Machu Picchu is the most visited tourist location in South America. In 2007 it was included in the new 7 wonders of the world. Machu Picchu is in the travel bucket list of lot of people. Machu Picchu is located about 100 km from the town of Cusco. Machu Picchu is located at the height of 2430m on a mountain ridge in the Peruvian Andean mountain. Urubamba river flows through the canyons of Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu has a tropical rainforest climate. I will strongly recommend to visit Machu Picchu during the winter months. June, July, August, September is probably the best time to visit Machu Picchu. The weather is predictable during the winter months and the visibility is far better compared to other season. You might face thunderstorm and unpredictable rainfall during the summer season. My friend visited Machu Picchu during summer season and he couldn’t see anything because of poor visibility caused by heavy rain. Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century but later Inca people abandoned it. The actual site was discovered in early 19th century by American historian.
Most tours to Machu Picchu start from Cusco. Cusco airport has direct flights to most tourist destinations in Peru. It also has international connection to La Paz. Cusco is located about 3700m above sea level. Most people visit Machu Picchu by doing 4 days Inca trail. Inca trail starts from Cusco and it costs roughly about 600 USD to do the trail. The cost includes tents, equipment rental, guide and 3 meals a day for the entire duration. Apart from 4 days of travel you need extra two days for visiting Machu Picchu. You can’t be certain of the weather that’s why it is strongly advised to keep an extra day for visiting Machu Picchu. I was on a tight schedule and budget and I didn’t want to spend 7 days just for visiting Machu Picchu. I had total 21 days to travel Peru and Bolivia that’s why I didn’t opt for long Inca Trail. I saw countless Inca Trail videos and I felt the scenery was repetitive and it was too touristy. Inca Trail is the most authentic way to see Machu Picchu but I was looking for something faster, more comfortable and cheaper. After doing extensive research I decided to visit Machu Picchu for 2 days. It seemed impossible at first but it all made sense after I did pin point planning.
Day 1 — Machu Picchu
Peru rail operates direct trains from Poroy station to Machu Picchu. Poroy station is located about 25 minutes drive from Cusco city center. I booked my train early morning at about 6:40 am and my return journey was scheduled at 3.20 pm next day. Different types of trains operate between Poroy and Machu Picchu. I choose the expedition train and the one way ticket price was around 68 USD. It is strongly advisable to book your train tickets in advance. The cheaper tickets usually gets sold out quickly and you might have to pay more for next category of train. The train doesn’t go directly to the site. The train stops at a small town called Auguas Calientes. Auguas Calientes is a small town mostly catering for the need for tourists visiting Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is just short 30 minutes bus ride from Auguas Calientes. You have to carry your passport with you if you are visiting Machu Picchu. Foreighners need to show their passport for entry into the temple. Passport is also required for ID check at the time of Boarding.
The train station was very small and the place was packed with tourists. The train was on time and I was completely shocked after entering the train. The train looked extremely luxurious from the inside and it features reclining leather seats. There was glass lookouts on the ceiling of the train and side windows were very wide. There are three variants of trains offered by Peru Rail. Expedition is the budget option for the trip. If you want more luxury option then you can opt for vistadome. Snacks was included in the ticket price. The train will pass through valleys surrounded by mountains for most part of the trip. The scenery was very average and repetitive. I will strongly recommend to spend the journey time to get some quality time for rest. The customer service was very impressive inside the train. The train travels on an average of around 40 kmph. The seating was very comfortable and I slept around 2 hours inside the train. The train was very clean and the quality of food service was top notch. The 3 hours train ride passed really quick and we reached at the Aguas Calientes at around 10 am.
My hotel was located by just 5 mins walk from the train station. Auguas Calientes is a very small town located near Machu Picchu. The town is situated near Urubamba river valley. Machu Picchu is just 6 km away from the town. The town is very touristy and you will find number of restaurants and hotels around the town. There is always high demand for hotels located in the town. I will strongly recommend to book your hotel stay in advance. I booked Inca Wonder hotel for the price of around 40 USD a night. I booked the hotel just for 1 night. The hotel was situated very close to the station and the room was very spacious. I never regret paying 40 usd a night because some hotels were charging upwards of 100 USD for a night.
