What are my options to travel to Machu Picchu?

By: Machupicchu Trekking Peru Nov 19, 2021

MACHU PICCHU

Machu Picchu is one of the New Seven Wonders of the New World, declared Cultural and Natural Heritage of Humanity in 1983 by UNESCO. It is on the bucket list of many travelers worldwide. Everyone who once visited Machu Picchu can also wholeheartedly confirm that the trip to Machu Picchu is totally worth your time! Machu Picchu is located on the top of a mountain in the midst of the Peruvian pre-jungle, which is between the Andes mountain range and the jungle. It is a place that has become famous not only because of the wonderful architectural Inca constructions, but also because of the immense historical importance it has for the cultural legacy in Peru. People from all over the world come to admire this historic sanctuary!

Before the pandemic Macchu Picchu received annually around 1 and a half million visitors. Sadly, the site had to close for a very long time during the pandemic. But now it is open again to both national and international visitors. The local people are very excited to welcome the tourists again and show the amazing wonders of Machu Picchu to all of you! Although that Machu Picchu is still in the Cusco province, it is a pretty long trip from Cusco city to arrive there. There are several options available to travel to Machu Picchu, every option has its advantages, but also its disadvantages. It can be really hard to make a choice, so that is why we are happy to help you out by listing the pros and cons for each option.

 

 

TRAVEL BY TRAIN

The option to travel by train is without any doubt the most popular option to travel to Machu Picchu. The train will bring you all the way from the Sacred Valley of the Inca to the Machu Picchu town, so you can enjoy the most amazing views on the way.

PROS:

1. It is the fastest way to travel to Machu Picchu. You can travel by train, visit Machu Picchu and come back to Cusco in only one day.
2. You can choose to take the train from Cusco (San Pedro station or Poroy station) or from the Sacred Valley (Ollantaytambo station). If you take the train in Ollantaytambo you will be in Machu Picchu town in only 90 minutes!
3. You can choose the train service that fits you best. There is the normal tourist train, also called the Expedition train, the better view train (glass roof windows) also known as the Vistadome train and the Luxury Hiram Bingham train. The luxury train offers a full package including a gourmet lunch.
4. Trains are scheduled all day long from 5 am to 10 pm every day, also on holidays.
5. You can enjoy some traditional Peruvian dances on board while being on the train.
6. You can combine a full day Sacred Valley tour visiting Pisac and Ollantaytambo with a complete Machu Picchu train tour in only 2 days’ time!

CONS:

1. The train is a very expensive option, prices for a normal tourist train ticket both way start from USD 100 per person.
2. If you want to travel from San Pedro, so from Cusco city itself, there are only very few trains scheduled and the tickets will be sold out week from before. Also from Poroy, there are also very few trains scheduled and you will need to take a taxi from Cusco center. It is a taxi ride of around 30 minutes from Cusco to Poroy.
3. It is a 90 min. taxi or bus ride to arrive from Cusco to the train station in Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. A private taxi is very expensive so most people choose the shared tourist bus option.
4. If you take the one-day train tour, it is impossible to enter Machu Picchu with the first group of 6 am in the morning to see Machu Picchu awake from the clouds. Because of the limited time on the one-day tour, it is also not possible to visit the hot springs in Machu Picchu town. But… of course you can always extend your stay to a two days’ train tour!

Do you want to do the train tour to Machu Picchu?

We recommend our full day train tour! We will pick you up early in the morning, around 2.30 am from your hotel in the center of Cusco. Our transport, type van, will bring you all the way to the train station of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. You will board the train leaving at 5 am and you’ll enjoy the most beautiful views for the 90 minutes train ride. Once we arrive at the train station of Machu Picchu town, also known as Aguas Calientes, the guide will be waiting for you to go together to the bus terminal from where we take the bus op to Machu Picchu so you enjoy an early entrance around 7 – 8 am. Here we’ll have a guided tour of 2 hours by a professional guide. Of course the entrance fee to Machu Picchu is also included. After there is some free time to take extra pictures and enjoy some last moments inside the Inca Citadel. You’ll take the bus back down to the town of Machu Picchu from where your train will leave in the afternoon around 4 pm. At the train station of Ollantaytambo, the driver is waiting for you to bring you back to Cusco center. You will arrive in Cusco between 8 and 9 pm after a day full of amazing new experiences you will never forget!

 

TRAVEL BY BUS

The option to travel by bus to Machu Picchu is very popular with backpackers. The standard bus tour to Machu Picchu lasts 2 days and 1 night.

PROS:

1. It is a very budget friendly option! You will find no cheaper option to travel to Machu Picchu then the bus tour.
2. Because you already arrive in the Machu Picchu town in the evening on the first day, you can enter Machu Picchu the second day with the very first group at 6 am!
3. The bus is always available, so no need to make your reservation long time in advance with a train company.
4. It is the perfect way to meet fellow backpackers and make new friends on the bus. Many passengers decide after to travel together in Peru or even to other Latin American countries.

