How to Visit MACHU PICCHU 2024 | The Complete Travel Guide

Summary

Join Backpack Gringo as they guide you through the ultimate travel experience to Machu Picchu, Peru. From transportation tips to budget-friendly accommodations, they cover everything you need to know, including how to navigate the Incan citadel's circuits and the importance of hiring a local guide for an immersive historical experience.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Visiting Machu Picchu requires a trip to Cusco, which is a mandatory stop due to Machu Picchu's remote location.
• ✈️ Traveling to Cusco from Lima is more convenient by flight, which takes about an hour and costs between $30 and $70.
• 🏨 Affordable accommodations like Airbnbs and hostels are available in Cusco, with prices varying by the time of year.
• 📍 Staying near the Plaza de Armas in Cusco is recommended for its central location and proximity to the train station.
• 🏪 Having a grocery store nearby is important in Cusco to combat altitude sickness with hydration and safe drinking options.
• 🚕 Booking a taxi at the Cusco airport is suggested for convenience and to pre-schedule pickups during the stay.
• 🌿 Using coca leaf products is beneficial to prevent altitude sickness and is commonly used by locals.
• 🚂 To reach Machu Picchu, one must travel to Aguas Calientes, the 'gateway town,' either by hiking the Incan Trail or taking a train.
• 🎟️ Bus tickets to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes cost $24 per person and require a passport for purchase.
• 🏞️ Machu Picchu tickets should be bought in advance, with options for different circuits offering various experiences.
• 🗺️ Hiring a tour guide at Machu Picchu is highly recommended to fully understand the site's significance and history.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is a comprehensive guide on visiting Machu Picchu, including transportation, costs, and travel tips.

Why is it necessary to pass through Cusco to get to Machu Picchu?

Passing through Cusco is mandatory due to Machu Picchu's remote location.

What are the transportation options from Lima to Cusco?

The options from Lima to Cusco are either flying, which takes over an hour and costs between $30 and $70, or taking a bus that takes at least 21 hours and costs between $20 and $35.

What is the recommended area to stay in Cusco?

It is recommended to stay somewhere to the west of the airport and near the Plaza de Armas for its central location and proximity to the train station.

Why is it important to have a grocery store nearby when staying in Cusco?

A grocery store nearby is important to quickly pick up drinks to combat altitude sickness, as the tap water is not safe to consume.

What is the recommended method to get a taxi in Cusco?

The recommended method is to book a taxi at the taxi desk by the exit at the Cusco airport to get the driver's contact info and pre-schedule pickups.

Why are coca leaf products recommended for visitors to Cusco?

Coca leaf products help prevent and cure symptoms of altitude sickness, which is a common threat due to Cusco's high altitude.

How does one get to Aguas Calientes, also known as 'Machu Picchu Pueblo'?

One can get to Aguas Calientes by hiking the Incan Trail, which is a four-day trek, or by taking a train from Cusco.

What are the two train providers in Cusco that can take passengers to Machu Picchu Pueblo Station?

The two train providers are Peru Rail and Inca Rail.

What is the cost of a round trip bus ticket from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu?

The cost of a round trip bus ticket is $24 per person.

How far in advance should Machu Picchu tickets be purchased?

Machu Picchu tickets should be purchased months in advance to ensure availability for the preferred time slots.

What are the different types of circuits available at Machu Picchu and what do they include?

There are four circuits at Machu Picchu: Circuit 1 is a 2-hour trek for the above Vantage Point photos, Circuit 2 is a 3-hour trek visiting everything with all three vantage points, Circuit 3 is a 1.5-hour trek on ground level for easier access, and Circuit 4 is a longer version of Circuit 3 that can be paired with Huayna Pichu Mountain tickets for additional views.

Why is it recommended to have a tour guide at Machu Picchu?

A tour guide is recommended to ensure visitors do not overlook significant aspects of the site and to understand its history and significance.

How can viewers find more information after watching the video?

Viewers can find more information and links in the video description below.

Outlines

00:00

🎒 Introduction to Machu Picchu Travel Guide

The video begins with a warm welcome and a brief mention of the previous travel vlog that covered the backpack journey through South America, with a special focus on Peru and Machu Picchu. The host promises to provide a comprehensive guide covering all aspects of visiting Machu Picchu, including transportation, costs, tips, and advice. The channel, Backpack Gringo, encourages viewers to subscribe for more travel content. The first step to reaching Machu Picchu is traveling to Cusco, which can be done by either a long bus ride or a short flight. The video suggests staying near the Plaza de Armas in Cusco for convenience and highlights the importance of staying hydrated to combat altitude sickness, recommending coca leaf products as a remedy.

