Tips & Tricks for your Machu Picchu adventure

Machu Picchu is the most popular attraction in Peru, rightly so in our opinion. Due to the high number of people on site (up to 8,000 people before Corona, currently around 3,000 people/day), the authorities have issued numerous rules in recent years. This can quickly become confusing, so here is an attempt to create some transparency.

Planning: More than ever, preparation and planning are everything for Machu Picchu. Spontaneity is rather out of place here - why? Well, as mentioned above, nearly 3,000 people visit these ruins every day (before Corona it was 8,000), and in order to fully enjoy this experience, some decisions need to be made in advance. In addition, registration closes 24 hours prior to arrival. From our point of view, you should consider:

• Guide Yes/No?

• We would definitely recommend a guide for visiting the ruins. On one hand, you will receive incredible amounts of information about this special place, and on the other hand, the guide knows when and where to be in order to take the right photos without crowds. Note: Treks can only be done with a guide anyway. More information about good travel agencies can be found below in the post.

• Arrival

• Trekking: There are many different ways to hike to Machu Picchu. From 1-day treks (starting from kilometer 104 - that's what we did) to the standard Inca Trail with 4 days to 21-day hikes of the Salkantay Trek, everything is possible. We really enjoyed the experience of hiking part of the Inca Trail and "earning" our way to Machu Picchu. As mentioned, this can only be done with a guide and you need to budget extra for it. The Inca Trail can be hiked by a maximum of 350 people per day (the whole trail) and a maximum of 150 people from kilometer 104. IMPORTANT: The Inca Trail is closed for maintenance in February.

• Train & Bus: The more comfortable option is, of course, to travel by train and bus. There are three different train companies: PeruRail, IncaRail, and Belmond. We couldn't see any difference between PeruRail and IncaRail in terms of comfort or price. Belmond is the luxury option - since all trains have a very high standard, we would not recommend the extra cost. From the train terminal in Aguas Calientes (the "town" before Machu Picchu), there are two ways to get to the ruins: by bus or on foot. Buses with 30 seats depart every few minutes to the entrance of Machu Picchu (round trip costs $24 per person; one way $12). Our recommendation here is to try and get one of the first three buses in the morning (starting at 05:30) to avoid crowds and fully enjoy Machu Picchu. We would not recommend walking from Aguas Calientes to the ruins. The path is extremely steep, tiring, next to the road, and not particularly beautiful. If you are motivated to hike, save your energy and climb Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu Mountain - here you will be rewarded with an incredible view.

• Accommodation: Whether you choose the full Inca Trail, a shortened version, or traveling by train, we recommend staying in Aguas Calientes. No, the town is not a highlight, but only if you take the bus to the entrance early in the morning (starting at 05:30) can you truly enjoy Machu Picchu without crowds. The peace and energy that this place radiates cannot be fully appreciated, in our opinion, if you have to share your two-hour time slot with 500-1000 other people.

• Entrance(s)

• Machu Picchu: The most important thing first - each ticket only allows entry to Machu Picchu for two hours. There are two different types of tickets: tickets where you have to enter within a certain time period, e.g. between 07:00 and 09:00 (costs 200 Soles per person) OR tickets without a specific time (costs 222 Soles per person). This means that if you are not sure when exactly you want to enter, it would be advisable to buy a ticket without a specific time. IMPORTANT: There are no facilities inside the site for going to the toilet or buying water, for example. If you leave the site, you can no longer re-enter without a new ticket.

• Mountains (Machu Picchu Mountain & Huayna Picchu): We highly recommend climbing one of the mountains. However, you should be in good physical condition. Machu Picchu Mountain (3,060m altitude) has 1,600 steps (yes, it's all steps) in one direction (which means there are 1,600 steps down again). The route is only 2 km long, but it includes about 600 meters of altitude difference. The path was really challenging, but after 1.5-2 hours of walking, you will be rewarded with an incredible view. Huayna Picchu Mountain has a much lower altitude (2,700m) - the route takes only about 45 minutes and includes "only" 750 steps one way. According to research, the path is very narrow and exposed, so you should definitely have a head for heights. To be honest, we had too much respect for this narrowness and the cliffs, so we chose Machu Picchu Mountain.

Most important information at the end: to climb either of these mountains, you have to completely leave the Machu Picchu site and pay the full entrance fee again. However, this ticket cannot be bought on the day of the visit and must be planned in advance. There are two time slots for hiking the mountains: at 08:00 and 10:00, a maximum of 200 people per mountain (this number can vary depending on the current rules) are allowed to pass the control gates. The time on the mountain itself is not limited, but you must pass the control gates at the entrance on time, otherwise the tickets will lose their validity. With the "mountain tickets", you are not allowed to enter Machu Picchu itself anymore.

Budget

We want to warn you right away - this pleasure is really anything but cheap. Whether with an agency or without, with trekking or without. You have to pay quite a bit to be able to explore this wonder of the world. Here is a short exemplary list (there is no upper limit here):

• Transportation costs to/from Ollantaytambo train station (from Cusco): 40-60 €

• Train ticket round trip: 100-140 € (depending on category, time, etc.)

• Bus ticket round trip to Machu Picchu: 22 €

• Machu Picchu entrance ticket: 50-60 € (depending on fixed time or flexible)

• Entrance ticket for mountain viewpoint: 40-50 €

• Accommodation in Aguas Calientes: from 40 € per room including breakfast (breakfast is available from 05:00) - if, for example, you want to stay in the lodge right by Machu Picchu, that's possible for $1,500 per room per night ;)

• Trekking: Depending on the length and agency (for the short Inca Trail, you stay in Aguas Calientes; for the longer treks, you stay in tents - but this is more like glamping, as the tents, equipment, food, etc. are carried from place to place by staff and fresh meals are prepared daily). Example: Inca Trail from KM 104 including all entrances, transfers, accommodation, and food via Salkantay (premium provider) for about €450

Minimum budget per person (without trekking, food, extra mountain): from €230 to per person for a comfortable option with accommodation. Of course, there are super budget options (which we didn't look into), for example, here's a link

More Tips & Links

Travel agencies: The currently best agencies are Salkantay Trekking and Alpaca Expeditions - at least these providers are competing for the number 1 spot in Cusco. We chose Salkantay Trekking and were very satisfied - here are the links to the two providers (in this case with the tour we did, but there is a wide selection):

-> 2-Day Short Inca Trail

-> Inca Trail Tour w/Hotel: 2day | # 1 Peru Tour Operator

Travel blogs: Bloggers who provide good information about Machu Picchu and delve deeper into the subject:

-> https://www.alongdustyroads.com/posts/visit-machu-picchu-tickets

-> https://globusliebe.com/inka-trail-machu-picchu/

-> https://info-peru.de/machu-picchu/

-> https://www.machutravelperu.com/machu-picchu-tours

Stamps in your passport: You can get a great souvenir in Aguas Calientes near the main square. In the tourist office, you can get a Machu Picchu stamp in your passport for free. IMPORTANT WARNING: for the whole adventure, it is essential to have the original passport with you. Whether it's the train, entrances, or anything else, you won't be allowed in without the original passport.

We hope that our tips have helped you with your planning. We would be happy if you leave us a comment, and if you have any questions, you can contact us.