CONS:

1. You will be in the bus for a long time, more exactly for around 6-7 hours going and again the same amount of hours coming back.
2. When we are in the midst of rainy season, the bus can have delay making the travel time even longer because the roads get more difficult to drive on.
3. The bus can only drive to a place called Hydroelectrica, from there you will have to walk 3 hours next to the train tracks to arrive to Machu Picchu town (and of course coming back you will have to do the same route). But… you will walk through a very beautiful scenery and you’ll see cacao farms, banana plants and amazing flowers on the way.
4. You’ll need minimum 2 days’ time to be able to do this tour.

Do you want to do the bus tour to Machu Picchu?

We recommend our two days’ bus tour! The first day around 7 am the driver will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco center. Our route goes all the way through the Sacred Valley going to Hydroelectrcia where we arrive around 2-3 pm in the afternoon. Here we enjoy lunch before starting the 3 hours walk next to the train tracks where we can observe the amazing fauna and flora of the Peruvian pre-jungle. Once arriving in Machu Picchu town, you’ll check in at your hotel and enjoy an amazing Peruvian dinner in the evening. It is recommended to go sleep early as next day you’ll get up early in the morning, taking your box breakfast with you, to walk up to Machu Picchu using the Inca Stairs. You will be entering Machu Picchu with the first group early in the morning to see Machu Picchu appear from the clouds. There is a professional guided tour which will last about 2 hours. Following, you’ll enjoy some free time inside the Inca Citadel before walking back down to Machu Picchu town. After picking up your backpack at the hotel, you’ll walk for another 3 hours to Hydroelectrica. Here our bus will leave at 3 pm so we arrive in Cusco center around 10 pm, tired but happy with this amazing experience.

 

HIKING TO MACHU PICCHU

There are several trekkings offered to Machu Picchu. Most of them are between 2 days and 5 days long. The most popular trekkings are the Inca Trail, the Salkantay Trail and the Inca Jungle Trail. But there are also other options available such as the Lares trail or the Huchuy Qosqo trail. Especially the Salkantay trail is gaining more and more popularity with both adventurers and backpackers from all over the world as it is known as one of the most beautiful trails worldwide where you will walk both in the Andes and in cloud jungle before arriving to Machu Picchu.

PROS:

1. If you want to learn more about the Peruvian culture, doing a trail is the best option for you as you will walk through local communities, have the opportunity to visit a local coffee farm, talk with indigenous people on the way and see for yourself the daily life outside the big cities.
2. Go off the beaten tourist paths with one of the beautiful trails to Machu Picchu and experience places that are absolutely not touristic at all.
3. Observe the most amazing nature of both the Andes mountains and the cloud jungle! Peru is one of the countries with most micro climates worldwide, and you will walk through several of them during the trail.
4. There are trails of all prices available. The Salkantay trail has a very budget friendly price.
5. Being able to visit Machu Picchu after several days of hiking… that is just the best feeling ever!

CONS:

1. Doing a trail is not for everyone, it is clearly a physical challenge and the trails are not recommended for people having, for example, asthma or obese people.
2. You will need minimum 2 days’ time if you want to do a short trail. But the most beautiful and complete trails are always 4 or 5 days long.
3. If you want to do the 2 days or 4 days Inca Trail, you will have to pay a very high price as the price of the trail includes the expensive entrance fee to the Inca Trail that travel agencies pay to the Peruvian government for every passenger doing the trail.
4. Trails are mostly recommended to do outside the months with heaviest rain (January and February), because the paths can be in bad condition these months. The Original Inca Trail even closes the whole month of February for the yearly maintenance works.

Do you want to hike to Machu Picchu?

We recommend our 5 days Salkantay backpacker tour! This tour starts with the pick up early in the morning of the first day. Our bus will take us to Challacancha from where we start walking. We’ll visit the Humantay lake and sleep in the Andean huts at the Soraypampa camping. The first day we’ll walk for 5 hours (12 km). The second day we walk up all the way to the Abra Salkantay point from which it goes down to our campsite in Colpapampa. Today we will walkfor  a total of 22 km which (around 10 hours). The third day we walk 14 km (5 hours) and in the afternoon you will have the opportunity to visit the hot springs of Cocalmayo. The fourth day we walk to the ruins of Llacatapata to continue to Hydroelectrica and after 18 km (7 hours) we arrive in Machupicchu Town or Aguas Calientes. This last night we’ll sleep in a hostel. The fifth day early in the morning we walk up to Machu Picchu to enjoy a guided tour. Around noon we walk back down to Machupicchu Town and Hydroelectica to catch the bus to bring us back to Cusco center where we arrive around 10 pm.

 

What option would you choose after comparing all the pros and cons? Let us know!

Would you like to receive more information about one or more of the travel options to Machu Picchu?  Contact us at FACEBOOK or WHATSAPP +51 928738468.