05:01

🚂 Traveling to Aguas Calientes and Accommodation Tips

This paragraph details the journey from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, the town closest to Machu Picchu, which can be reached by either hiking the Incan Trail or taking a train. The narrator chose Peru Rail for its affordability and describes the train experience, including the scenic views and amenities on board. Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes, the video suggests that any accommodation will suffice due to the town's small size but highlights the Peru Coca Hotel B&B for its helpful staff and breakfast service. The paragraph also discusses the process of purchasing bus tickets to Machu Picchu and the importance of having a passport and tickets ready for the bus ride.

10:02

🏞 Machu Picchu Entry and Circuit Options

The narrator explains the process of purchasing tickets to Machu Picchu, either through the Peruvian government's website or TripAdvisor, emphasizing the need to buy them well in advance. The video outlines the different circuits available at Machu Picchu, each offering a unique experience in terms of difficulty, views, and duration. Circuit 1 is recommended for a quick visit, Circuit 2 for a comprehensive tour, Circuit 3 for those with mobility issues, and Circuit 4 for an extended visit with an optional climb up Huayna Pichu Mountain. The paragraph concludes with advice on finding a tour guide at the entrance for an enriching experience.

15:05

🙌 Conclusion and Call to Action

The final paragraph serves as a conclusion to the video, thanking viewers for their attention and summarizing the guide's aim to be useful for future travelers to Machu Picchu. The host encourages viewers to leave questions or thoughts in the comments section and to support the channel by liking the video and subscribing. This call to action is presented as a way to help the channel grow and continue producing valuable content for fellow travelers.

Keywords

💡Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan citadel located in Peru, often referred to as one of the world's seven wonders. It is the central theme of the video, as the script discusses the process of visiting this historical site. The video aims to provide a comprehensive guide for travelers planning to visit Machu Picchu, covering transportation, accommodation, and other travel tips.

💡Cusco

Cusco is a city in Peru that serves as a mandatory stop for travelers heading to Machu Picchu due to the site's remote location. The script mentions that passing through Cusco is essential for reaching Machu Picchu, and it discusses transportation options from Lima to Cusco, including flying or taking a bus.

💡Incan Trail

The Incan Trail is a historic path that leads to Machu Picchu. In the script, it is mentioned as an option for reaching the citadel, but the video suggests that taking a train is a more convenient alternative, especially for those who are not up for a four-day trek.

💡Aguas Calientes

Aguas Calientes, also known as 'Machu Picchu Pueblo', is the closest town to Machu Picchu and serves as the main entry point for visitors. The script discusses how to travel to Aguas Calientes from Cusco, emphasizing its role as the gateway to Machu Picchu.

💡Peru Rail and Inca Rail

These are the two train providers that operate services from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. The script mentions that both are valid options for reaching the town, but the choice of Peru Rail was made due to the price at the time of booking.

💡Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness is a common threat in Cusco due to its high elevation of over 11,000 feet. The script advises travelers to hydrate well and suggests using coca leaf products to combat symptoms, which is a common practice among locals.

💡Coca Leaf Products

Coca leaf products, such as teas and candies, are mentioned in the script as a remedy to prevent and cure symptoms of altitude sickness. These products are recommended for travelers to use upon arrival in Cusco to help acclimate to the high altitude.

💡Bus Tickets

Bus tickets are required to travel from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. The script explains that these tickets need to be pre-purchased and that they are available at several bus ticket offices in Aguas Calientes, costing $24 per person for a round trip.

💡Machu Picchu Tickets

Tickets to visit Machu Picchu must be purchased in advance, either through the Peruvian government's website or on TripAdvisor. The script highlights the importance of buying these tickets months in advance to secure a preferred time slot and discusses the different sites and pricing options.

💡Circuits

At Machu Picchu, visitors have the option to choose from different circuits, which are paths that lead through the ruins. The script describes the various circuits, detailing their lengths, difficulty levels, and the views they offer, such as Circuit 1 for a quick trek or Circuit 2 for a comprehensive tour.

💡Tour Guides

The script strongly recommends hiring a tour guide at Machu Picchu to ensure that visitors fully understand the significance and history of the site. A guide can help avoid overlooking important details and provide a more enriching experience.

Highlights

Backpack through South America and visit Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu is a world famous Incan citadel in Peru.

Travel to Cusco, the gateway city to Machu Picchu.

Options to reach Cusco are by flight from Lima or a long bus ride.

Affordable accommodations in Cusco, such as Airbnbs and hostels.

Recommendation to stay near Plaza de Armas for central location and proximity to train station.

Importance of having a grocery store nearby to combat altitude sickness.

Use coca leaf products to prevent altitude sickness.

Travel to Aguas Calientes, the gateway town to Machu Picchu.

Options to reach Aguas Calientes are hiking the Incan Trail or taking a train.

Peru Rail and Inca Rail are the two train providers to Aguas Calientes.

