Introduction: Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu was one of the highlights of our trip in Peru, so we arranged everything 3 months in advance.
- Train ticket to Aguas Calientes
- Hotel room for the night
- Ticket for Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu
Aguas Caliente:
The journey to Machu Picchu starts from Aguas Calientes, the principal access point to the site. From there you can either hike up or take the bus. There are two options to reach Aguas Calientes, by foot doing the Inca trail for 2,3 or 4 nights or by train.
If you decide to trek to Machu Picchu you will have to plan it in advance.
Mountain trail:
There are two mountains you can hike once you’re in Machu Picchu: Wayna Picchu (also called Huayna Picchu) or Machu Picchu mountain. Choose one of them so you have time to enjoy the wonder and its scenery.
The entrance tickets are really limited, only 200 visitors are allowed in from 7 to 8am and another 200 from 10 to 11am.
If you want to know how to get to Aguas Caliente, we made a dedicated article about this beautiful journey in the sacred valley.
Table of Contents
Ticket to Machu Picchu
Visiting Machu Picchu is one of the most sought-after experiences in Peru, with thousands of visitors entering the iconic site each day. To ensure a smooth and enjoyable visit, it is essential to purchase your tickets in advance. When buying your ticket, you will need to select a specific circuit and time slot. The entry times are scheduled in one-hour intervals, starting from 6 AM until 4:15 PM. Each time slot allows 60 minutes of access to the site, which helps regulate the flow of visitors and ensures a more comfortable and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Your time exploring Machu Picchu typically ranges from 3 to 6 hours, depending on whether you plan to climb one of the nearby mountains. The site offers multiple circuits, each offering a unique experience, so you can choose the one that best aligns with what you want to explore.
Here are the main circuits and mountain options available:
- Circuit 1 (Panoramic) – Itinerary 1-A: Machu Picchu Mountain Route
- Circuit 1 (Panoramic) – Itinerary 1-B: Upper Terrace Route
- Circuit 1 (Panoramic) – Itinerary 1-C: Intipunku Gate Route (available only during high season)
- Circuit 1 (Panoramic) – Itinerary 1-D: Inca Bridge Route (available only during high season)
- Circuit 2 (Classic Machu Picchu) – Itinerary 2-A: Classic Route
- Circuit 2 (Classic Machu Picchu) – Itinerary 2-B: Lower Terrace Route
- Circuit 3 (Royal Machu Picchu) – Itinerary 3-A: Wayna Picchu Mountain Route
- Circuit 3 (Royal Machu Picchu) – Itinerary 3-B: Classic Route
- Circuit 3 (Royal Machu Picchu) – Itinerary 3-C: Great Cave Route (available only during high season)
- Circuit 3 (Royal Machu Picchu) – Itinerary 3-D: Huchuy Picchu Route (available only during high season)
Make sure to book your tickets ahead of time and choose the circuit that best matches your interests, whether you want to see the Inca Bridge, climb the iconic Huayna Picchu, or explore the expansive site. You can also book multi-day tours to combine your visit with other amazing experiences in the region. If you speak Spanish, you can also consider getting tour tickets from the official website.
Where to stay in Aguas Caliente
For us, one of the most important part of travelling is where we will be staying at. That’s why we start this Cusco itinerary with that:
Mapping the day
Visiting Machu Picchu in Peru
Bus to Machu Picchu
Here we come! We woke up at 4:30am to have breakfast and get ready (We left our main backpacks in Cusco and only came with daypacks). As our hotel was 2min walking distance from the bus stop, we were there at 5:20am. There was already a huge line but fortunately, there were many buses so everything went smoothly and on time.
We arrived at the entrance of Machu Picchu at 5:55am and lined up. There were already people waiting and the site opened at 6am sharp.
First visit
The weather was foggy this morning of July 2019. As we were lining up to get in, many tour guides were around to be hired. We decided to get one there. The reason is that we wanted to know more about the place. We didn’t read much about the Machu Picchu beforehand so the guide was quite useful but if you want to save this money, you can bring your own map and guide book.
It costs us 200 sol for 1h30 together, but well, aren’t we only once in a lifetime there?
The guide brought us around the Machu Picchu for 1h30 before letting us in front of the Wayna Picchu entrance. We couldn’t have it longer than that because we were blocked by the entrance to Wayna Picchu. The guide explained us what each place would be and what was the tradition at this time. At least what is believed to be.
It is estimated that about 750 people lived there but as of today most of its history remains a mystery and nobody really know the reason for having such a city build in the mountain, was it for the royal family to rest or for religious purpose only? We are still looking for the right answer. Anyway, it is located a 2430m altitude and was used between 1450 and 1539.
The terraces were made to grow crops but at the same time integrated a water evacuation system in order for the water to be directed where it needed to be.
