Machu Picchu is one of the 7 wonders of the world most visited by tourists, has beautiful stone constructions, which were carved with great precision and detail, is the most important work for the Incas for having been built on a rugged and inaccessible mountain, divided into two large sectors, urban and agricultural separated by a great wall that descends the hillside until it reaches the banks of the Vilcanota River.
Where to Start?
Once you have chosen the date of your trip, the most important thing is to determine how to get there, choose a hotel and what activities to do during your stay. The options are many and we will help you make the best decision: Cuscoperu.com recommends you to wake up in Machu Picchu town and have breakfast in the market of Aguas Calientes and then climb to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu; there are two options to get there.
ATTRACTIONS:
HOW TO GET TO MACHU PICCHU?
The first thing to do is to arrive to the city of Cusco by any of the known ways (see how to get to Cusco). Once there you can choose from one of the following options:
Inca Trail
Recommended for those who want a little more adventure, it starts at KM 82 of the railroad that goes from Cusco to Machu Picchu, this tour has a duration of 4 days and 3 nights, time in which one can travel the ancient and enigmatic stone road or Inca Trail. If you want to embark on this adventure the first thing you have to do is to book your entrance ticket, which must be done at least 5 months in advance and the best way to do it is through travel agencies, which are responsible for making all the necessary arrangements for you to enjoy your stay in the best way, the access to the Inca Trail is done in groups of no less than 10 people and accompanied by qualified guides who will help you in any event that may arise. There is also another shorter route with a duration of 2 days and 1 night, which starts at Km 104.
Via Train
Another option to get to Machu Picchu is to use the railways. For which, one must first purchase the train ticket one month in advance to ensure space, you can book it at the train station of San Pedro or at the same train station of Poroy (SEE TRAIN RATES), the train leaves from Poroy station, located 20 minutes from the city of Cusco, also departures are made from Ollantaytambo station, the trip takes about 4 hours, to the town of Aguas Calientes or Machu Picchu Pueblo. From Machu Picchu Pueblo or Aguas Calientes there are two ways to ascend to the citadel of Machu Picchu, the first one is using the buses (see bus fare) in a 20 min trip and the second one is at a walking pace that lasts approximately 1 hour and 30 min (No cost). You may also be interested in RATES FOR THE ENTRANCE TO MACHU PICCHU
- Trains to Machu Picchu
- Entrance fees to Machu Picchu
- Buses in Machu Picchu
Where to sleep?
Being the closest enclave to the Archaeological Park, Aguas Calientes is the place chosen to spend the night. Its hotel offer is quite wide. Although there are some luxury hotels, the more economical options are considerably inferior in terms of infrastructure and service. A good alternative is to spend the night in Ollantaytambo instead of in Aguas Calientes.Many visitors come to Peru with the dream of going to Cusco and visit Machu Picchu, many want to return the next day because the time is short to tour the entire citadel of Machu Picchu and it is recommended to wake up in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu village) and in the morning climb to the resort of Machu Picchu, there are hotels for different types of budget and cuscoperu. Machu Picchu has hotels of different categories, 1 to 5 stars, all provide quality services that will contribute to make your stay as pleasant as possible.
Machu Picchu General Information
When planning your trip to Machu Picchu the first thing to do is to check if there is availability to enter the citadel of Machu Picchu, the maximum number of people who can enter is 2500 and these tickets can be purchased with your travel agency or directly at: www.machupicchu.gob.pe
Artisan market
The handicraft market of Machu Picchu is one of the most important and beautiful of Peru for producing decorative, sumptuary and utilitarian articles of very high quality, in creativity, design and presentation they have an expression of Inca, colonial and contemporary art, being surprising the exhibition-sale.
LOCATION
The archaeological site is located on the left bank of the Vilcanota River, in the ravine of Kusi Chaka, to the mouth of the river Aobamba. In the district of Machu Picchu, province of Urubamba, northwest department of Cusco, 112.5 km. northeast of the city of Cusco in Peru.
IMPORTANT DATA
The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is located in a humid subtropical zone where vegetation predominates and where it rains most of the year.
Weather:
Rainy Season (December - April)
Dry season (May - November)
Entre los meses de Abril a Octubre, por las noches la temperatura baja considerablemente, en las primeras horas de la mañana la tempreratura sube paulatinamente hasta pasado el medio dia.
Altitud:
Reference prices:
The prices shown are approximate, so they may vary according to the establishment where you buy them.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALTITUDE SICKNESS
Recommendations
- Bring cash because most stores do not accept credit cards.
- Do not forget to bring a rain jacket, warm clothes for the night and bathing clothes for the hot
- springs (the latter can be purchased on site).
- Go up as soon as possible to the citadel of Machu Picchu so that you can walk around calmly and avoid the avalanche of tourists.
- Bring mosquito repellent.
- Get vaccinated against yellow fever due to the presence of mosquitoes in the area.
- Bring sunscreen because the climate in the jungle is usually inclement.
- Remember that you cannot bring food, backpacks heavier than 20 kilos, walking sticks without caps on the ends, and you should not throw garbage into the sanctuary.
What you need to know to travel
- The entrance to the citadel is allowed from 6:00 am.
- It is forbidden to bring food.
- It is forbidden to climb the Inca walls.
- Smoking and bonfires are prohibited.
- Toilets are outside the citadel.
WHAT TO DO IN YOUR FREE TIME
Here are some suggestions of what to do in Machu Picchu.
- After visiting Machu Picchu, relax in the hot springs in the town of Aguas Calientes, located 800 meters from the center of town. Bring your towel and bathing clothes, there are dressing rooms where you can change.
- Climb the Putucusi and appreciate in a different way the citadel of Machu Picchu.
- Climb the Huayna Picchu and live a more complete and wonderful experience. It is a climb to the mountain that accompanies Machu Picchu although it contains important Inca constructions, its access is not easy. The access is done in two shifts from 7am to 9am and from 10am to noon, after this time no one can access this place, due to the inclement weather that produces a dense fog that makes access to this place dangerous. Here one can appreciate from platforms built on the edge of the cliff, the famous chair of the Inca, passages and tunnels, carved stones, vestiges of Inkarakay (a hanging fortress in the middle of the mountain) and enjoy a great view that includes the citadel, the Vilcanota River, the Canyon and the snow-capped Salcantay.
- Visit the Manuel Chavez Ballon site museum - this excellent museum gives an idea of the integration between nature and archeology that characterizes the sanctuary. It can be reached by following the signposted road through the paved road where buses circulate passing the "Puente Ruinas" (Ruins Bridge), it is a 30 minute walk from the town of "Aguas Calientes". This museum houses artifacts, construction tools, mirrors and needles. It also shows how the stone quarry was worked for the construction of the citadel. It is in this place where the pieces returned by Yale University that were taken by Hiran Bingham should be exhibited. Here one can observe an infinity of ornamental, medicinal and food plants typical of the place. We see abundant orchids that are one of the best kept treasures of the sanctuary, here there are more than 350 species including wakankis, the zapatito de reyna and the wiñay wayna.
If you are looking for tours in Machu Picchu write to us at: info@cuscoperu.com