Aguas Calientes is a small town with accommodations and easy access to Machu Picchu.

Pre-purchase bus tickets from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu.

Tickets to Machu Picchu can be bought on the Peruvian government's website or TripAdvisor.

Different circuits at Machu Picchu offer varying experiences and difficulty levels.

Hiring a tour guide at Machu Picchu is highly recommended for a comprehensive experience.

Links to all resources mentioned are provided in the video description.

Engagement with the audience through comments and subscriptions is encouraged.

Transcripts

Hey everyone welcome back to another video. As covered in our last travel vlog,

we recently had the amazing chance to backpack through South America and ended

up making a stop in Peru. Out of all the things we did, the one place that left us

truly blown away was the world famous Incan citadel of Machu Picchu. So in this

video, we're gonna cover everything you possibly need to know about visiting

Machu Picchu from transportation, how much you'll spend,

things to watch out for, and other travel tips and advice to help you plan your

next visit. As an added bonus we'll put all the

links to everything we cover today in the video description below.

Before we begin if you haven't done so

already click the subscribe button below. Taking the literal millisecond to do so

really helps our small channel grow and ensures you don't miss out on future

adventures. With that said, this is Backpack Gringo

providing a complete and comprehensive guide on visiting one of the world's

seven wonders, Machu Picchu!

In order to get to Machu Picchu the first step in your journey is traveling

to the city of Cusco. Passing through this city is mandatory given Machu

Picchu's remote location.

To get to Cusco, assuming you're already in the Peruvian capital of Lima, you can

either fly or take a bus. The bus takes at minimum 21 hours and

costs between 20 to 35 USD. This is obviously the worst option and life

decision you could possibly make, unless of course you enjoy suffering for long

periods of time. Instead, you should opt in for taking a flight as it's just over

an hour and costs on average between 30 and 70 dollars.

This is definitely a no-brainer but the choice is yours.

Luckily in Cusco there are plenty of cheap airbnbs and hostels to choose from.

We ended up booking a 4-bedroom house for $70 for the night.

Looking back at the listing now, it's listed at $23 per night, so prices do vary

by time of year. In terms of where to stay there's no

real wrong answer here but I would recommend picking somewhere to the west

of the airport and near the Plaza de Armas.

This is a pretty central location surrounded by a lot to do and it's also

closer to the train station which will be covering shortly.

Another piece of advice on where to stay is to make sure there's a grocery store

within walking distance.This important because Cusco is situated

approximately 3,400 meters or over 11,000 feet in the mountains, so a very

common threat is altitude sickness. To combat this, make sure to hydrate really

well before and after arrival and having a grocery store close is perfect as you

can quickly pick up something to drink as the tap water is not safe to consume.

The first thing you should do when you arrive to the Cusco airport is to head

on over to the taxi desk by the exit and book a taxi.

Given how small this airport is and since it only has one exit you

definitely won't miss it. The reason why we'd recommend this over

a ride share service is because you'll be able to get the contact info from the

driver and can pre-schedule pickups throughout the city during your stay.

One last thing is that in Cusco, Uber is also available. While we did use it

occasionally to find rides we often found that getting an Uber took way too

long due to the limited amount of drivers.

If you're visiting, a smart thing for you to do is to find some type of coca leaf

product. Using coca leaves really helps to

prevent and cure symptoms of altitude sickness and is commonly used amongst

locals. Different cocoa products include teas,

candies

and raw leaves. Out of all the options we tried the teas

and chewing on the raw leaves seem to work the best. You can find coca tea at

just about every grocery store and can usually find the leaves at small shops.

Wo when you visit Machu Picchu and pass through Cusco, buy some of these products

ASAP or you may just pay the ultimate price.

In order to get to Machu Picchu the next part of our journey requires us to

travel to the town of Aguas Calientes also known as "Machu Picchu Pueblo".

Aguas Calientes is also referred to as the gateway to Machu Picchu as it's the

closest town to the archaeological sites and serves as the main entry point for

visitors traveling to and from Machu Picchu. To get to Aguas Calientes, you can

either hike the Incan Trail (which is about a four day trek) or if you're lazy

like us you can simply take a train. In Cusco there are two trained providers

that can take you to the Machu Picchu Pueblo Station.

Peru Rail and Inca Rail. Both providers are valid options but note that they do

offer slightly different experiences. However, we ended up choosing Peru rail

due to the price at the time of our booking.

When we went in the month of June a two-way ticket to and from Aguas

Calientes ran us a total of about $114 dollars per person.

On the day of our travel we had to drive to the "Peroy Train Station" which is the

main terminal for Peru rail. We ended up scheduling a ride with our taxi driver

whose number we got from the airport as previously mentioned.

You should plan on arriving at least 30 minutes early to the station and you can

order some coffee or snacks while you wait for your train to arrive.

