How we went to Machu Picchu on our own for a few dollars
In this post we explain how we went to Machu Picchu on our own, and we also tell you about the two official trains to Aguas Calientes. In addition, we provide you with useful information to buy your entrance to this pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site, which is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
We knew we would have gone to Machu Picchu at some point of our trip on the road in South America, but because we only thought about the romantic idea of being in the ruins, completely underestimating the logistic part, we found ourselves stuck in Cusco, with no available train tickets on the dates we wanted to travel.
When you are on a gap year around the world and every daily adventure is totally unplanned, it turns out to be really complicated to book a specific trip far in advance, because the essence of the whole experience is to adjust your travel according to the people you meet, their stories, your mood.
After all, we didn’t leave our previous lives to spend a gap year around the world, programming every minute of it and from the first moments of the trip, we felt that one of the best parts of it was, actually, the surprise element of having no specific plans that could be longer than a couple of days.
How we went to Machu Picchu on our own
Although we wish we could say it didn’t matter if we had no train reservation in advance, it was not exactly like that. In other words, we had no idea about how to get to Machu Picchu, and finding our way there was not an easy game. In fact, even getting to Cusco was a total challenge, with a few unforeseen road adventures, including a very long stop in the middle of nowhere, at an altitude of over 3.000 meters, due to the bus flat tire.
We have worked in the Travel Industry for many years, and we are perfectly aware that a technical incidence might always be around the corner, compromising the scheduled arrival time. However, if we couldn’t do anything to change our fate, at least we should have helped the driver changing the tire.
Once in Cusco, we found out that the closest village to the archaeological site of Machu Picchu is Aguas Calientes and that the only 2 official and extremely expensive ways to get there were:
Inca Trail:
3/4 days of challenging hiking. Very expensive packages that need to be booked in advance with a travel agency;
Train:
The only real public transportation that connects Cusco to Aguas Calientes.
There are 2 companies:
Peru Rail from Poroy station and from Ollantatytambo station (2 hours by taxi from Cusco) and Inca Rail, that only departs from Ollantatytambo station.
At the time we tried to buy train tickets, the first seats available were four days after and only in luxury class, which was incredibly overpriced. Surely, due to the fact that the location is fairly remote and inaccessible, and that there aren’t many options to get there, the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes is an overpriced money machine.
Therefore, we decided to ask locals about alternative and cheaper ways to get there, and we ended up finding out that there’s a way to get to Machu Picchu from Cusco for just a few dollars.
Here below we explain our low cost and adventurous experience.
From Cusco to Aguas Calientes
Once in Santa Maria, local people told us to give a few soles to a man who drives regularly from Santa Maria to Santa Teresa with his private car. In the beginning, we counted five people inside the car. A few km later, we ended up squeezed like sardines, with nine passengers inside, five others inside the luggage trunk, and even more people on the car roof. This one-hour car ride was not comfortable at all.
Actually, it was quite scary because the road was dangerous, with many steep cliffs and small rivers that the driver crossed as if he was competing in the Paris-Dakar route.
In Santa Teresa we got off the car, and we took another old and overcrowded minivan (colectivo) to the Hydroelectric power station. Here the road ends, however it’s possible to get to Aguas Calientes simply following the train tracks for about two hours (walking). At this point, we met several fellow travellers, mostly from the north of Europe and other Latin America countries. Having spent so many hours trapped inside the most incredible means of transportation at the edge of very dangerous paths, we found this walk very easy and pleasant.
After an exhausting 10 hours journey through the mountains and dangerous cliffs, we finally arrived in Aguas Calientes. Despite feeling very tired, we were happy that we didn’t have to wait four days for the train in Cusco, and that we could save a lot of money.
Don’t get us wrong, we like Cusco, but we thought that two days there could be more than enough for us. On one hand, we were so excited to visit Machu Picchu that we could not wait any longer to be there. On the other hand, there were still many places to see on our list, therefore we had to move forward.
How to buy Machu Picchu Tickets
Once in Agua Calientes, we bought the entrance for the next day right off the main square, at the Machu Picchu Cultural Centre. The name in Spanish is: Oficina Instituto Nacional de Cultura. Click here to check their website. Note that you must bring your passport and cash to purchase a ticket. In addition, ATMs in Aguas Calientes charge higher fees than in Cusco. At this office we found out that the first bus from the village to Machu Picchu was expected to arrive there at 6:00 am.
Certainly, we were not happy to hear that, because we really wanted to be at the site before sunrise, to enjoy the spectacular views. Above all, we absolutely had to be at the entrance before 6:00 am, because we had heard they would let only 400 visitors inside Waynapicchu area, and we could not miss it. Therefore, we decided to skip the 5:30 am bus, and we decided to walk up the mountain on our own.
If you’d like to book your entrance online in advance (which we strongly recommend), click here to take a look at the official website.
Incredibly, we only had 4 hours sleep after the crazy 10 hours journey to reach Aguas Calientes. In fact, we woke up at 3:30 am the next morning, and we walked up the mountain for about two hours in complete darkness, before arriving at our destination. Since there were plenty of fellow travellers along the route, we never felt unsafe. As established, we managed to get there before sunrise, and when they finally opened the gates at 6:00 am, everyone was running to Waynapicchu.
The climb to Waynapicchu took about two more hours, but when we finally got up there, the view was so breathtaking, that the adrenaline and the excitement caused by the magnitude of the site made us forget all tiredness and fatigue. As a matter of facts, we kept exploring every corner, until they asked us to leave.
What an incredible an unforgettable adventure in one of the most magical places on this planet! Have you ever been to Machu Picchu? How did you get there? Do you have any useful hint for fellow travellers? Please write your comments here below.
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