that it will help someone else, or at least to make for some entertaining reading. 

 

So here we go, my first blog about my Peru trip, starting with my favorite day: Machu Picchu and my birthday!

 

We arrrived in Peru on July 25, but didn’t venture to Machu Picchu until July 30.  We began in the capital city Lima, flying to Cusco a few days later.  There are many cheap buses that travel from Lima to Cusco, but they take more than 15 hours, and since we only had 10 days to see everything we wanted to in Peru, we chose to fly, especially since tickets from Lima to Cusco were only $75 (and again, that was with buying the tickets just a few days in advance). There is a major altitude difference between Lima and Cusco (Machu Picchu is more that 7,000 feet above sea level in the Andes mountains) and we were told that we would need a few days to acclimate to the high altitude before our excursions to Machu Picchu or Rainbow Mountain.  Indeed, our first few days in Cusco I had a small headache, and you do notice yourself getting out of breathe quicker than normal. There is an over-the-counter pill you can get for altitude sickness (we bought it but never used it) and we chewed on the coca leaves that is recommended by the locals to help with sickness.  The coca leaves are also sold all over in tea and candy form- and I think it did help!

 

 

After arriving in Cusco and spending a few days of exploring the city and the surrounding Inca ruins, we headed to the major attraction- Machu Picchu!  I had booked our tickets to Machu Picchu on the day we arrived in Peru.  You cannot buy tickets to MP at the gate, so they do need to bought in advance.  We were told that there is a limited number of tickets sold each day, and that is partly true.  If you are Peruvian, you get in for a lower price, and there are unlimited tickets.  There are also a limited number if you want to get in first thing in the morning, as well as if you want to trek up the nearby  Huayna Picchu mountain for views of Machu Picchu. However, during our tour we were told that there are plenty of tickets for the afternoon in Machu Picchu. For those who say that seeing it in the afternoon isn’t as good as in the morning- while I can’t speak to what it is like in the morning (though we did meet people who said when they went in the morning that it was foggy and difficult to see everything until after the fog cleared), and though it was crowded during our time there, we never waited in lines for more than 20 minutes (and that was just for the bus up and back down the mountain) there were plenty of times when there were no people in the places we were- in short, there is NO bad time to see Machu Picchu.  I mean, c’mon– it’s Machu freaking Picchu, is anyone gonna complain about seeing one of the Seven Wonders of the World?  

 

Back to getting tickets for Machu Picchu. There is a Peruvian government website for buying tickets to MP, and we tried multiple times before our trip to buy our tickets to no avail.  We read up on how to buy tickets on this site, tried it multiple days, used different credit cards, and COULD NOT buy the tickets.  I read about company that took people on tours of Machu Picchu (and of course someone could do one of the walking tours into MP, including the Inca Trail which needs to be booked at least 6 monthd in advance and costs a lot of money) and private tours which cost several hundred dollars. However, I found a company offering a tour for $120 each, including transportation up and back the mountain, entry into Machu Picchu (normally $60) and a private guide.  And I mean private- it was Adam, his friend Felicia (who is living in Peru and joined us for a few days), and myself- no other people walked around with us that day, which made it very personal and special. The company was called Viator and I very much recommend them.  

 

Adam, Felicia and I with our tour guide

We did learn that you can book tickets for Machu Picchu through multiple travel companies that are set up in Cusco; in fact, during our Sacred Valley tour several people ended the tour by being dropped off in Ollaytaytambo, where you can catch a quick train to Machu Picchu (which we had to do the next day). Ollaytaytambo has some really awesome ruins, which I’ll talk about in a later blog, and is a cute town so spending the night there to catch the train would be an awesome option too.

 

 

So, we had our tickets to MP booked, which should be the hardest part, right?  Wrong!  You also have to get transportation to Machu Picchu, and there aren’t roads that allow you to just drive up there (not that you should want to- Peruvian drivers are the craziest I have ever encountered in all my travels, but more about that on a later blog).  There are two major train lines with whom you can book trains to MP- we traveled with PeruRail, but there is also an Incarail company. PeruRail has three classes of train: the Hiram Bnigham train which is high class, with chandelier-adorned cars, the VistaDome train, with partial glass ceilings for the middle-class travelers (like myself), and the Expedition Train.  The first two include food, snacks and drinks and the latter does not.  We learned later that there is also a local train, which has no bells and whistles, but is much cheaper.   

 

The train cost us $65 and $85 for each portion of the trip.  We took our inbound train from Cusco, a station called Poroy.  We had to take a 40 minute taxi (costing under $10) from the center of Cusco to this station, and while the ticket tells you to arrive 30 minutes early, you cannot board until 10 minutes before departure.  We did need time to ask for our tickets to be printed from the ticket office because you have to have paper tickets. While booking, I messed up and, thinking I had booked our return trip into Poroy, I had actually booked us only as far as Ollaytantambo.  But, getting off here after our day in Machu Picchu ended up being quicker and cheaper trip home.  We were able to ride in a collective taxi (a bus you share with other people) for 10 soles each, a little over $3.  When we disembarked the train we were bombarded upon by taxi drivers telling us they would take us back to Cusco for 80 soles, but if you walk past this barrage of people you can find other people wanting to take the trip back together- well worth the cost.  The train and Machu Picchu tickets were definitely the most expensive part of our trip, but it was very worth it. 

 

The train ride from Poroy took about 3 hours, and it was a very beautiful ride during which we were given snacks and drinks. 