You have to book your tickets to Machu Picchu in advance because they permit only limited number of travelers to visit Macho picchu on a particular day. You can visit Machu Picchu on either Morning or Afternoon slot. Morning slot lasts from 6 am till 12 pm and Afternoon slot is from 12 pm till 5.30 pm. They have three types of tickets:
- 1 Machu Picchu Ticket
- 2 Machu Picchu + Montana MachupicchuTicket
- 3 Machu Picchu + Montana WaynaPicchu
All the tickets can be booked from the official tourism site https://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/. Please don’t book your ticket from any other third party websites. You need to enter your passport details while booking your ticket. Officials check your ticket and your passport at the entrance of the site.
I arrived at the station at around 10 am so I booked the Machu Picchu Ticket for the afternoon slot. The ticket price was around 45 USD and my time slot was from 12pm till 5.30 pm. After getting out from the train I checked into the hotel. The queue for the bus ride to Machu Picchu was very long. I immediately kept all my luggages inside the hotel and started queuing up for the bus. The round trip ticket cost was about 19 USD and one way ticket cost was about 10 USD. I was planning to come down to the town from the site by following the hiking trail that’s why I took only One-Way ticket. The hike from Auguas Calientes to Machu Picchu site takes about 2 hours. I didn’t have enough time to do the hike that’s why decided to take the bus ride. The waiting time for the ticket was about 30 minutes and the queue for the bus was around 1 hour. I got the bus at exactly 12 pm and the ride from the town till Machu Picchu lasted about 30 minutes. Auguas Calientes is situated at an altitude of 2000 m and Machu Pichhu is located at height of 2400m.
The bus traveled along the Urumbamba river for the first 5 minutes. Soon the uphill roads started and we were literally climbing the mountain. Some parts of the road were very steep and the road was built in a zig zag manner. After every 50 m there was a left turn and after that right turn followed. I will strongly recommend to wear your seat belt during this part of the journey. I reached Machu Picchu at around 12.30 pm. The entrance was very crowded but queue management was very efficient. I had to wait for about 15 minutes to enter inside the main compound of Machu Picchu. I will strongly advice to use toilets before entering the site because there are no toilets inside. The ticket checking process was very smooth and after waiting about 15 minutes I was finally inside Machu Picchu.
The weather was beautiful and there was no trace of rain. It was an excellent day for visiting Machu Picchu. Little trace of clouds covered the sun and so it wasn’t that hot. I thought the site will be really crowded but the complex was huge and it was very spacious. The place never looked crowded at all. You will approach the site from the right site and you will get first glimpse of the epic Machu Picchu after walking 10 minutes inside the compound.
I found some black llamas roaming around the complex. I took some nice shot of beautiful black llamas on the back ground of Machu Picchu. The entrance is located at the middle section of the site you can climb up or down from the entrance location. You should wear comfortable trousers because you are required to climb lot of stairs inside the compound. Machu Picchu is built like an arena so there is enough space for everyone to take some nice shot. I will strongly advice to take photographs of the main site from different height and angel because the photographs look very different from different angle.
There are around 200 buildings inside the Machu Picchu. Peru Government has done excellent work in preserving this epic site. The place was crisp clean and very well maintained. If you are interested in knowing more about the Mayan history then I will strongly recommend to hire guide at the entrance. If you are travelling as a group, the cost of the guide will be divided among group of people. I didn’t take any guide I wanted to explore the place on my own. I was mostly busy exploring all parts of the citadel and I took tons of photo at the site.
The main Machu Picchu Citadel has about 200 buildings. Most buildings are scattered around the citadel and they are situated at different elevation. The citadel is situated on a mountain so some of the buildings are situated on the lower side of the mountain and other buildings are located on the higher side of the mountain. The entrance is located exactly at the middle and you might have to take stairs to climb up or down in order to see different parts of the citadel. The structures were made of perfectly shaped Granite stones and they are placed on top of each other in order to provide a shape. The structures looked little bit similar to that structure at Sacsayhuaman. Transporting huge rocks to the construction side could have been real challenge at that point of time. Llamas were used to carry small rocks. Big rocks were carried by men using ropes and levers. Granite rocks were converted to smooth shape by pounding rocks on them. Mortar or cement was not used in the construction of the site. Incas mastered the skill of placing perfectly smooth stone on each other. Most structures of Machu Picchu consists of rectangular rooms with irregular shaped walls. The roof of the buildings was made of wooden logs and covered with straw. Currently only one small structure is preserved with wooden roof and straws. There are around 200 buildings inside Citadel but some structures are very popular among tourists and archaeologists.
Inti Watana
Inti Watana is a carved stone structure. Initially it looked like as a part of destroyed building. The stone was used by Incas to determine the Calendar days. The stone structure shadow was used by Incas to determine the time of the day and the sun positioning based on the length of shadow.
