Finally!

After our three-day hike, we reached our destination. All the effort and blisters were worth it, we are finally here. The emotions that welled up in us were a mixture of excitement, amazement but also pride at seeing one of the seventh wonders of the world that we had reached with such tremendous effort. We are at an altitude of 2,430 meters above sea level and below us are the ruins of the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu. But first things first.

How to get there:

There are not many options. In fact, there are only two. The first option is by train and the second is on foot. You can take the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes which is located below Machu Picchu and then take a bus which will take you up to the ruins. Then you have the option of walking there. And there are two options here. The Inca trail, which you can only take with a guide, or the Salkantay Trek, where you don't have to pay for any guide and can enjoy your own private hike, which is what we chose.

After reaching Aguas Calientes the first task is to find a hostel, we found one with the help of a guy from Brazil with whom we shared a dorm in our first hostel in Cuzco. What a coincidence. He recommended us the hostel vista Waynapata which is literally around the corner from the square where they sell the tickets for Machu Picchu. After a brief haggle with the receptionist we settled on a decent 130p for two nights for two people. The hostel was clean and our room had beautiful view of the mountains but most importantly, a hot shower. It would be a shame if the hot water didn't flow at a place called Aguas Calientes. The price did not include breakfast but that can be negotiated as well.

view out of our room

Tickets

If you're planning a trip to Peru and also read that the tickets are already sold out in your desired dates, don't despair. You can buy tickets directly in Aguas Calientes. The Ministry of Culture is located at Plaza Manco Capac. You can buy tickets here, but only for the next day. The building opens at 15:00 but we recommend standing in front of it an hour or so earlier, as there are long queues outside the main entrance and serial numbers are given out to let you in. In addition, there are only 1,000 tickets to be sold per day. It doesn't seem like it, but by two hours after opening time some circuits can be sold out.

tickets to Machu Picchu

price list

queue in front of the Ministry of Culture

Shortly after our arrival in Aguas Calientes, we decided to take the next day off and not go to Machu Picchu until the day after that, and it was a wise decision because we woke up in the morning with such a muscle fever that even a casual stroll around town was giving us a hard time. We kind of felt it the moment we decided to do the Salkantay trek in three days. After a hearty breakfast, we went to get tickets to Machu Picchu and then walked around the town exploring all its nooks and crannies. There are several art sculptures, souvenir markets, countless restaurants and you can also relax in the thermal baths or stroll through the Mándor Garden.

nigtlife in Aguas Calientes

alpaca meat

one of many indigenous murals

Machu Picchu

We set off at 9am as we were assigned to enter the archaeological zone at 11am so we told you that two hours would be plenty for the hike. And it was. At a brisk pace we climbed the steps leading up the mountain and after about an hour we were at the main gate. There we had a little snack and headed towards the ruins. Just a few more steps and...

main gate

Just a few more steps...

FINALLY!

After our three days hike, we had reached our destination!

All the effort and blisters were worth it, we are finally here. The emotions that welled up in us were a mixture of awe, wonder but also pride at the sight of one of the seventh wonders of the world that we had reached with such tremendous effort. We are at an altitude of 2,430 meters above sea level and below us are the ruins of the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Alpacas on Machu Picchu

Just before entering you meet a few tour guides, we stubbornly made our way through their selling zone and then inside the compound listened in amazement to the knowledge we could pick up from some of them.

An important note is that the tour is only allowed in one direction, so there is no way back and you can't revisit some of the ruins or return to Inca bridge if you happen to miss visiting it (like we did). Fortunately, in this case the guards were considerate and we were able to enjoy our admission with all the trimmings.

road to inca Bridge

The inca bridge

Machu Picchu is a wonder

No wonder that Machu Picchu is a wonder!

On the way back, don't forget to turn left before the bridge and visit the Machu Picchu Museum. A visit to the museum is free with every ticket, regardless of the circuit purchased, and the rich history is well worth it!

Again, we recommend bringing repellent and plenty of water.

Journey Back To Cusco

In the morning, we had one last challenge on our journey in the footsteps of the Incas and that was the drive back to Cusco. This time we didn't took the train ride either, but again made our way back to Hidroelectrica along the treks. After three hours we arrived at our stop, from here one would expect everything to go smoothly. The pink clouds soon took on their color and we searched helplessly for our names on the passenger list.

The ticket can be purchased on the spot or via redbus.pe, the price is the same.

KEats...Keats...KeAts...

Eventually the driver admitted us to the car and added our names to the list. However, the small van soon dropped us off at a rest area and we waited with many other travelers to see what would happen next. When we were told that the bus would arrive in an hour, the kitchen began to fill with orders. What a smart move, we thought, and joined the lunch break. As our journey continued, we all covered our faces as the bus window was broken and all the sand from the road was dusting inside. For a long time the road was dusty and very narrow, it was quite terrifying, the slightest inattention could have been our fatal fall into the canyon below. However, the ride was soon made more pleasant by a passenger who managed to close the window, so we didn't blame the bus company and hopefully our fellow travelers will have a more pleasant ride as they are already working on widening the roads and building tunnels. We have now reached our destination well.

Our Conclusion

There are some places that you like to carry in your heart forever. But there are also places that your heart longs to return to. See you at Machu Picchu.