 

 

When we arrived in the town of Aguas Calientes, the nearest town to Machu Picchu, we were greeted at the train station by our tour guide.  With our tour package we were given bus passes up the mountain to Machu Picchu, but we still had to stand in line with everyone else arriving to town to board the bus.  It looked quite long, but only took about 20 minutes, as there are constantly buses taking people up the mountain and bringing them back down. The bus ride cost 20 soles (about $6) each way, but people can also walk up the mountain.  The bus ride was lovely, giving beautiful views of the Andes mountains as you ascend. The hike would’ve been very cool too, but we were on a bit of a time crunch, with only the day to explore MP, arriving at just before noon and our return train leaving at 7. 

 

When we arrived to the visitor entrance, we still had to make a slight trek up the mountain.  I loved the anticipation that was building until we got to see the actual city of Machu Picchu.

 

 

And then, rounding a corner, it was laid out right in front of us.  I know everyone has seen pictures of Machu Picchu; I’ve looked at hundreds of them, and yet nothing prepares you for when you see it the first time.  The experience made me literally cry, because it is so beautiful and majestic and awe-inspiring. 

 

 

 

The thing you don’t get from pictures is just how massive the whole place is.  It seems no matter where you stand that there are more layers and things to see above you and below you. The Inca culture was big on tiered gardens, and the tiered walls on the sides of the mountains are just amazing. 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

Our tour guide took us to two viewpoints where there were people just lined up taking selfies, so of course we had to do the same. 

 

 

 

 

After spending several minutes taking in the amazing views and snapping some selfies, our guide led us to a grassy area where we sat and he told us some background information.  Machu Picchu is actually the name of the mountain, meaning “Old Mountain”. 

 

 

Machu Picchu is a bit of a mystery, the Inca’s had no written language, so no one is completely sure what it was used for, but our guide gave us his version of what it’s purpose was.  What is known about Machu Picchu is that it was built around 1450, at the height of the Incan Empire.  

 

 

Many people differ in their thoughts of why Machu Picchu was primarily used.  Some say it was a university, others say that it was a village for prestigious Inca’s. There are at least 7 trails in the mountains that have been found that lead from Machu Picchu to other Incan sites, some of which we had visited the previous day.

 

Machu Picchu is special because it was not destroyed during the Spanish conquest thanks to it’s hidden location in the mountains- it can’t be seen from below. Machu Picchu was “rediscovered” in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, a professor from Yale, who was taken there by a local guide.  When he came upon it, it was inhabited by several native families. He brought back other people and excavated it taking back many artifacts with him to Yale, though there is a museum in Cusco where one can see more artifacts, and more things are still being discovered.  

 

 

There is one spot on Machu Picchu were many large stones still stand.  It gives the impression that Machu Picchu was never finished- that perhaps the inhabitants had to leave in a hurry before they could complete the buildings.

 

 

There are more than 150 buildings that make up Machu Picchu, many of which are believed to be houses, temples or religious sanctuairies.  

 

Visitors are able to wander through the buildings, imagining what life would have been like while gazing out the windows and over the walls. With views like this, I certainly wouldn’t have minded living here. 

 

 

 

 

 

There are over 100 separate flights of stairs, all made out of the same stone that was used for the buildings, and they lead up and down the complex of Machu Picchu. 

 

It is believed that wheels were not used to transport the stones that were used to build Machu Picchu or the other Incan sites.  Instead, long round stones were used to act as a pulley system, with the Incans pushing and pulling the stones up a hill. Those round stones were then used to hold the thatched roofs that were made. 

The high roof lines dot the landscape of Machu Picchu. While no original thatched roofs remain on the site, some were recreated so that visitors can have an idea of what it would have looked like.  

 

One thing is obvious from visiting not only Machu Picchu but also the other Incan sites scattered around Cusco- the Incans were extremely skilled masons and gifted at architecture.  The structures are extremely well built and the stones were shaped without use of machines and placed so there is very little space in between them.  

 

Important religious sites are even easier to spot- here the stones are even more intricately cut and spaced, with absolutely no mortar; not even a knife would fit in between them. Check out the square stones in the picture below, the wall is leaning from time, but you can see how well constructed it was made.  

Coinciding with the thought that Machu Picchu was a important religious site, there is a special temple located amidst the other buildings (the one shaped like a P) with a stone inside that was probably an alter, and during both equinoxes the sun shines perfectly through a window directly onto the stone, creating no shadow.

 

 

We climbed up more flights of stairs so that we could see the sundial called Intihuatana. It is aligned with the sun’s position during the winter solstice (June 21). 

 

 

 

Another fun thing to see while visiting Machu Picchu- there are several llamas that roam the grounds.  I was in love with the llamas and alpacas that I saw all around Peru, so I was thrilled to see them here.

 

 

 

 

Our tour lasted about 3 and a half hours, and then we had to head back down into town.  We grabbed some dinner in Aguas Calientes before taking the train back towards Cusco.  This was also an adorable town, with lots of restaurants, shops and hotels, so it would be a good idea it to stay here the evening if you want to spend a whole day at Machu Picchu, particularly if you want to hike up to see it.  

 

 

 

An amazing way to spend my birthday, topped off with a piece of cheesecake and lovely company of my friends and our tour guide who joined us for a celebratory drink and dinner.  I hope everyone gets to see Machu Picchu in person, and if not, I hope you enjoyed my pictures.