Temple of the Sun
Temple of the Sun is the most sacred structure in the Citadel. The structure is situated at the center of the Citadel. After entering the compound, you have to go downhill in order to visit the temple. The temple has very unique structure compared to other buildings and it has semicircular wall. Only priests and people having higher authority were allowed to enter inside the temple. A natural cave is situated beneath the structure and the cave was used for different rituals by Inca people.
Temple of the Condor
Temple of Condor is situated in the main arena of the Citadel. The temple is built in the shape of a Condor. The temple shows great creativity and artistry of the Inca empire. The shape of building looks very similar to a Condor from outside. . There is a cave inside the temple of Condor which is similar to the Temple of the Sun. There is a stone at the center of the temple. The cave and the stone was used for different rituals during the ruling of Inca empire.
Temple of the Three Windows
Temple of the three windows is located near the entrance of the temple. The three windows overlook the main citadel of the temple. The windows are perfectly aligned for the sunrise and the sunset. Temple of three windows was also used to perform rituals by the Inca empire.
Principal Temple
Principal temple is situated near the temple of three windows. The size of the temple is large compared to other buildings. It was a public temple and major ceremonies were organized at the temple. Due to erosion and earthquake lot of structures are damaged. Peru Government has done extraordinary work in preserving the structure.
The Guardhouse
The Guardhouse is situated at the upper part of the Citadel. After entering the Citadel you have to climb up stairs in order to reach the Guardhouse. The Guardhouse is located on a hill. You will get the best views of the Citadel from the Guardhouse. People Queue up near Guardhouse for the perfect picture of Machu Picchu. The queue was not that long during my visit and I had to queue for only 10 minutes. The Guardhouse was located at a strategic location inside the citadel and it was an important building for security and Defense of the Citadel.
Wayna Pikchu
Wayna Pikchu mountain rises over Machu Picchu. The peak of Wayna Pikchu is situated about 260m higher than Machu Picchu. Incas made trail to the top of the mountain. The top of the mountain was the residence for the high priest. You have to buy separate tickets if you are planning to visit Wayna Pikchu. Everyday only 400 visitors are allowed on Wayna Pikchu. Two time slots are assigned for visitors. Visitors are allowed to enter between time slot 7-8 AM and between 10-11 AM. I tried to book ticket for Wayna Pikchu 2 months in advance but unfortunately couldn’t book the ticket because it was sold out. I will strongly recommend everyone to book at least 3 months in advance if they are planning to visit Wayna Pikchu. I met some tourists at my hotels who visited Wayna Pikchu. They described the trail as very steep and it is completely exposed to steep falls. It takes about an hour to climb Waynapicchu. The climb is slippery and there has been some accidents at the site in the past. Wayna Pikchu is featured in the background of almost all photographs taken at Machu Picchu. Most tourists don’t know about the exact name of the mountain and they sometimes misunderstood it with Machu Picchu. The trail to Wayna Pikchu starts from the main citadel of Machu Picchu. I explored the main buildings of the citadel for almost 3 hours. Best photography spots are situated uphill along the stairs from the entrance. Main citadel looks beautiful from different angle. It was little cloudy so the sunlight was not that prominent. I love this kind of setting because if there is sun then it makes really hard to take photos against the light. The condition was perfect for photography and I took a lot of photographs. I will strongly recommend to carry snacks, extra camera and power bank during your visit to the Citadel.
I took only one way bus ride to Machu Picchu from the town Aguas Calientes. I starting going back at around 5.30 pm. There was long queue for the bus and I was feeling really happy that I didn’t have to wait long for the bus ride. I got my passport stamped with Machu Picchu near the exit. The trail to Aguas Calientes starts near the bus stop situated at the main entrance. The path is well laid out and the total downhill hike took about 1 hour. You will not be alone for the entire duration of the trail because lot of tourists only buy one-way ticket up to Machu Picchu. The trail was situated inside a rain forest environment. The trail was properly maintained and I had to climb down lot of stairs in order to reach the base of the mountain. The trail runs simultaneously along the road and you have to cross the main road after each section.
I saw lot of people following the trail down instead of taking the overpriced bus ride. I strongly believe the bus ride should be free for everyone having tickets to Machu Picchu. I reached my hotel at around 7 pm. Aguas Calientes is a very small town and there is nothing much to do. I will strongly recommend to visit the small plaza situated at the center of the town at night. If you are a foodie, then I strongly recommend you try some Llama and Alpaca meat. I tried Alpaca steak at one of the restaurants and it was delicious. The food was not that expensive and it was a medium range restaurant. I went to sleep very early because I took morning slot ticket for the next day. The queue for bus starts from 4 am in the morning.
