Machu Picchu has been on my travel bucket list for some time and I finally got to see it. And honestly, it is the most beautiful, unreal place I have seen in my life. And I have been to some absolutely beautiful places. Machu Picchu is just something else.
Why Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain? For one of the world wonders and scenic nature views.
Top Things to see - Machu Picchu - complete one of the hikes, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes.
Best time to visit - Summer (June-August)
Safety - Moderately safe.
Costs - Affordable.
I visited Peru (Cuzco) specifically on a work trip, so I only had a limited time. Cuzco is a ‘gateway’ city for many tourist attractions such as Machu Picchu, Rainbow mountain, Sacred Valley and others. You can fly into Cuzco from Lima or 3 times a week direct also from Santiago de Chile, which is where I flew into Cuzco from. Best time to visit is dry season. I went there in June and we were blessed with clear sky, pleasant daytime temperatures averaging +23 degrees. Nigh time it dropped close to zero.
As we had limited time, after landing into Cuzco, instead of staying a night there we took a taxi to Ollantaytambo which took 1h45m and cost £40. In order to get to Machu Picchu, here is how you do it:
Arrive in Cuzco
You can either take a train/bus or taxi to Ollantaytambo (most trains will operate from there)
Take a train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes approx USD100 return
Lastly, tourist bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (30min) USD24 return
The reason for getting to Ollantaytambo on day one was to save time. Also, the first trains from Ollantaytambo start at 05:05am and take 1.5h to Aguas Calientes vs from Cuzco they start around 06:00am and would take on average 4h to get to Aguas Calientes. If you want to see sunrise in Machu Picchu, you really need to stay a night before in Aguas Calientes.
To get from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo you can either by train (the most expensive way), bus (you can also get a combined bus-train ticket via Peru Rail called biomodal) or a taxi. We opted for a taxi to Ollantaytambo and for a biomodal service on the way back.
Two main train companies that have services between Cuzco-Ollantaytambo-Aguas Calientes are Peru Rail and Inca Rail. Ticket prices are similar. You can opt for Expedition or Visadome trains that are more luxury. We took Expedition one and I found it to be very nice - seats were comfortable, there was heating, toilets, panoramic windows (also in the ceiling) and they even served hot drinks and snacks for purchase.
So, after taking a taxi from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo we went to bed as it was 20:00pm and our train was at 05:05. Hotels both in Ollantaytambo and Cuzco are very affordable (we spend on average £20 per night with breakfast), have hot shower but no heating. So if you are always cold like me, be prepared to be a bit chilly. I asked for an extra blanket and was fine.
It is recommended to arrive in the train station 30min before the train departure time as you will need to exchange your printed out tickets for the “actual train tickets”. We then boarded the train and after 1.5h arrived in Aguas Calientes at 06:35am.
For Machu Picchu you need to book a specific entrance time slot. We had booked 09:00-10:00 entrance and for that you can start boarding buses at 08:00. If you want to be on the first bus, start queuing at around 07:30am. Everything is very well organised. As soon as you get out of the train in Aguas Calientes, about 5min away you will see bus ticket office, which is just near the buses. There is a lot of staff so you can ask directions, but I found it very simple. After buying tickets for USD24 return we had breakfast and then started queuing for the bus. There are various lanes for different departure times and staff will direct you where you need to queue for depending on your Machu Picchu entrance time. They will want to see the tickets and also passports.
Bus ride takes around 30min uphill. You can alternatively also walk, but it will probably take a few hours.
ABOUT MACHU PICCHU
First of all, you will need to book your tickets in advance. You can do it via third party companies but they will charge commission or just book it on the official website. I heard that if you change language to English, the website tends not to work properly, so I left it to Spanish. It took a few times for the payment to go through as well, so be patient.
There are a few ticket options:
Circuit 1 and Circuit 2 being the most popular. They give you most access to Inka Ruins. These both circuits are also booked out months in advance.
