At the site, find a nice spot where you can just endulge the view and just let yourself go and become part of it... That feeling, it will never be forgotten. I have travelled to so many places in my life and that expression has not been duplicated at least from my experiences.
While you are contemplating the scenery, review your map of the site that you receive at the entrance when you show your ticket to get in. That map is very helpful and will provide you with the best insights and routes to follow while visiting the citadel.
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| Machu Picchu, which means "Old Peak", also known as the Lost City of the Incas, and one of the Seven Wonders of the New World is one of the most famous examples of Inca architecture and is located 112 km from the city of Cusco (a 3 ½ hour journey by train), at an altitud of 2,350 meters (7,970 ft) above sea level. It is situated lower than the city of Cusco. |
Too many people get confused every time they plan their trip to Machu Picchu, including peruvians themselves. A lot of people just think that to get to Machu Picchu is just to get to Cusco. Well, that is the reason why I decided to create this blog so that you can travel with me. I will make sure that I am always a click away every time you write to me or comment on my blog.
You will have to get your entrance tickets in advance, whether by the internet or have your travel agent help you coordinate the purchase of these tickets. At Peruvian Accents Hotel, www.peruvianaccentshotel.com, we can help you arrange this excursion and you do not have to worry about a thing, we will make sure that we can get you there. Remember, there is a cap of 2,500 people admited per day.
Let's go back to the subject...
Give yourself at least 4 hours of travel time between Cusco and Machu Picchu and be prepared for an early rise that morning. Most of the time in Cusco the mornings are extremely cold, but make sure that you are dressed in layers and not too heavy of clothing since you will have to carry them once you get to Machu Picchu. Once you are in the citadel you will be warm, maybe very warm. You will get beautiful sunny days since Machu Picchu is almost located as part of the jungles of Peru, the altitud is lower than Cusco that will permit you to enjoy your trip better.
According to what has been planned for your excursion which is most of the time depending on the train you are going to take, there are several options of what time you have to be ready to embark on this excursion. For example if you are taking the 6:10 AM 'Expedition' train to Machu Picchu, you will have to be picked up by your driver or bus at around 4:30 in the morning hoping that there won't be any problems during the trip to the train station so that you can make the 6:10 AM train ride.
- Autovagon
- Andean Explorer
- Expedition
- Vistadome
- Hiram Bingham
- You have two options. Trains that leave for Machu Picchu from Poroy station and trains that leave for Machu Picchu from Ollantaytambo station.
- Trains leaving from Poroy station are a little bit more expensive than the ones leaving from Ollantaytambo station. From Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu is a one and a half hour train ride.
The schedules of the trains vary according to the station departure. From Cusco to Poroy you have a 30 to 45 minute ride by car or bus, and from Cusco to Ollantaytambo you have one hour and half time by car or bus.
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| The train is the best place to meet new friends, by the time you finish with the ride you get to meet a lot of people... In my case, I usually get to know everybody from my train car. These kids are from Australia and stayed in Cusco for more than a month staying with locals in a rural family home. |
From: Poroy
- Expedition leaves at 7:52 AM
- Vistadome leaves at 6:40 AM
- Hiram Bingham leaves at 9:05 AM
From: Ollantaytambo
- Expedition leaves at 7:05 AM
- Vistadome leaves at 8:53 AM
Prices:
Package prices for the Machu Picchu excursions vary on these trains according to season, tour agency and operator. You will have to budget from $150.00 to $250.00 per person for this excursion.
For the Hiram Bingham train packages prices run from $800.00 to $1,000.00 per person. The Hiram Bingham is a luxury train and departs later in the day than most other train services. This service does not operate on Sundays.
Reaching your destination:
The train will take you to its last stop... Once you get to Machu Picchu City (Aguas Calientes), if you have arranged for an overnight stay in that city, you will have a representative of the hotel waiting for you to take you to your hotel, check you in and then you will have to go to the bus station that will take you up the hill to Machu Picchu. At the hotel, make sure you leave everything that you won't need to go to the ruins, remember it involves a lot of walking and you do not want to be walking with too much sfuff. Go as light as possible and check the weather if it rains you might need to buy a plastic coat sold by the locals (very cheap.) |
| Interior of the bus to Machu Picchu. |
If you are just going directly to Machu Picchu just follow the crowd, everybody is going to the bus station to take the bus to Machu Picchu. It is a 15 to 20 minute bus ride up the hill.
Enjoy..! It will be an experience of a life time... You have visited one of the Seven Wonders of the New World..!
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