Day 2 Machu Picchu + Montana Mountain
I woke up at around 3.30 am and grabbed some quick breakfast. I checked out from the hotel and kept my luggage at the reception. I booked for only 1 night stay at the hotel and I had overnight bus journey to La Paz from Cusco on the same day. The bus stop was just 1-minute walk from my hotel. It was almost 4 am but the queue was still very long. The first bus leaves at around 5.30 am. The morning slot was much more crowded compared to the afternoon slot. It was very cold in the morning and the bus stop was full of street hawkers trying to sell tea and snacks. I took one way bus ticket to Machu Picchu from the bus stop. I feel the morning slot is much more crowded because combo tickets to Wayna Pikchu and Montana Mountain are available only during the morning time slot. I was disappointed because the combo ticket to Wayna Picchu was completely sold out. I purchased the Combo ticket Machu Picchu + Montana Mountain and the cost of the ticket was 65 USD.
I got the 6 am bus and I reached the site at around at around 6.30 am. The lighting was not that great compared to previous day for photography. I wanted to visit Sun Gate which is situated by around 1.5 hours hike from the Guardhouse at Machu Picchu. My Machu Picchu Montana Climbing slot was booked at 9 am. So I had almost 2.5 hours to visit Sun Gate from Machu Picchu. Its free to trek to Sun Gate from Machu Picchu. I wanted to visit Sun Gate because most hikers doing the 4 days Inca trail get the first view of the Citadel from this point. The Sun Gate was believed to be the main controlled entrance to Machu Picchu and it was heavily fortified. Machu Picchu is believed to be the most important site for Incas and entry to Machu Picchu was restricted in the past. The Sun Gate is located at the height of around 2700 m which is around 300m above the Machu Picchu citadel.
Sun Gate
The path to Sun Gate is well laid out from the Guard House. Sun Gate is also visible from the Guardhouse. It was a gradual hike and It took me about an hour to reach Sun Gate from the Guardhouse. I stopped at multiple spot along the trek in order to take some beautiful shots of the Citadel. The citadel looked smaller and smaller as you reach closer to the Sun Gate. The Sungate was not crowded and there were hardly around 10 people at the place. The Sun Gate was designed very similar to a fort and it was overlooking the Citadel. The Citadel looks very small from the Sun Gate and it is surrounded by mountains from all the sides. The site is in the middle of nowhere and that’s the reason it took so long to discover site. I personally didn’t like the view from the Sun Gate because the angle was odd but I will strongly recommend everyone to visit the Sun Gate. I returned back from the Sun Gate at around 8 am. It took me about 30 minutes to reach the Guardhouse from the Sun Gate. I loved walking along the downhill path. There are no stairs at some parts of the trail and it was just gentle slope. The weather was little bit cloudy and i felt it was perfect day for hiking.
Machu Picchu Montana
Machu Picchu Montana mountain is situated in front of the citadel at roughly 650 m higher than Machu Picchu. You get the best birds eye view of Wayna Pikchu and the citadel from the top of the mountain. Only 400 people are allowed to climb the mountain in a day. The group is divided into two time slot : from 7:00-8:00 AM and 9:00-10: 00 AM.
At 9 am I went to the trail starting point of Machu Picchu Montana mountain. Montana mountain is situated on the south west side of the citadel. The peak of the mountain is situated at an altitude of 3100m which is about 700m higher than the Machu Picchu. I will strongly recommend to do some challenging hiking before attempting this hike. The hike was not at all easy because you have to reach the peak before noon. If you don’t reach the peak before noon, then you have to turn back. Montana mountain peak was used by priests to perform rituals. The trail to the Montana mountain starts near the Guardhouse. You need to follow the sign leading up to the hike starting point of Machu Picchu Montana mountain. Initially for first 10 minutes the trail is similar to Sun Gate Trail. You need to take a right turn after walking 10 minutes from the Guardhouse. You have to show your passport and the ticket at the entrance of the trail. I signed the registry and started hiking along the trail. It takes about 30 minutes to reach the entrance of the trail from the main entrance of Machu Picchu. The trail is well laid out and it was gradual climb for the 1st hour. The slope was gentle 30 degree and the weather was cold so it was perfect for hiking. Initially you will pass through trail covered by trees on both the sides. I got the first view of Machu Picchu after almost hiking for 45 minutes. I saw lot of people struggling to climb the mountain and some already decided to go back. The ascent is constant in this hike and there is no flat surface to relax. You don’t travel that much distance horizontally because the mountain is situated very close to the trail.