The site also integrated a main square, houses, royal house, temples…
Machu Picchu is also home to many animal species, on which we had the chance to see a rabbit with a long tail (Viscacha). Also, Llamas and Alpacas are present on site and on some occasions, bears can be spotted.
The more we were getting in the site, the stronger the rain was. It started to rain a bit while we were waiting to get in but yet was fine. After 30min, the rain become really heavy. Heavy enough to get us completely soaked.
Wayna/Huayna Picchu
Thankfully, when we got in the hiking site the rain stopped!
Our guide brought us around the Machu Picchu, until the last temple that wasn’t open at this time. And instead of returning to the entrance of the Wayna Picchu, he asked a security person there to let us through a restricted path.
Huayna Picchu (In English) or Wayna Picchu (Quechua) is a mountain on the side of the Machu Picchu. Its peak reach 2639m altitude, which is approx. 260m higher than the world wonder. According to local saying, it was home to the high priest and the local virgins.
To reach the summit, you follow an old mountain path for 45min to 1h. It all depends on how used to you are on trekking and if you got used to the altitude. It isn’t a difficult trek as there are paths and stairs, yet it is a bit challenging. The path remains an old one and can be really slippery from time to time and a few breaks are needed in order to regain your breathe.
Once on the top and along the way we couldn’t see much due to the weather condition and the clouds, we waited for almost 45min on the summit to be able to see the Machu Picchu but the best we got was only a glimpse of it. We saw the Machu Picchu appeared between the cloud and disappeared as quick as it came.
The regular trek is to the peak, which is about 2h round trip. But if you have more time and no train to catch later this day, you could go to the Great cave on the other side of the mountain which is now a 4h round trip.
End of the hike
The way down is the same path as the way up (if you only get to the peak) and takes approximately 20 to 30min. It was 10:30am and the sun finally started to appear.
At this time, it became amazing, you could see the complete site, it was like in the pictures only with much more people on it.
We went out of the hike area and walk to a temple closed earlier. All temples are not open all the time in the Machu Picchu in order to conserve them.
Second entry
Then we exited the site because the Machu Picchu is designed to follow one way without turning back. But with the Wayna Picchu entrance you get an extra entrance to the site. So, you can enter twice in the same day. At the exit there is a small counter where you can get a stamp of the Machu Picchu. After taking it, we went back in to see the guard house and some view point.
This part is easy as we simply followed the crowd up to the guard tower used as a viewpoint to protect the city.
At this time, 2 other places can be visited:
- The Sun gate (Inti Punku): Ruins from a fortress of the sacred city. The trail is a moderate one and takes 3-4h round trip
- The Inca bridge: used to reach the city. Easy trail that takes 1h -1h30 round trip.
We didn’t have the time to the sun gate or the other sites in the Machu Picchu because we had to catch our train, but we had seen enough of it.
Return
Return to Aguas Caliente
To get out, we just followed the path around the site.
We took the bus at 12:00pm and arrived at 00:25pm in Aguas Calientes. We got really lucky with the bus but be aware that sometimes it can take up to 30/45min to get a bus back to the town. It all depends on the number of people leaving.
Our train was at 2:30pm so we stopped at a restaurant nearby (called Toto) and had lunch with a view on the bus stop and the town.
We put some of our stuff to dry on the sun as they had a nice terrace in this restaurant. At this time my clumsy Tina dropped the camera battery over the roof, but we found it back in the garden ^^
We were really wondering how pizzas taste in Peru as every single restaurant has them on a menu. We went for it and it was good. Althoug it couldn’t win over a real Italian pizza. Some live music band came and played for a while. It is charming but of course there are playing for tips going from to restaurants
Return to Cusco
When we left for the train station the weather was again cloudy. So, it would be hard to recommend the best time of day to visit Machu Picchu. Travelers we chatted with in Cusco were luckier with weather.
The train back was like the first one we took. The company messed up the seats and many couples were not together. We rearranged all ourselves so everyone was happy. With all the seat fuss, we got to meet an old Brazilian couple that travelled quite a lot. That made our return quick!
Once we got out of the train, we were back at Ollantaytambo and the journey kept on with a van ride until Cusco. The bus stop is right in front of the entrance of train station. Toilets are located in the Inca rail building opposite of the minibus.
We arrived in Cusco at 6:15pm and before going to our room we popped by “Ukukus” a well known local bar with live music.
Tips
Beware of Sunday on Machu Picchu – the entrance is free for locals so there will be more people. If you want to hike Wayna Picchu there are only 400 entrances per day divided into 200 entrance between 8 and 9am and 200 more between 10 and 11am. So, it is a must to buy your ticket in advance.
Another option is to walk the official Inca Trail, which allows you to arrive at the site earlier than most visitors. This 4- or 5-day trek offers an incredible sense of accomplishment, as it ends at the breathtaking Machu Picchu.
“Travel makes a wise man better but a fool worse.” – Thomas Fuller
