Machu Picchu. The highs and lows of Peru’s most famous landmark.
When coming to Peru everyone asks if you’re going to Machu Picchu. And of course you’d say yes. After all isn’t that what’s splashed all over the media and travel agents walls when we conjure up images of Peru.
Sure it’s a must see, but there are different levels as to how much hard earned cash you want to spend if you’re coming here.
I want to dispel one myth before diving into our adventures. If you think that you can come to Cusco and do a one day trip up to Machu Picchu you’re going to be bitterly disappointed. Machu Picchu is just over 100km from Cusco. Sure back home the Gold Coast is a 40 minute run down the freeway and it’s 100km away. Well here it’s a little different.
There are 3 ways to get to Machu Picchu. Train, bus or hike.
Train, it’s the best option. However there are 3 levels of service you can choose and a couple of different rail companies to pick from. We chose to go with Peru Rail. With Peru Rail the options are Economy(Expedition), Premium(Vistadome) and Hiram Bingham (super expensive). The differences are that in Premium you’ll have bigger windows and the glass roof will give you a little more to photograph than the economy carriages. As far as the decor and refreshments go there really isn’t that much different between Premium and Economy. Our suggestion is to book the trip going to Machu Picchu in premium and return in the evening in economy. This way you’ll get all your photos on the way to Machu Picchu with better views.
Oh, by the way if you’re supper rich and like to blow your cash then the Hiram Bingham train is for you. It’s got just two carriages, one for dining and the other is for your luggage and is the kitchen. You’ll have your own butler carpet tearing to your every need…… Cost $800 per person.
It’s a 3 hour trip along 94km of track, I think I can slum it for a couple of hours.
Bus
You can go by bus, if you like to be crammed into a mini van full of teens for 5 -7 hours then go for it. Having had enough bus rides in South America to fill several lifetimes it’s not an option I’d consider, but if money is tight and you have the time then this could be the way you want to get to there.
Hike
If your super fit and the rugged outdoors type then there’s always the 4 day track along the Inca Trail. You can train to the start of the Inca Trail as we saw a couple do. From all accounts it’s a bit of a fitness test, but I’m sure if Elena wasn’t so unwell we would have considered this option. Having been at much higher altitudes than Machu Picchu the climb to the Sun Gate would have been OK on our lungs.
Machu Picchu’s altitude is actually lower than the city of Cusco, so if you’re staying in Cusco for a couple of days then the climb to the site should be fine on your lungs.
The trick to getting the most out of your trip to Machu Picchu is to arrive a day early into the small town of Aguascalientes, based in a canyon right at the foot of Machu Picchu. Peru Rail will take you right there. If you want a place to stay that’s not hard on the pocket and don’t mind a hostel, then stay at El Mistico Hostel. It’s right next to the famous hot springs and like all places in town it’s a walking distance from the train station. The hostel staff will meet you from the train so you won’t get lost. Honestly the best nights sleep, and the single bed was oh so comfy. I found it difficult to get up in the morning.
The ticket office is just off the main square in town and is easy to find. There’s several options to take based on what you want to see, but be cautioned if you want to climb the mountain that directly behind the main site(Huyana Picchu) and seen in all the travel books you’ll need to book well in advance as the tickets are limited to 400 tourists per day.
We chose to climb Machu Picchu Mountain, as this is where you see the wonderful travel agent poster photos are from. The mountain rises over 900m above the Machu Picchu site.
You’ll get options on when you wish to enter your chosen site as this staggers the entrance that can be somewhat crowded. We chose the 7-8am entrance time. Which means get up at 5.30am, quick breakfast and walk down to the shuttle bus (you’ll need to buy tickets the day before). It’s a 25 minute climb up the dirt road to the entrance. If you’re afraid of long drops you better close your eyes, in fact you’re better to just visit the main site and nothing else.
If you don’t want to take the shuttle bus you can walk up to the site, it’s steep and will take you about 1 1/2 hours depending on your fitness level.
CONCEAL YOUR FOOD!
This may seem strange but these are the low points of Machu Pichhu. In the ticket office in town it clearly states that there is to be no food eaten on the site and that there is a restaurant and snack shop outside the entrance gate. This is also where the ONLY TOILETS are also located. The sign in the ticket office states that only flasks can be taken onto the site. So we were a little confused about bottled water. We returned to the ticketing office specifically to ask about this. We were told that bottled water is ok and that small snacks were OK, as long as we take rubbish back with you. So we went and bought some biscuits, bananas and water specifically to take to the site. This was all in a plastic bag. Once we were there and had passed through the first gate the security told us no food on site. We now had to leave it all at a holding office and pay $3 for the privilege. Elena pointed to all the people with backpacks and argued with the security officer asking if he was going to do bag checks. To which he just shrugged his shoulders.
Elena was furious and proceeded to photograph people with food on the site. So our advice to anyone going to Machu Picchu is CONCEAL YOUR FOOD AND WATER.
The site is expansive and once inside the gate there really is no reprieve from the elements, so if its sunny your’e going to get hot and if its raining or misty you’re going to get wet and damp. So be prepared for both and take a small plastic poncho in case of inclement conditions.
All in all it’s a pretty impressive site, would I visit again? Probably not. It’s expensive to visit the site. This was noted by the number of older and more affluent tourists visiting.
To be honest, it’s manicured and looking pristine, a bit like a Disney attraction. I’m looking forward to seeing Inca ruins that are more hidden, in a few days from now we’ll explore the Colca Canyon and see more Inca Ruins.
