The path to Machu Picchu

'A cynic is someone who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing,' Oscar Wilde is often quoted like this or something similar. With the following comments, I do not want to diminish my experiences of the past few days in any way. Nevertheless, the marketing of the ruins of Machu Picchu was part of the overall picture and should therefore also be mentioned.

There were many ways to get to the ruins, some easy and some difficult. For example, the all-inclusive package could be booked through travel agencies for around 130 to 190 euros. 

Machu Picchu could only be reached from the small town of Aguas Calientes. However, this village was cut off from the road network in a narrow valley, into which only a private train ran. The journey from Cusco took about three to four hours and cost between 25 and 70 euros. Buses then drove up and down the mountain to Machu Picchu, for 11 euros each way. Finally, the entrance fee was 37 euros. In addition, there were possible costs for a tour guide. That was the basic calculation. Extra tours to the surrounding mountains, guided multi-day treks in the footsteps of the Incas, or individual tours could be added for hard cash.

Of all the World Heritage Sites I had visited so far, the pricing around Machu Picchu was by far the most dizzying.

As a backpacker with the aim of organizing as much as possible myself, I opted for the super special savings option. For 17 euros round trip, I reserved a seat in a minibus that took individual travelers from Cusco to the end of the road network in seven hours. Then followed a tough 12km hike along the railway tracks to Aguas Calientes, where I took a hostel bed for 8 euros including breakfast. This was followed by the entrance ticket for 37 euros for the next morning and a guide for 5 euros.

The price included fantastic impressions on a mountain pass with endless switchbacks, which took us from 2,000 to over 4,000 meters above sea level and back down. The two-hour hike with luggage also gave me the feeling of earning my way to Machu Picchu. On and off the railway tracks, I followed the Rio Urubamba upstream. However, the romantic idea of walking on the tracks did not hold up to the reality of the gravel that strained my joints and soles of my feet. Nevertheless, the landscape and nature had their own charm.

I was particularly impressed by the climate and vegetation phenomenon of the 'cloud forest'. Cool temperatures, high humidity, and a high density of trees led to moist fog that constantly covered and revealed the Andean landscape.

Satisfied with my choice of tour, physically exhausted in the most positive sense, taking a hot shower and changing out of my sweaty and rain-soaked clothes, I strolled through Aguas Calientes a little in the early evening before setting my alarm for 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday and peacefully falling asleep.