MACHU PICCHU
Travel Guide
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE VISITING MACHU PICCHU
Planning a trip to Peru? This Machu
Picchu Travel Guide will be your go-to resource when visiting the breathtaking ruins. We break down all the details, including how to get there, what to bring, accommodations and more in this Machu Picchu travel guide below!
WHAT IS MACHU PICCHU?
Machu Picchu is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, a symbol of the Incan empire, the Lost City of the Incas, the most visited tourist destination in Peru, and the most famous archaeological site in Peru. It is believed to have been a royal estate or sacred religious site for Inca leaders, with an estimated 750 permanent residents. Unfortunately, most cities built by the Inca civilization were essentially wiped out by the Spanish invaders in the 16th century. However, being located more than 7000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains, Machu Picchu was in a hidden location and was not found. As a result, the city is one of the most well-preserved Inca cities and an archeological gem.
In 1911, hundreds of years later, the abandoned city was finally discovered by an American archaeologist, Harlem Bingham. Since then, a long-standing dispute between Peru and Yale University has persisted over the artifacts collected by Bingham during his exploration of the site. Yale maintains that they own the items while Peru insists they were given on loan.
WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECTACULAR?
The city remains a mysterious wonder and continues to reveal the mysteries of the Inca Empire. The Incas were some of the best masons in the world, building an entire city of stone without the aid of wheels, iron tools, or even mortar! The site, made up of more than 150 buildings and over 100 flights of stairs, is an example of the civilization’s advanced architectural, agricultural and engineering skills. The structures were so well built with a technique called ashlar (stones that are cut so precisely to fit together without mortar) that not even a knife blade or credit card can fit between the stones. Additionally, many of the stones used to build the city weighed 50+ pounds, and were moved up the mountain by hand – not even wheels were used. The city also includes more than 600 terraces to prevent the city from sliding down the mountain, and an impressive water supply system extending over a length of 1 km.
Quick Tips
CURRENCY
The official currency of Peru is the Sol (S/). The conversion rate is a little over 4x the USD.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
The best time to visit Peru is during the dry season, between May and October, especially if you plan to go on a trek.
TIME ZONE
Peru is in Standard Time Zone (UTC-5). There is no daylight saving, meaning that when the UK switches the clocks, Peru is six hours behind.
Getting There
Machu Picchu is a difficult location to access, as it is literally built on a mountain top, deep within the Andes mountains. First, you must take a 2 hour bus ride from Cusco to the town of Ollantaytambo. Once here, you have a few different options to travel to Machu Picchu. See the options below:
THE CLASSIC INCA TRAIL
4 DAYS
The Inca Trail follows one of the ancient paths of the Incas to the top of Machu Picchu. This hike requires four days and three nights of hiking to the mountain peak.
ELEVATION: 4,215 M
THE SALKANTAY TREK
5 DAYS
Similar to the level of difficulty of the Classic Inca Trail, this hike lacks archeological sites along the way, but makes up for that with breathtaking views.
ELEVATION: 4,660 M
SHORT INCA TRAIL TREK
2 DAYS
Beginning at the KM 104 point along the Inca Trail, hikers trek 6 hours to Agua Calientes where they spend the night. The next day includes a bus ride to Machu Picchu.
ELEVATION: 3,290 M
BUS + TRAIN (NO HIKING)
1 DAY
With no hiking involved, this route includes a 1.5 hour train ride to Agua Calientes, followed by a 20 minute bus ride to the top of Machu Picchu and full guided tour.
ELEVATION: 2,210 M
While all four options are incredible experiences, there are a couple key factors to keep in mind when deciding your route. First, remember that hiking at an extremely high elevation (>12,000 feet) has significant impacts on the body, including fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, nausea, headaches, etc. Plan to spend at least 3 days in Cusco prior to your hike to allow your body to adjust to the altitude.
Secondly, the train ride from Ollantaytambo to Agua Calientes is breathtaking and very well known! If you choose not to hike, you will still experience a different, but incredible journey along the Inca trail.
What To Expect
WHAT IS THE LOCAL LANGUAGE?
