Machu Picchu is one of the wonders of the world and something I wanted to see and experience. I got a reasonable fight for around $800 through LATAM. In Machu Picchu there is a rainy season and a dry season. Though I would have preferred to go during dry season, I was able to get off work in rainy season, so I took my chances. A bonus of rainy season is that it is a low tourist period, so there are no overwhelming crowds. We flew into Lima, and heard from friends that it’s not the safest area, so we stayed at the hotel attached to the airport, and paid an arm and a leg for the convenience. The next day we took a flight to Cusco, then got an Uber to a hotel in Ollantaytambo to acclimatize. Cusco is significantly higher than Machu Picchu, and we didn’t want to be out with altitude sickness, so we took it slow. A 1.5 hour uber ride was 73 soles which is about $30 which is crazy cheap. I normally pay more than that for a 30 minute ride to the airport.
The first hotel we stayed at is called Casa de Chola, halfway between Ollyantambo and Urubama. It was certainly a pleasant place to stay and the manager Toni was amazing. He is super nice and helpful with recommendations, great at estimating taxi prices, and he even made us breakfast and dinner. The rate was $84 for 2 nights which again was great value when compared to US prices.
Toni got us a driver to take us around the local sites and wait for us at each stop. We went to the Maras salt pans, and Moray. Moray was my favorite of the two. It had neat circular formations/ terraces. One thing we were not expecting was that everything had to be paid in soles in cash. We were short of soles when buying the ticket for Moray, but lucky for us we had dollars, and there was a person to exchange our dollars for soles but it was a close call.
The next day we checked out of the hotel and got a taxi to the Ollyatumbo ruins. We had to catch a train so we didn’t stay too long but it was a cool place to walk around. The train was our avenue to Machu Picchu, so we were very excited. We were on our way to aguas calientes which is the place tourists stay to access Machu Picchu. There is a hotel on the premises, but it cost over $800/ night. my fiancé and I passed.
There are 2 ways to get to Aguas Calientes: take a taxi and walk three hours with all of your luggage or take the train. Though the train is expensive, it is a nice ride that comes with a meal and great views. There are two trains for tourists, the Peru Rail and the Inca Rail. For this trip I took the Inca Rail to Aguas Calientes. My fiance and I stayed at Retama Machu Picchu and it was a nice hotel with the basics. I would say mid-range hotel for about $55 a night.
For this trip I was nervous that it was going to rain if we went for a day, so my fiance and I bought tickets for two days, which we learned is not typical. We bought these tickets in September for our December trip. The first day was just Machu Picchu, the second included tickets to Huyana Picchu
The first day was pretty cloudy, so though it was pleasant to hike, we didn’t really get the dazzling pictures that you see of Machu Picchu when it is sunny. There are two ways to get up to Machu Picchu: a 60-90min hike, or a 20min bus ride. my fiancé and I took the bus for $24/ person round trip which is very expensive for a state-operated bus in Peru! But it was rainy season we didn’t want to risk hiking in the rain. When you choose to ride the bus, they suggest you get in line an hour earlier than the time on your ticket for Machu Picchu, which we did. While in line, guides will come up to you and ask you if you want a guide. [Pro tip: you don’t need a guide to enter Machu Picchu]. My fiance and I wanted to do what we wanted to do, we didn’t want to be rushed, and to be honest if we wanted to learn more about the ruins, we could just look it up.
On Machu Picchu day one, my fiance and I set an alarm for 5:10am, and were in line at 5:55. The bus line was well organized and efficient. Another pro tip do not go to the ruins first. If a sign says one way, you will not be able to return to that spot. You should go to the Sun Gate and the Inca Bridge before going down to the ruins. Again they will not make exceptions to go back if you pass a one way sign, UNLESS you have a ticket that allows re-entry (which, for instance, you can get by buying a ticket which includes Huyana Picchu). My fiance and I started out hiking to the Sun Gate. When we got there, it was really cloudy so we didn’t get the best pictures. Then we accidentally went to the Inca Bridge because my fiance thought you were supposed to cross the bridge to get to the ruins. Spoiler alert: that is not how you get to the ruins. However, when we did get to the ruins it was actually sunny. Towards the end of the journey we were greeted with llamas.
We went to the cafe on the premises to get some food and I tried purple corn juice which is AMAZING. We ended day one exhausted, promptly went to the hotel and fell asleep. We then went out to dinner and I had alpaca which was good and something I wouldn’t get in the USA for about $15. Something that was a bit off putting when walking is that the restaurant people will hound you when you’re walking trying to get you to come to their restaurants.
On Machu Picchu day two we had tickets to Huayna Picchu which forces you to hike the mountain first but allows for a re-entry. When we entered, we saw the llamas had been moved to the front which was cool. We went through the ruins and went to the area with the sundial which we missed the day before as it is only open 7-10am. We then were talking to some of the workers and they told us we had to get to Huayna Picchu because our tickets were timed. We were super grateful to the guys for that. We made it to the entrance and I really pushed my fiance to speed through the ascent. It was really difficult and steep at points, but we were able to get to the top in 30 minutes. Everything you read about the views is absolutely true. These were the best views and the best pictures of Machu Picchu. Then we climbed back down and exited Machu Picchu. I should stress that you should be in reasonably good shape to get up this mountain!
We had lunch at the restaurant outside of Machu Picchu and the highlight of the lunch for me was the purple corn juice. We were also enthralled with the homemade ice cream. We then went back into Machu Picchu, hiked to the Inca Bridge one more time because we didn’t actually take pictures of it the day before, then we skipped going through the ruins and caught our bus and subsequently the train.
Machu Picchu Pro Tips/ Info
- Aguas Calientes is where you stay to get to Machu Picchu you can take a taxi and walk three hours or you can take a direct train.
- You can take a bus for $24 round trip to get to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes or walk 90 min
- There are no bathrooms in Machu Picchu, only outside and they cost 2 soles cash
- You do not need a guide to enter Machu Picchu
- If you see a one way sign you will not be able to go back be sure you want to go that way
- Hiking Machu Picchu Mountain and Huayna Picchu are an extra cost
- Huayna Picchu tickets are timed, make sure you make your time, in addition, you can re-enter if you hike huayna Picchu
- my fiancé and I stayed about 3.5 hours for each day and walked/ hiked about 8 miles
- I personally think Huayna Picchu is the best part, but it is very strenuous
- Make sure to drink the purple corn juice and Inka Kola
Cusco
After spending a few nights in mid range hotels, we were ready to end our trip in luxury with a stay at the JW Marriott in Cusco, which was voted the best JW in the world. It was completely reconstructed from Inca ruins and has activities, a spa, and a really pretty courtyard. It even has oxygenated rooms to help people adjust to the altitude. I ended up taking a Pisco Sour class at the hotel which was cool, informative, and delicious.
The next day we woke up and they brought an alpaca to the courtyard to take pictures with. It was a baby, so she was very soft. We had a wonderful breakfast with so many different options of bread, fruit, juices, teas, etc. After breakfast we took a “Free Walking Tour” for two hours and learned about Cusco, the Incas, and theories and legends of the Incan culture. The tour ended with free ceviche which was amazing. I highly recommend Peruvian ceviche. After the tour we had lunch and I tried guinea pig. I wanted to try it, but I wouldn’t have it again. my fiancé had an alpaca burger. We then walked around the streets. For dinner we had the best meal deserving of at least 2 Michelin stars. We went to Uchu, a Peruvian steakhouse (see review here). We then shopped a bit more and went back to the hotel. We then flew from Cusco to Atlanta for my next adventure: starting a new job.