I will strongly recommend everyone to wear proper hiking shoes when attempting this trail. I did a mistake by taking only 1 litre water bottle with me. It became steeper and narrower towards the last half of the hike. Some part of the trail was completely exposed to steep falls of more than 200m height. The last part of the hike was really scary and some people turned back just by looking at the trail. There was a traffic jam at the narrow mountain ridge. Going up was scary because you have to travel on the left side of the trail and you are completely exposed to the cliff. One small mistake and you are dead. After I crossing the ridge it was just smooth 10 minutes hike to the top of the mountain. The view was spectacular and the Citadel was almost invisible. The sky was perfect without trace of any cloud. Machu Picchu is surrounded by tall mountains from all the sides and I had no idea why Inca people choose the place as their sacred site. There was a small hut at the top and I took some photos at top with the height mark. It was relatively cold on the top of the mountain compared to the base. There was a short queue at the main view point but eventually everyone got their perfect selfie on the background of Machu Picchu. The view of the Huayna Picchu, Inca Ruins and Putucusi mountains was incredible from the top. The view of Urubamba river moving along the valley surrounded by tall mountain was completely breathtaking. I strongly felt that the view from the half point mark was much better than the view from the top. I completely underestimated the hike because I was wearing jeans and jacket but anyways I was very happy because I did the trail in 1hour and 30 minutes. I spent there about 20 minutes and started going down at 11 am. I was targeting to reach the main entrance of Machu Picchu at about 12 pm. It was a very smooth downhill path and far less crowded because most people didn’t start their downhill journey. I still saw lot of people trying to climb the mountain but they were way behind the cut off time and they were planning to return back.
Montana mountain hike is a challenging hike and should be only attempted if you have above average fitness level. The hike will be extremely dangerous during rainy season. Please consider twice before attempting the hike if you have fear of heights because some parts of the trail is very steep with more than 200m straight drop offs. The top of the mountain is located at about 3100 m and you have to ascent about 700 m from the citadel. It is a high altitude trek so I would strongly recommend everyone to properly acclimatize before attempting the hike. Cusco is probably the best place to acclimatize because it is located at a higher altitude than Machu Picchu.
I reached the Guardhouse at around 11.50 am. I just sat silently at one corner and admires the beauty of the citadel. I didn’t take any photographs and just sat there for 20 minutes admiring the beauty of Machu Picchu. It is undoubtedly the most beautiful seven wonders of world. My pass was valid till 12 noon so i decided to start my return journey at 12. I was really feeling hungry and thirsty because i didn’t carry enough water. I followed the trail to Auguas Calientes from Machu Picchu.
The trail was crowded because lot of people were following the downhill trail instead of taking the bus ride. I had already done the trail one day before so it was much easier for me. It took me about 1 hour to reach Auguas Calientes from Machuc Picchu.
I descended almost 1000m height from Machu Picchu Montan to Aguas Calientes in 1 hours. I purchased a big 2 litre water bottle at the town and finished it almost instantly. I took my luggage from the hotel and went to a restaurant for lunch. It was around 1.30 pm and there was enough time for my train. I was very hungry and I wanted to try something unique. I looked into the menu and I saw Guinea pig. Guinea pig is a delicacy in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador. I order whole Guinea Pig and the price for the same was 10 USD. I was very hungry and I was able to finish everything.
The station was crowded with lot of people and the train was delayed by another 20 minutes. I checked out souvenir shops located near the station and bought some snacks and gift items. I was sleeping for the entire duration of the return train journey. Overall it was an incredible 2 days trip to Machu Picchu. I was fortunate that the weather was perfect. If you love traveling then Machu Picchu should be no 1 in your travel bucket list. You can see the breakdown of the total cost for visiting Machu Picchu here.
| Travel Type | Cost (USD) |
| Taxi to Poroy | 10 |
| Return Train Ticket | 135 |
| Bus to Machu Picchu*2 | 20 |
| Accommodation 1 night | 40 |
| Day 1 Entrance Ticket | 50 |
| Day 2 Entrance Ticket | 65 |
| Food & Drinks | 30 |
| Total | 350 |
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