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?