Once you end up boarding your train, you'll find that the train itself is

pretty comfortable as they have plenty of space a bathroom on board and they

also serve food and drinks. In total, the ride took about 3 hours and

45 minutes but it seemed to go by pretty quickly as you get to enjoy the scenic

views along the way. Upon arrival at the station you can pat

yourself on the back as you finally made it to the town of Aguas Calientes and

are now one step closer to making it to Machu Picchu.

Aguas Calientes is a very small town and you can easily explore everything there

is on foot in a few hours tops. Given the size, any location for your

place to stay should be completely fine. Just note there is a slight incline as

you walk up this direction but it really shouldn't be anything to worry about.

We ended up staying at the Peru Coca Hotel B&B and paid

$41.66 for the room. Rina who worked there was incredibly

helpful and even woke up early to cook us a nice breakfast before we went off

to Machu Picchu. When booking, you should decide on how many days you want to stay.

You can either take it easy and relax before heading back down to Cusco or you

can do what we did and hop on the train to Cusco after completing Machu Picchu.

If you're in a rush and are only staying for the night a great thing about this

B&B is that you're able to store your luggage after you check out. This means

that you can leave everything behind while you visit Machu Picchu and can

come collect it once you're done.

In order to get to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes you'll need to

pre-purchase a bus ticket. You can do so in person at several bus

ticket offices located here. We purchased these the day prior to our

trip and had no issues with availability. The tickets cost $24 dollars per person

round trip and in order to get them you need to have a physical passport for

each person in your group with you. On the day of your trip to Machu Picchu,

you can find buses lined up right outside the ticket offices. Once there,

you shouldn't have any issues with getting on a bus because in the mornings

buses leave every 5 to 10 minutes. In order to get on the bus, you'll need

to have your passport with you alongside your bus ticket and the ticket into

Machu Picchu.

In order to get tickets to visit Machu Picchu you can either purchase them on

the Peruvian government's website or on TripAdvisor.

These tickets should be bought months in advance prior to your trip to ensure

there's availability for the time slots you prefer.

We ended up buying our tickets on the government site as it was the cheaper of

the two options. However, one important thing to note is that the government of

Peru actually has two different sites on which you can purchase your tickets.

One site is for English-speaking tourists, with 24-hour support and is

priced in USD and the other site is for locals with no support offered.

To save some money, if you purchase your tickets on the local site and pay in

Peruvian Soles you can save roughly $21 USD per person.

Just note, this site is in Spanish but you can easily download the Google

translate browser extension to help you navigate through the process.

Also, the prices I just mentioned are assuming you purchase the most commonly

recommended ticket which includes access to circuits 1, 2, 3 and 4.

When you arrive at Machu Picchu you have the choice of deciding what circuit

you'll end up taking. Each circuit is essentially a different path you'll take

to navigate your way through the ruins. These circuits all slightly differ in

terms of difficulty, what you'll see and how long it takes.

Circuit 1 is about a 2-hour trek and it's the best circuit if you're going

just for the above Vantage Point photos and don't have time to explore the ruins

below. Circuit 2 is the most popular out of all

the circuits and it's the route we ended up choosing as well. It takes roughly

3-hours and you get to basically visit everything on Machu Picchu with

all three vantage points and a complete tour of the ruins.

Circuit 3 is the shortest at 1.5 hours and it's said to be the

easiest of all the circuits and best for those who have difficulty with climbing

stairs as you only stay on the ground level.

And finally we have circuit 4 which is essentially a longer version of Circuit

3 but can also be paired with Huayna Pichu Mountain tickets which is a separate

mountain that takes about an hour to climb but gives you the best views of Machu

Picchu.

When you get off the bus from Aguas Calientes you'll have arrived at the

Machu Picchu entrance. When you're there, if you haven't already

booked one in advance, you'll find plenty of tour guides to talk to.

Picking up a tour guide is 100% recommended because if you don't have

one you will accidentally overlook most things or won't understand their

significance or their history. After getting a guide, you can simply

tell them which circuit you'd like to take and then set off on your journey to

witness one of the world's seven wonders first hand.

A special thanks to everyone who has made it this far in the video. I tried my best to condense as much

information as I could about getting the Machu Picchu while keeping it as short

as possible. I hope this guide proves to be useful to

those planning their future trips to Machu Picchu and inspiring to those

interested in visiting this once in a lifetime destination.

As a friendly reminder, you can find links to everything we cover today in

the video description below. Feel free to leave any questions or

thoughts in the comment section and as always we would greatly appreciate if

you could give this video a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel. Doing so

really helps out our new and small platform, enables us to continue making

this kind of content and allows these types of videos to be shared with fellow

travelers. So thanks again for tuning in to another

video brought to you by yours truly Backpack Gringo!