Here is our itinerary when we visited Machu Picchu in September, 2018. Although we had an amazing experience, if we had the chance to do it again, we would do things a little bit differently.
Hindsight is always 20/20.
See our post “Machu Picchu: What We Would Do Differently” for specific details and advice.
Our Itinerary
Arrived To Cusco
Upon arrival by plane to Cusco, our hotel provided complimentary airport pick-up.
On a side note, beware of the many porters inside the airport offering to help with your bags. They will call you by name, so you assume they are there to pick you up. However, they just saw your name on a card outside and are looking to make an extra buck.
After a short drive, we dropped off our luggage at our hotel (La Casa de Mayte). Most hotels and hostels in Cusco will keep your baggage for a few days at no extra charge.
Colectivo to Ollantaytambo
We had lunch in Cusco and walked to Calle Pavitos, where we hopped on a colectivo (small van) headed to Ollantaytambo. We had to wait for approximately 45 minutes until the van was full before we could depart. The ride took approximately two hours with some stops along the way to pick up and drop off passengers.
Arrived in Ollantaytambo
We checked into our hostel (Janaxpacha) in Ollantaytambo and explored the small, charming town filled with narrow cobblestone streets and beautiful buildings.
Bought Rail Tickets to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo)
For Machu Picchu, our plan was to walk 2 hours from Hidroelectrica and then take the train back afterwards. However, we discovered that this was not possible because the only option for taking a bus to Hidroelctrica arrives in the afternoon. Taking a 2 hour walk would not give us enough time at Machu Picchu.
Therefore, we were handcuffed into buying additional Peru Rail tickets at the exorbitant cost of $70 USD per person each way. If you buy return tickets in advance, you save approximately $10-20USD from the total cost.
Bought Machu Picchu Tickets
Our ticket to Machu Picchu was on September 3, 2018 for the segundo turno (afternoon entrance, 12:00pm-5:00pm). We chose the afternoon time slot because there are far less people and the morning fog has cleared, which makes for better photos.
We bought our tickets online the day before and our hostel printed them for us. You must have printed tickets to enter the site.
Peru Rail from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo)
Our Peru Rail departure from Ollantaytambo was at 8:29am and they instructed us to be there 30 minutes early. We arrived 20 minutes early and there was no problem entering.
At the train station, there is a waiting area at the end of the platform with free wifi. The train takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to Aguas Calientes. There are windows on the roof of the train so it can become quite sunny and hot, but the views are incredible. You will see snow capped mountains and the Urubamba river. The train is mostly composed of sections of 4 seats facing each other with a table in between.
Aguas Calientes
Upon arriving to Aguas Calientes, we had some time before our 12:00pm entrance to Machu Picchu. We walked around looking for an affordable place to eat lunch and everywhere seemed to be quite expensive.
We ended up settling for a small place called Cafe Latino to have a sandwich and coffee. Shaleen ordered in perfect Spanish, yet the order was incorrect and we were charged a higher price for items we did not order! This left a bad taste in our mouth (from the experience and the food!).
Bus Ticket to Machu Picchu Entrance
Our next task was to purchase our one-way bus ticket to take us to the entrance gate for Machu Picchu. We walked to the buses and were informed the ticket office was in another location. We walked five minutes in the opposite direction and found the office and paid in cash (they do not accept Visa).
Upon receiving our change, we immediately realized we were shortchanged. When Shaleen asked the teller, she initially rolled her eyes, snickered and would not give us the right change. Shaleen was persistent and eventually received some of the change we were owed, but not all of it. It made us wonder how often she does this to tourists and how much extra money the staff is making on the side. Again, we felt taken advantage of and Shaleen was feeling ready to leave Peru forever.
Machu Picchu
We took the bus (there was no wait) to the gate and were able to enter a little bit earlier than noon.
We explored Machu Picchu for 5 hours and it was phenomenal. We hiked to the sun gate (approx. 1 hour), to the Inca bridge, the guardhouse, met some llamas and explored the ruins.
We took some snacks (granola bars, wafers, etc) and water, which was adequate. We also liberally applied sunscreen and insect repellant.
Exited Machu Picchu and walked back to Aguas Calientes
On the way out of the park, we stamped our passports with a Machu Picchu stamp! We then took the official hiking path (instead of the bus) to the bottom and walked back to Aguas Calientes. The whole walk took approximately 1 hour. The hike is simple, well marked and most of it is stairs.
Dinner in Aguas Calientes
We discovered that the most affordable place to eat in Aguas Calientes is the second floor of the Mercado de Abastos. There are countless stalls serving two course meals consisting of a soup, a main dish of your choice and a drink.
The prices are incredibly affordable! We paid 8 soles each for our meals! With so many options, we wished we discovered this place sooner!
Return to Ollantaytambo
We returned to the train station and waited for the return journey back to Ollantaytambo. The Peru Rail wifi was excellent in the waiting area. We were able to upload photos and videos to Instagram and connect with family after our exciting day.
Final Thoughts
Although we ended up paying more than we expected and were taken advantage of (even as seasoned travellers), we had an overall great experience at Machu Picchu. While we will not be returning any time soon, we hope this guide was helpful if you are planning a trip.
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Hi Shaleen and Corey,
I just read your travelogue on Machu Picchu and loved the pictures and commentary. It is on our bucket list so reading your column will definitely help. I noticed you guys were wearing short sleeved shirts and assume it was warm. I was under the impression it is always cold and wet in Machu Picchu. Keep the blogs coming.
Bash
Hi Bash! Thanks for your kind words about this post! We brought layers to Machu Picchu, but for the most part, we didn’t anything heavy. It was in the low 20s on the afternoon that we visited. It was likely more foggy and colder in the morning.