Peru has three official languages, but Spanish is the most commonly spoken. It is important to know that few Peruvians speak English, so knowing basic Spanish is essential. We also recommend booking a Machu Picchu tour guide that is fluent in both English and Spanish.
IS IT SAFE TO VISIT?
Today, Peru is a relatively safe country to travel. When traveling to Machu Picchu, be aware of your surrounding, as pick pocketing happens in these tourist areas!
WILL I NEED SUNBLOCK AND BUGSPRAY?
Always – skin health is important! The sun rays get very toasty, depending on the time of day, so come prepared with sunscreen! In general, you can expect warm days, cooler evenings, and random rainstorms. In regards to bug spray, bring as much as possible! We wore bug spray the entire day and still left covered in bites.
SHOULD I TAKE CASH OUT?
Yes, we always recommend keeping local currency on hand for tipping, shopping, and anything else you may need. There is limited access to ATMs on the journey, so come prepared.
WHAT SHOULD I PACK?
Pack layers for your hike! Remember, the days are toasty and the evening are cool, so comfortable, versatile layers are essential. The more skin you can cover, the less likely you are to get bug bites and sunburns, and the more prepared you’ll be for the temperature changes throughout the day. Additionally, you will need comfortable hiking shoes with good traction.
WHAT IS THE TIPPING CULTURE?
In Peru, tipping not required but is generally considered good practice among travelers. In regards to Machu Picchu specifically, tipping is not mandatory but reflective of how much you enjoyed the tour. You should follow the same general guidelines as other tours: For a guided group tour, you should tip your guide about 15-17 soles (about $5-$6 USD) per person for a half-day tour and 20-25 soles ($7-$8 USD) for a full-day tour.
Accomodations
If hiking, you will be camping and/or staying at the base of Machu Picchu in Agua Calientes. However, if you do not hike to Machu Picchu you have two options: 1. Stay in Agua Calientes, or 2. A full daytour from Cusco. With Cusco being one of our favorite cities in South America, we decided to book a full, 16 hour day trip out of Cusco with a company called Lima Tours.
LIMA TOURS: MACHU PICCHU
This full day excursion out of Cusco runs $400 and takes about 16 hours, and it was absolutely incredible. Getting to and from Machu Picchu is not an easy process, so we highly recommend letting a tour company do all of the work for you. Here is a run down of our itinerary:
- 4:55am hotel pickup
- Round trip bus tickets for the 2ish hour ride to the town of Ollantaytambo
- Round trip train tickets from Ollantaytambo to Agua Calientes (the most beautiful train ride of our lives)
- Round trip tickets for the 25 minute bus ride from Agua Calientes to Machu Picchu
- Entry tickets to Machu Picchu
- 2.5 hour guided tour with a local tour guide
- A gorgeous 3 course lunch in Agua Calientes at Inkatera Restaurant Inkatera Restaurant
Additional Recommendations
- Bring sunscreen
- Bring really good bug spray!
- Bring a sunhat
- Bring ibuprofen
- Bring a portable phone charger
- Keep your phone on airplane mode while at Machu Picchu to save battery
- Altitude sickness is real! Bring Coca leaves / Coca Leaf tea / Coca candy / Diamox prescription
- Drinks as much water as possible
- Bring cash (soles) for shopping at local markets, tipping, waters, etc.
- Know basic Spanish!
- Take 10 minutes to sit down in Machu Picchu to meditate / pray / reflect / take it all in. It’s an incredibly spiritual experience
- There are no bathrooms in Machu Picchu
- Bring a nice camera if possible, phone cameras don’t do Machu Picchu justice
Other Thing To Do
- Hike up the Huayna Picchu mountain
- Experience the hot springs in Agua Calientes
- Ride the train ride between Ollantaytambo and Agua Calientes
- Discover the Agua Calientes Restaurant scene
Thanks for taking the time to read our post and for allowing us to share our adventures with you! Machu Picchu will forever be one of our favorite experiences – we cannot recommend it enough. We hope our Machu Picchu travel guide helps prepare you for an incredible adventure! Don’t miss our Lima Travel Guide and Cusco Travel Guide! And for even more worldwide comprehensive travel guides, be sure to head over to our Destinations page!
