Machu Picchu, Planning your Trip (Part 2)

Before moving on to the second part of this post, a quick review of the most important rule in planning your trip to Machu Picchu from my previous post.
Anyone?...
Book your train tickets to/from Aguas Calientes with anticipation, again way ahead of time if you can...I know I repeat myself but trust me on that one, trains can fill up fast, especially during the high season months. I have met many independent travelers during my many visits to Peru who were surprised to find that their departure date and/or preferred schedule were sold out, and who had to re-plan their visits according to available train departures.

I left off with a bus ride and entrance tickets to Machu Picchu, right?

Well, let me tell you a story to illustrate my advices...It happened a few months ago, just a couple of days before the flood, end of January. I was in Aguas Calientes with some family members and friends, we were all ready to go up to the ruins, by bus of course (I opt for motorized ascent as my preferred mode of transportation), but still hesitant because of the rain. My friend Nick, who had already missed Machu Picchu on his first visit to Peru, absolutely wanted to hike up to the entrance, you know to make it a full, rewarding experience...with the rain. He went head on, after listening to my guidance for getting out of town on the right path to the ruins...honestly not to hard, follow the river, cross the bridge on your left and follow the path/stairs up! Well don't ask me why, but he turned right, not left, and never made it to the ruins!!! Instead, he climbed the Putukusi, the other big mountain facing Machu Picchu on the other side of the river. But the real irony is that, even if he would have hiked the right mountain, he would have had to go back to Aguas Calientes because he had forgotten to buy his entrance ticket in town, to only go back up again. Well he didn't make it back up, we found him soaked in a restaurant where we had rendez-vous, and up to this day he still has not seen Machu Picchu.
The moral of the story, if you are going to hike, know where you are going, otherwise just take the bus, but always make sure you buy your entrance ticket before you do either one of those!!!

To recap, yes you read it right, you CANNOT buy your entrance tickets to Machu Picchu at the entrance gate to Machu Picchu, but only in Aguas Calientes or Cusco. I recommend that you do so directly in Cusco at the office of the INC (Instituto Nacional de la Cultura/National Institute of Culture), located in calle San Bernadino. Don't worry Cusco is small and you won't be venturing too far by going there, it is actually two blocks from the Main Square.
In Aguas Calientes, you can buy your entrance tickets in the galleria next to the main plaza, where it says tourist info and they open early for those arriving at dawn.
You can pay for your entrance tickets only in local currency, the nuevos soles. If you buy your tickets in Cusco, they are valid three days, but only good for one visit. If you are going to re-enter the same day, you can, but make sure you have your ticket stamped by the guards at the gate. If you want to visit the ruins again the next day, then you will have to pay another ticket at full price. The price of a ticket is S/ with a sudent discount if you are the holder of ISCI card.

To catch a bus, no need to book ahead or buy your ticket some place else!!! At least that one is easy...Bus departs every 10 mns (or when full), tickets cost US $14 roundtrip ($7 one-way) and are sold on a first-come-first- served-basis at the bus stop. By the way, don't sweat finding the bus stop, Aguas Calientes only has two main streets...it is located on the street that follows the river, where all the buses are! you will see what I mean when you will get there!

Happy planning and hope to hear about some of your Machu Picchu vacations soon!

Machu Picchu, Planning your trip (part 1)

For a first article, I was wondering what will be the most pertinent subject to cover, after all the choices are varied when your focus is on three culturally rich and multi-faceted countries. Should I keep it general or stay specific?

But, as you can imagine, it did not take me long to think of... Machu Picchu!
It did make the news recently and rather sensationally with images of torrential floods and stranded visitors. We all remember the helicopter rescue ballet and the several weeks closure that followed the destruction of land and rail accesses to Aguas Calientes and the Citadel.
So the good news is that Machu Picchu re-opened begining of April and trains resumed most of their operations to and from Aguas Calientes.

I have to admit though, my choice for Machu Picchu was also driven by the uber-most frequently asked questions that I get as a travel professional from my clients "What is the best way to get/visit Machu Picchu?". If it is obvious for me to talk about that subject, it is because it is not obvious for some people to actually plan their trip to Machu Picchu, their most anticipated moment in their journey to Peru. Here are my best tips for your Machu Picchu trip planning.



My first advice is to book your train tickets with anticipation (I am serious and do not mean few days in advance), either through your travel professional or online (www.perurail.com, www.incarail.com), especially if you are planning to travel during the high season (May to September), otherwise you might not get the departure/returning dates and/or rate that you had first anticipated, which might ultimately lead to a re-organization of your trip at the last minute.
Depending on your itinerary and budget, you have several options regarding departures and rates.
Perurail, who has the most departing trains, leaves from Poroy (+/- 40mns transfer from Cusco) and Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, with services ranging from backpacker to luxury trains (rates depend on schedule and departing city). www.perurail.com
Inca Rail only leaves from Ollantaytambo, with two rates (First Class or Executive) for each of its three depatures a day. www.incarail.com
Some people opt for a roundtrip tour from Cusco-Poroy in a day, some like to spend the night prior in Aguas Calientes for an early visit of the ruins, others leave from the Valley and return to Cusco...as you can see there are many ways you can organize your visit depending on your time constraint, itinerary, style etc.

But here are some food for thoughts when building that portion of your Peru itinerary.
A roundtrip Cusco-Aguas Calientes in a day represents a +/- 7-hour journey (3h 1/2 one-way), which can be long and tiring for some passengers, in particular if you did not book the luxury train service, Hiram Bingham by Orient-Express.
If you leave from Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, you should visit the Chinchero/Maras/Ollantaytambo area, the day of (if leaving late afternoon/evening) or the day prior (if leaving early in the morning) to your train departure. For those going directly to Ollantaytambo from Cusco and not stopping en route for visits, the ride is about 1h 1/2 to 2h and I definitely recommend the service of a taxi for faster transport.

Now this should cover the train transportation part of my subject. Next post, the bus ride from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu and where to buy your entrance tickets to the site?

Welcome to the Attraction Travel Blog

Greetings everyone,

I have to admit this is a big step...blogging! I never considered it, despite hearing so much about it, until a friend suggested that I should seriously think about creating my own blog where I could post tips, reviews and other useful information for those traveling to Peru, Ecuador & Bolivia. After all this is what I have been doing for the past 6 years.
So here I am, ready to start sharing some insights about what I have learned as a travel professional and destination specialist. I hope you will find the posts useful for your future travel plans and remember that if you need help you can always contact me for a custom travel journey.
Please do not hesitate to share this blog with your friends.

Melanie