Circuit 3 + Machu Pichu Mountain (Montaña Machu Picchu in Spanish)
Circuit 4 + Huayna Picchu (also called Wayna) Mountain
So I will talk about Circuit 3 and 4 + a hike. We booked Circuit 3 + Machu Picchu mountain hike. Both of these tickets mainly focus on the hike to a viewpoint overlooking Machu Picchu and a small part of the ruins. Circuit 3 is considered to be to ‘worst of all’ only covering lower terraces and a small part of the ruins, however for me personally, the hike and view from Machu Picchu mountain was the highlight and I did not feel like I missed out on anything at all. With this ticket that cost £40 you will first have to hike Machu Picchu Mountain that takes 4 hours (we did it in 3). Bear in mind that they close it at 12:00 so you will have to be at the top by then. And after the hike you are given additional 2hrs to complete Circuit 3 (it only takes 30-45min). This is also the only ticket that allows you to re-enter Machu Picchu, which is useful as the only toilets are located at the entrance outside. They also cost 2 soles, so have some change ready. The hike itself is moderately challenging. It is pretty much steps all the way up for about 1.5-2hrs, but I promise once you get to the top, the views are breathtaking. You will have 360 degree panoramic view to Machu Picchu and surrounding Andes snow-peaked mountains. To get down is fairly easy. There is shade for about 50% of the hike, so take hat, sunscreen and plenty of water. Also, inside Machu Picchu there are no places to buy water or food so be prepared for that. On the way down you will also get the opportunity to pass Guardian house and have the “traditional view to Machu Picchu”. Once we completed the hike, we re-entered for Circuit 3 and explored actual Inka Ruins. This is definitely the least crowded route and I did not feel like we were surrounded by many people.
Circuit 4 and Huayna Picchu hike has a similar concept. I have not done it so this is the information I gathered online and from the staff. The hike itself is shorter (about an hour up and an hour down), however it is much more steep, more rock climbing and scary. The views you get are from a different viewpoint to Machu Picchu. It is more popular hike compared to Machu Picchu mountain though.
After visiting Machu Picchu, we took a bus back down to Aguas Calientes (there were no queues) and we had 3 hrs to spend before our train to Cuzco. We could have taken earlier train but I did not want to be rushed and risk. They also do not exchange tickets on the day so you will have to stick with whatever you bought. Again, we needed to exchange tickets at the ticket office, but something to bear in mind - the actual train station is about 10min away from the ticket office. They also ask for your passport everywhere - at the railway station and for Machu Picchu entrance. We booked bio-modal train on the way to Cuzco which means that you get train to Ollantaytambo (1.5h) and then 2h bus to Cuzco. This is the cheapest way to do it. It is well organised, as soon as you arrive in Ollantaytambo, there will be staff with signs to buses. You follow them on to a bus. After arriving in Cusco at 22:30 we headed to our hotel and had 7h sleep.
RAINBOW MOUNTAIN
The following day we visited Rainbow Mountain. It has only become popular in the past decade. We opted for an afternoon tour (we got picked up at 07:00am and finished at 17:00pm). Luckily, we were the only 2 people so it turned out to be a private tour for us. I booked it via Viatour. The drive takes around 3.5h one way and then we did about 1h hike up and 30min hike back.
Rainbow mountain is at an altitude over 5000m so they say acclimatisation is essential. Spending a few days in Cuzco is recommended, however we only spent a night there and luckily we did not suffer from altitude sickness. I did feel that it was harder to hike up than in lower altitudes but I did not get any headache or dizziness. Our guide also had an oxygen in the car, if needed. The views from the top of Rainbow mountain are spectacular!
You will also get to see some of the highest snow peaks in Andes. The colours are really as they show in the pictures! I was a little bit sceptical knowing how nowadays everything gets photoshopped, however it surprised me how colourful the Rainbow mountain actually is. Most people visit Rainbow Mountain in the morning, starting the tour at around 04:00am, however you get more crowds and early start then. The morning tours are cheaper (around £35), however we needed to catch up on some sleep so an afternoon tour seemed a good option. Even though we still got picked up fairly early.
After arriving back in Cuzco, we walked around a bit and then that was the end of our little adventure.
Here are the expenses:
Hotel in Aguas Calientes with breakfast for 1 night £25
Hotel in Cuzco with breakfast for 2 nights £36 (including one way airport transfer)
Train tickets £110
Return bus to Machu Picchu £20
Taxi from CUZ airport to Ollaytantambo £40
Entrance to Machu Picchu £40
Rainbow Mountain afternoon tour £70
Here are some booking links:
Machu Picchu official ticket website - https://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/?lang=en
Peru Rail website - https://www.perurail.com
Rainbow mountain tour - https://www.viator.com/en-GB/tours/Cusco/AFTERNOON-RAINBOW-MOUNTAIN-HIKE/d937-101268P5
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