Machu Picchu…. The name alone conjures up visions of misty mountains and mysterious civilizations. What was the purpose of this hilly hideaway? Why was it abandoned? Who built it – Incas or Aliens? While we can’t really answer those questions for you (it was Aliens for sure!!!!), we can tell you how to conquer this ancient site so that the whole process of getting to, and enjoying it is that much easier. And for your sanity and ours, in the rest of this blog we will refer to Machu Picchu as MP. Got it? Good!
Getting to MP:
Unless you are trekking to MP, you will take a train from Cusco or another town in the Sacred Valley. There are multiple different train options at varying price points, but we went with the Vistadome train from Ollantaytambo. It’s in the middle range of options in terms of price, and the ride is comfortable and smooth. You are served some snacks and beverages, but if you are looking for a meal, bring your own. For this train, you will need to pair-down your belongings. You cannot take a large suitcase or even a smaller traditional carry-on with you on the train to MP. Sorry to be the bearers of bad news on this one, but you’re going to need to widdle down to the essentials. Pro tip: Take the regular train back to Cusco and save some cash! If it’s dark, you can’t see anything out of the big windows anyway.
Packing for MP:
To make this widdling down even more fun, the most common itineraries include spending a night in the Sacred Valley before getting to Aguas Calientes and MP. Quick note for those new to the geography; Aguas Calientes is the “town” where MP is and the only real place to stay overnight. Well, unless you have tons of cash money. So yes, if you’re adding this up at home, that is two nights away from all of your shoes clothes.
We ended up using backpacks for the two nights we were away from Cusco, because we knew for sure that the size was acceptable on the train. After doing it, we think we could have gotten away with a small duffel as well, but backpacks are easier anyway. The reason for the luggage restrictions is how the trains are set-up. Anyone who has traveled around Europe and is reading this, might be thinking – you are crazy – duffels and suitcases are fine! Wrong. The trains have huge awesome windows so they don’t have the luggage racks up above you, which means you have to stuff your backpack in-between seats or by your feet. Not amazing, but the ride isn’t super long.
All you indecisive packers out there that need options, you are going to have to figure out and plan and stick to it, because there’s no way to bring multiple options on this part of the trip. It’s devastating, we know.
Try to cut-down on toiletries by checking with your hotels on shampoo, conditioner and hair dryers. These take up valuable backpack real estate. Also, if you are traveling with friends (like we were), only bring one of the things you can share, such as a straightener.
Shoes, oh shoes. Every woman’s nemesis. Just wear your hiking boots. Trust us. That’s all you’ll want anyway. After all, you are climbing almost the entire time.
Athleisure and adventure pants are our recommendation for exploring this region. We are literally obsessed with these. Plus it’s not really cold at all. It’s actually VERY, VERY humid in and around MP. We sweat A LOT while we were up there. By the time we made it back to Cusco, some of our clothes could have walked home. But, it is also somewhat chilly at night. So multi-use layers are the way to go. And the whole moisture wicking thing is great. Some of us wore cotton shirts and they were actually soaked with sweat. Gosh we sound so regal and beautiful. It’s a wonder our pictures came out as well as they did. Hey beauty filter!!!!
One other important note is water. Obviously you can buy water in Aguas Calientes and up at MP, but it’s expensive. The most expensive we saw in the entire country was here. So we attempted to bring water with us and re-fill our bottles. The biggest issue with that is the space it takes up. So if you can work out a way to have one backpack full of supplies, that’s a great solution to get around this. We didn’t have that option and did have to purchase some water on-site, and it’s evident that they know they have a captive audience on the cost.
Listen up, pro tip here: do not, and we repeat do not, souvenir shop in Aguas Calientes. There’s not one thing we saw there that we didn’t see in Cusco. Not one. The difference is that captive audience, so the cost is WAY higher. Plus you don’t have a ton of room to work with (remember that fun backpack you packed in), so it’s just not worth it!
How to get up to MP:
Now that your bags are packed and you are ready to go, what’s next? Oh, you want to actually get to MP? Okay, here’s how to accomplish that goal, or at least how we did it.
Once we arrived to Aguas Calientes, we checked into our hotel and grabbed only our days worth of essentials. The buses are hard to miss and they will take you on up. to the entrance to MP. We actually had our tour company book ours. But here’s a website with more information. The road up is 100% basically switchback the entire way so if you get carsick…..well….good luck!
MP Ticket Information:
It is important to note that due to limitations on the number of visitors per year, the rules of Machu Picchu say that you need a guide, though we actually saw plenty of people going in without one. There was a rumor that they hadn’t started to enforce the guide rule when we were there in October 2017, but we highly recommend having a guide anyway – they won’t stay with you the entire time, but they walk you through the grounds while giving you real insight to the entire park. Which is helpful since there are no placards or pamphlets.
In addition to the guide rule, you also now have to purchase a morning and afternoon ticket, as they are not one in the same. While a lot of people only get a morning ticket, we got both. Why? you might ask. Well shockingly enough, approximately 5,000 people visit MP daily and most of them leave at lunch time to catch the train! The lines for the buses heading back down the mountain get STUPID long (like upwards of 2 hours) so just plan to stay for both the morning and afternoon sessions. Speaking of lunchtime…another benefit to a guide is that they can get you a slight discount at the onsite buffet – which is surprisingly yummy! We recommend having a relaxing and leisurely lunch before heading back out to visit MP on your own. There are also only restroom facilities and vending machines OUTSIDE of the grounds. Pro tip: you cannot bring food into MP, but be sure to bring your passport because you can get an awesome stamp!
As a side note, we also had purchased an additional days worth of tickets to MP. We choose to stay the night in Aguas Calientes in case the weather was bad the day we went to MP. In the end, our day was literally perfect and we didn’t end up using the next days tickets. So we sadly wasted some money there, but the security of knowing we could have gone back up if needed was invaluable. We’ve seen far too many gloomy and rainy pictures to chance it!
Pro tip: MP runs on a one way circuit, so pay attention to where you are going and what you want to see. Take time to stop and snap all the pictures you want, no one will rush you, but they may stop you from going backwards. If you are there in the afternoon (like we were), take advantage of the fact that you now have an amazing world wonder to yourself (almost!).
MP Weather:
OMG we haven’t really talked about the weather! We traveled to MP in October. It’s important to know that from November to April is wet season, July to August is dry season (and the most popular) and in February they close the Inca trail for maintenance. For reference, we visited in Late August/Early September and saw very little “wet weather.” Keep in mind, you’re in the mountains, so the weather can change quickly and often. Make sure to pay attention and don’t get stuck in the rain (especially on those slick stone steps). To that end, try to put a hat, sun screen, bug spray and an umbrella in your day pack if possible. Some All of us made the mistake of NOT putting bug spray on (we did have bracelets), even when we were explicitly told to do so. And it was the wrong choice. Sorry CrazyTravelista we should have listened (inset hand to face emoji here). As a group, we opted to stay until they kicked us out the end. And MP did not disappoint. Have you seen that video where the guy freaks out about the double rainbow? Yeah, that was us, but it was a DOUBLE rainbow at mother forking MP! So can you blame us?!
Did we miss any important tips? Tell us in the comments below!
