Machu Picchu

This “Lost City of the Incas” built in the 1400s and rediscovered in 1911 is the perfect combination of natural wonder, historic culture, and attainable adventure. Watching the sun break over the mountains as you hike to the top of these breathtaking ruins will make you feel more connected to the Earth and the ancient past. 

To get to this wonder of the world you first have to fly into Cusco, a colorful city once the capital of the Inca empire in the 13th century. There is a plethora of activities and sights to be had in Cusco and the greater area, the Rainbow Mountains, waterfalls, hot springs, ruins, etc. We spent three weeks exploring the area which will be covered in a separate blog post. 

From Cusco there are many different ways to get to Machu Picchu ranging from cheap to increasingly expensive. The cheapest route is to take a small bus from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, the small town right below Machu Picchu. The bus ride is incredibly long (there is an overnight stop) and passes through a few towns as there isn’t a direct route from Cusco to Aguas Calientes by road, but if you have the time and not the money then the bus is your best bet.

The most expensive, but arguably the best way, to get to Machu Picchu is to hike the Inca trail, one of the world’s most famous hikes. This 4 day 3 night hike is only about 25 miles but it’s up steep, narrow Andean mountain paths at high altitude. A guide will lead you in a small group and the hike will end at Machu Picchu.

The quickest route to Aguas Calientes is to take the train. You can buy your train ticket ($65-$100 per person) and Machu Picchu ticket ($50 per person) online before you go. There are only two companies that provide this service, Peru Rail and Inca Rail. Included in your ticket is a bus ride from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, where the actual train station is. From Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes the train is about 1.5 hours.

The train ride is beautiful, fast, and has windows up to the ceiling so you can see every inch of the Sacred Valley along the way.

However you get to Aguas Calientes, I met one person that said they just walked the train tracks, you now have to get up to Machu Picchu Citadel. Again, there are a couple different ways. The fastest and easiest is to take the 30 min bus to the top. The buses start at 5:30am and leaves every 5-10 minutes. Machu Picchu opens at 6am. The lines early in the morning are long so you have to get there even earlier.

You can also hike to the top from Aguas Calientes. We woke up at 3am to get in line for the hike, and we were NOT the first ones there. The hike was long and hard but walking with the sun rising on the strange finger shaped mountains with the clouds all around you was like something out of Avatar. We thought we would be one of the first people to enter Machu Picchu, but by the time we got to the top all of the buses were also arriving. Machu Picchu gets busy no matter the time or day, but first thing in the morning is the least busy.

Once you’re inside the UNESCO world heritage site, meander around and think about the Incas in the 1400s inhabiting the place. Try and picture the different activities that took place in all the different rooms and what it must have been like to stay there for days on end. It truly feels sacred. 

A trip to Machu Picchu is not complete until you ascend one of the neighboring peaks giving you a unique birds eye view that I had never seen before of the majestic ruins. We chose to climb Cerro Machu Picchu or “Machu Picchu Mountain”. Only so many people are allowed to climb this mountain in a given day and tickets are sold separately. You must buy them in advanced.