Let's talk about the two
mountains that you will find on the "opposite sides" of the
archaeological site and which require an extra ticket. The Huayna Picchu is the
best known destination and most requested by visitors, is 2693 meters high and
it takes about 1 ½ hours for the ascent. The path is of medium difficulty,
narrow and steep (those who suffer from vertigo may have problems), but the
panoramic view over the whole Inca City is truly wonderful (it is what you see
from the photo below). La Montana Machu Picchuit is higher (3082 m) and the
view from here includes the entire archaeological site and the Huayna Picchu.
The path is quite wide and mainly made up of steps and steps; between ascent
and descent you must calculate at least 3h and 30 '. To climb the mountains you
will find checkpoints that will check your tickets and mark the start time of
the climb; you must then enter the return time (you always leave the same
point).
Related Post: The history of Peru's Inca Trail –Andean
Path Travel
How much is the ticket to Machu Picchu?
The entrance ticket to the
archaeological site costs 152 Soles. If you buy the combined ticket
archaeological site + Huayna Picchu (or Montana Machu Picchu) instead, the
price is 200 Soles.
How to get to Machu Picchu
Unless you decide to take the
Inca Trail (see below), to visit the archaeological site of Machu Picchu you
must first reach the town of Aguas Caliente (also called Machu Picchu Pueblo),
or the town at the base of the site. This town is located in the narrow valley
below the ancient ruins and was built specifically for tourists. Here you will
find only hotels, shops, bars and restaurants of doubtful taste, but sleeping
here will allow you to go up to the archaeological site at dawn. Here's how to
get there:
Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Caliente
The medium that I recommend.
Ollantaytambo is located just over 70 km from Cusco and, besides being the
perfect starting point to reach Mache Picchu, it is also a town worth seeing. Ollantaytambo
is an ancient Inca city and the ruins of the temple-fortress that stand out
above the village are of rare beauty. Calculate the times well: leave from
Cusco in the morning (by bus it will take about 1h and 30 'at the cost of 30
Soles, visit the Ollaytaytambo website (calculate about 3h between site and
town) and take the train to Aguas Caliente in the afternoon. The two companies
that operate the Ollantaytambo-Aguas Calientes route are Peru Rail and Inca
Rail (prices are comparable) and you can buy tickets directly from their sites
using any type of prepaid or credit card (also PayPal), then printing the
ticket purchase receipt. Depending on the type of train and service.
Train from Cusco (Poroy) to Aguas Caliente
If you want to skip Ollantaytambo
and reach Machu Picchu directly from Cusco you can buy train tickets (on the
same sites) from Poroy to Aguas Caliente . Poroy station is located about 10 km
from the center of Cusco and you can reach it by public transport or by taxi.
Train ticket prices are comparable to those of the Ollantaytambo-Aguas Caliente
route.
Following the Inca Trail
The most suggestive way to reach
the ruins is to do it on foot, following the Inca path, that is the 38 km track
traced by the Incas to connect the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu (for details,
see paragraph below).
Where to sleep in Machu Picchu
As said also above, Aguas
Caliente is far from a charming town, but remains the best starting point to
visit Machu Picchu. Having said that, I slept in this hotel and I recommend it
to you:
How to get to Machu Picchu from Aguas Caliente: on foot or by bus
The ruins of Machu Picchu, as you
know, are located at the top and there are 2 ways to reach them:
On foot: there is a dirt road
(which then becomes a long staircase) which starts from the town; to reach the
entrance of the site it will take you about 1 hour and a half. The path is
surrounded by vegetation, therefore it is not panoramic. I recommend it only if
you are not going to climb the Huayna Picchu or the Montana Machu Picchu, or if
you are much trained. In case you decide to do it, bring a spare shirt.
Related Post: Walking along the Inca tracks in the Sacred
Valley
By bus : there are minibuses that
leave from Aguas Caliente every 10-15 'starting from 5:30 in the morning. The
cost is $ 24 return and you can also buy tickets the night before in the small
office in the country. Remember to bring your passport because you will need
it: tickets are nominative. Usually people start queuing for the bus as early
as 4:30 in the morning, but the queue is fairly smooth.
How to visit Machu Picchu: all the rules
To visit the ruins there are some
things you absolutely need to know:
- Remember to bring your passport because you will need it: the tickets are nominative and you cannot enter without a passport!
- Check the entrance time slot of your ticket well and show up at the entrance in time.
- Find an official guide (there are many at the entrance who also speaks Peru Guide): from 1 January 2020 you can only access accompanied by an official guide, who can accompany a maximum of 16 people and who will have to follow predetermined routes.
- Go to the bathroom before entering: you will no longer be able to go out to go there later (or better, if you go out then you can no longer go back in!).
- The time spent on the site is a maximum of 4 hours (starting from the time of entry), and it will no longer be possible to return once you have left. The maximum stay is instead of 6 hours for those who choose to climb the Huayna Picchu and 8 hours for the Montana Machu Picchu.
- The site closes at 5.30pm.
- Eat before entering (in theory it is not allowed to bring food inside and you will not find bars or restaurants).
- Store your large backpack if you have it; backpacks cannot be carried inside. over 8 kg. You will find paid lockers to store it.
- You won't find baskets inside; bring a trash bag that you will take out.
The Short Inca Trail: 4 days to reach Machu Picchu along the ancient Inca path
If you have enough time, there is
no doubt that the most impressive and unforgettable way to get to Machu Picchu
is on foot, using the same path traveled by the Incas more than half a
millennium ago. It is the famous Short Inca Trail, or the splendid
path made of stones, stairs and tunnels through roads that lead from the gorge
of the Urubamba river (2350 m) to the peaks of the Andes (4200 m). The 43km
path is interrupted by impressive Inca citadels that dominate the landscape and
can be covered in 4 days starting from Piscacuchu (2700m). If you decide to do
this you will need to contact a local agency and book it well in advance (especially if you go
in high season) because there are only 500 seats per day! You can see the
number of places available for each day on the official website. We leaned on
Andean Path Travel and we had a great time! He is a certified tour operator who
recognizes himself in the fundamental values of responsible tourism. This is
the link to book the standard 4-day classic Inca Trail, and this is the
"superior" version. To travel the Inca Trail you will have a guide
who will accompany you, porters to carry all camping equipment (personal
luggage excluded), food during the whole trekking (breakfast, lunch, dinner,
tea and snack break), assistance and everything you need.
Related Post: Tips for Classical Inca Trail to Machu
Picchu 4 Days
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