For the visit to Machu Picchu we look at everything before arriving. There are a thousand ways to get there and from a lot of different points and combining all kinds of transportation.
The recommendations of the forums and people we spoke with was that we took a package to do it with an agency due to the landslides that occurred in the area at this time, it was safer and they returned the money if you could not go up but we did not want doing it like that, we wanted to do it on our own and that's what we did.
Tickets for Machu Picchu
Access to Machu Picchu is managed by the Ministry of Culture, www.machupicchu.gob.pe, and the number of visitors is limited to 2500 person per day. You have 5 types of tickets, depending on what you want to visit: Machupicchu, Machupicchu + museum, Machupicchu + Huaynapicchu, Machupicchu + Montaña, and the afternoon entrance to Machu Picchu from 1:00 p.m.
We bought the tickets online from Machupicchu + Huaynapicchu and they cost us € 126 per beard. This entrance included the entrance to the ruins and the entrance to the mountain of Huaynapicchu.
It is important that you book in advance if you want to do this trekking as the number of people allowed per day is 400, divided into two shifts of 200 each. In the page that we have left you a little above you can see the two schedules that there are to go up.
Departure to Machu Picchu
We prepare our backpacks since it takes more than a day from Cusco (which is where we were staying) to arrive and visit Machu Picchu. We had breakfast and we walked towards Pavitos street from where the buses leave for Ollantaytambo, our first stop.
When you get to the street you can hear the voices of the gentlemen who are singing the places your van is going to, as they are interested in filling them as soon as possible so as not to make those who are already inside wait. Once full it starts up. The price of transport was 10 soles per person (2.76 €). We chose to do it in a van because it was much cheaper than doing it by taxi or train. When leaving Cusco everything was green and blue.
We took a winding road that crossed fields with different green tones and soon we could see for the first time the spectacular Sacred Valley. The valley is characterized by its good climate, its fertile lands for the conreo, for being very rich in water, its unique landscape with Andean mountains on each side, the brave Urubamba river.
Thus we arrive to our first stop: Ollantaytambo, a village and archaeological site of the Inca Empire. It is believed that Ollantaytambo was a strategic military, agricultural and religious point to administer and control the Sacred Valley, since the constructions that we found were for agricultural deposits and for military use as walls and guard posts.
It is the only village of the Incas that is still populated, Ollantaytambo is known to be a "living Inca people" since its inhabitants still retain customs that have passed from generation to generation. Its streets, which still retain their Inca name, are an example of the excellent urban planning that the Incas implemented and their ruins can be seen almost intact.
That is why Ollantaytambo we thought was a must on the way to Macchu Picchu.
Upon arrival we had a coca tea in the Plaza de Armas to warm up and went to visit the ruins. It has no loss, they are seen from the same square in the distance.
There are several types of tickets or Tourist Tickets, the Integral that includes all the museums, ruins, etc, (except clear Macchupicchu) for 130 nuevos soles (35.87 €), 70 nuevos soles (19.31 €) with student card and then they are Partial Tourist Tickets by circuits:
Circuit 1: Cusco City (Regional Historical Museum, Koricancha Site Museum, Museum of the American Institute of Art, Pachacuteq Inca Museum, Convent, Santa Catalina, Qosqo Native Art Center).
Circuit 2: Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Pucapucara, Tambomachay.
Circuit 3: Sacred Valley (Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero).
The price of the partial ticket is 70 nuevos soles (€ 19.31). Circuits 1 and 2 are valid for one day and circuit 3 is valid for two days. Without having a purchase option by student rate.
We bought the ticket for the Circuit 3. As for time it was impossible for us to visit Pisac the next day, on entering the aquatic precinct of Ollantaytambo, we told the woman at the entrance to seal us the ticket with the date of the following Saturday to be able to visit Písac on Sunday, and so, apart from the ruins of the place, you can also enjoy the craft market, but that we will explain later on 😉
From this archaeological zone we can highlight the platforms of contention, the views from above of the ruins of the city and the work of the stone in those gigantic walls.
When we finished the visit of the ruins it was time to eat and we sat on a terrace of the Plaza de Armas to eat a delicious bowl of quinoa soup.
This same town is considered the gateway to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, where we have 2 options:
Take the train to Aguascalientes (Machu Picchu village)
Go on foot along the ancient Inca Trail.
We take the first option (previously reserved) for time, although if we went back we would walk along the path that follows the train tracks.
For those who have time has all the appearance of being a true wonder. They are 28 km following the Urubamba River passing by ruins, bridges, the incredible views of the mountains and the roar of the river. It should be about 7 or 8 hours walking to get to Aguas Calientes but I think it's worth it, we'll tell you when we come back and do it 😉
It is one of the most expensive trains in the world and an important source of income for the country. It cost us € 47.50 per person on the way out and € 60 per person on the way back. This price is from Ollantaytambo, because being the last stop before Aguascalientes, the ticket is cheaper.
This is another reason why we did not take it directly in Cusco, but to imagine the price. The railroad was bordering the Urubamba River and as we entered the Valley of the Incas, the landscape became more Amazonian and the mountains, with mists on their peaks, rose more and more. Needless to say, it was a gift to behold. Every once in a while you found humble villages with their fields.
Almost at dusk we reached Aguascalientes and a gentle rain made us take out the umbrella. We took a short walk around the town market and went to buy the bus tickets that go up to Machu Picchu for the next morning (54 soles / € 16 per person up and down). You can also go up and down walking although we think it does not have much charm, but it would be the best option if you do not want to spend that money.
The last step to get to Machu Picchu
We had breakfast with coca tea accompanied by some toast and we went in search of the bus. It is important to be early to catch the first buses and not to queue, aside, the main reason to go up early is to see the sunrise at Machu Picchu, a unique show, so at 6:30 we went up to the bus.
The Hiram Bingham road winds up from the town of Aguascalientes to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu. The climb already anticipates where you are going, even with fog you can see the immensity of the mountains. We had to make a section on foot because a few days before there had been a collapse and the road was cut. Landslides are very common because it is a very muddy land prone to it with rains.
The Incas already thought about this when it was time to build Machu Picchu. They placed a lower layer of rock throughout the Sanctuary which, in addition to the firm foundation, causes the water to seep into the soil uniformly and not to flow down causing a landslide. With its canalization system that carries water to the entire Citadel and its construction made of terraces used as cultivation terraces, we have in Machu Picchu a perfectly solid construction and settled on the land.
Once up in the entrance we hired a guide for 12 soles (€ 3.31) per head because we did not want to miss anything and he was accompanying us for an hour and a half. The entrance leads to the typical panoramic that we all have in mind when we talk about Machu Picchu, and when you arrive ... .the truth that you do not believe it. To be so early a fog covers all the views, you can almost see the ruins and the mountain behind, the famous Waynapicchu to which we would then climb but still and something invades our body, we do not know if it was the nerves or the Mysticism of the area.
We first made the visit with the guide who explained very interesting things to us and we visited every corner. We like to see these sites with guides from the area so that they explain well what we are seeing and understand, so it is more valuable for us. We believe that you end up falling in love more with the place.
