day 15: Machu Picchu

Getting there

This was the day we had been most looking forward to the whole entire trip- visiting Machu Picchu! Besides the people hiking the Inca Trail, we were given the earliest entry time of 6:00am. It is important to know that your entrance time is only good for one hour. So since our entrance time was 6:00am, we needed to be inside the gates by 7:00am or else we would not have been allowed entrance.

There are two ways to get to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientas. The traditional way is hiking up which is a steep, stair trail that takes about 2 hours from town, so plan accordingly.

The easier way is to take the bus from town. You must buy the bus ticket in person at Av. Hermanos Ayar S / N, before Puente Ruinas. If you ask anyone in town they will be able to point you in the correct direction. The ticket is $24 round trip and you must show your passport and your Machu Picchu entrance pass when you purchase your ticket. The bus takes about 20 minutes from town and the earliest bus is at 5:00am. Lines form quickly so it is important to arrive early. There will be signs signaling each Machu Picchu entrance time. Because of this, we were able to skip ahead of all the 7:00am entrance people to ensure that we made it in time.

Hiking in Machu Picchu

In addition to just exploring the wonder, you have the option to hike surrounding mountains to get a view of Machu Picchu from above. There are two hikes: Huayna Picchu and Montana Machu Picchu. There are a limited number of passes given out each day for these hikes so they must be booked months in advance. You are only permitted to hike one mountain per visit, and just like the general Machu Picchu entrance pass, you are only given a one hour time slot to begin your hike. Huayna Picchu is more popular because it is shorter, but it is a very narrow dangerous trail so very few passes are given out. Montana Machu Picchu, the one we chose to do, is a 2,000 foot climb and took us about an hour and a half to hike up. The trail is all stairs, but careful footing is still needed because it can be quite narrow. We were sweaty and exhausted, but it was amazing to see Machu Picchu from so far up! After we hiked down we were excited to explore the actual site!

Exploring Machu Picchu

Our biggest piece of advice is to make sure that you have a tour guide for the visit. There are many available at the entrance and they are relatively inexpensive. As we walked around we weren’t always sure what we were looking at, so we would eavesdrop on other groups passing by. Also, the whole site is one way so after you visit a portion of Machu Picchu, you cannot turn around and go back. Once you do the whole loop through, there is no re-entry. So definitely take your time and soak it all in. Additionally, be prepared for massive crowds. During the busy season, Machu Picchu hosts 7,000 visitors a day. When we first arrived at 6am it was relatively empty. But by the time we were done with our hike at 10am it was packed. We later learned that re-entry is only allowed if you are doing one of the hikes. So we would recommend exploring the site early in the morning while there are less people, doing the whole loop, and then going back in for your hike. Don’t forget to get your passport stamped on the way out! It’s a great souvenir! To take a bus back to Aguas Calientas, you just have to get in the line right outside the entrance. We thought the lined seemed really long, but it moves quickly, they have a very efficient system.