Machu Picchu is one of the most popular sites, not only in Peru, but in South America in general. Over a million people visit Machu Picchu each year (before covid) and it’s easy to see why it is such a popular tourist destination. The location is just stunning and it has so much mystery. Visiting Machu Picchu isn’t hard, there are just lots of ways to do it. A little research goes a long way to organize your visit so it best suits you. I wrote this post to help you with just that. So if you’ve got questions like how to go to get to Machu Picchu? How much does it cost to visit Machu Picchu? Or what ticket should I buy for Machu Picchu? keep reading!
1. What is the best time of the year to visit Machu Picchu
The only season I’d really avoid is the rainy season (November – April), especially if you want to hike, either to Machu Picchu or around Cusco. After that, if you can avoid July-August, do it. This is generally the peak season. Limits have been put in place for a maximum amount of visitors per day and per time slot (more about this later), so there might not be as many people more during these months. If you can, I’d still recommend going in the shoulder season though, where the maximum amount might not be reached. This also allows for much more flexible planning, which is especially handy if Machu Picchu lies halfway your backpacking route. So, if you’re completely free to plan your visit, May-June and September-October are your months!
2. How to get to Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is best visited from Cusco. Cusco is a gorgeous city with lots to offer in the city itself and around. So do spend some time here and try not to just rush to Machu Picchu and move on. If you’ve got a flight to Lima, no problem! Domestic flights are cheap, or you can go by bus. If you’re going by bus and you’ve got the time, I’d recommend going via Arequipa rather than taking a direct bus as you can acclimatize a little in Arequipa. The direct bus ride from Lima to Cusco is also very long and windy.
Once in Cusco, there are a few different ways to go to Machu Picchu and which one is right for you depends a lot on your budget and time schedule.
Option 1 - The fastest and most expensive way: The train
This is the quickest and most expensive way. I’d only recommend this way if you’re on a really tight schedule and only have 1 or 2 days for your visit.
For a 1-day visit, I’d highly recommend taking the first train. This gets you in at Aguas Calientes at about 10 am. From here you’ll need to either hike up the mountain, which will take you around about 1 hour. You can also take an (expensive) bus up and you’ll get there in 20-25 minutes. Spend the afternoon in Machu Picchu and book a train back no earlier than 6 – 6:30 pm. This way you’ll have time to enjoy the site until they close at 5:30 pm and make your way back down in time for your train. If you end up wanting to leave a little earlier, you can enjoy a snack or a drink in town or visit the museum before hopping on the train.
If you’ve got another day to spare, I’d recommend spending a night in Aguas Calientes. Take any train to Aguas Calientes the day before visiting Machu Picchu and spend the night there. The next day, enter Machu Picchu as early as possible and spend the whole day here. Take a train back to Cusco in the late afternoon.
Price: Train tickets fluctuate in price from around about 55-100 USD one way and the bus is 24 USD roundtrip or 12 USD one way. Check Perurail for prices
Option 2 - A little slower, a lot cheaper: The bus + walking
If you’ve got 2 or 3 days, this is the way I’d recommend. Take the bus from Cusco to Hydroelectrica. From here it’s a 2-hour walk to Aguas Calientes. Spend the night here and enjoy Machu Picchu the next day. You can either spend the whole day here and take a bus back the next day (spending 3 days on your visit), or go in the morning and take a bus back in the afternoon (making it 2 days).
Price: 34 USD roundtrip with Machu Picchu Buspackers, or shop around town. If you want to take the bus from Aguas Calientes up to Machu Picchu, add another 24 USD roundtrip or 12 USD one way.
Option 3 - The slow and active way: hiking
The most famous hike to Machu Picchu is the Inca trail. This trail starts in the Sacred Valley and leads all the way up to the Sungate of Machu Picchu. On the way you’ll pass several other Inca ruins. It is one of the trails that the Incas originally used to reach Machu Picchu (but not the only one).
As this trail is so popular, you need to book in advance and you require a permit to hike this trail as well. This is making this trek very expensive (think 600-700+ USD) and will affect the flexibility of your trip. This can be a little complicated if you’re backpacking for a few months with Peru halfway your trip for example. It’s also by far the busiest track, with 500 permits a day (including staff). I would have loved to do the Inca trail as you arrive directly at the Sungate, but it did not fit my budget and I wanted to stay flexible. So I decided to hike the Salkantay instead.
The Salkantay is the most popular alternative and a beautiful track going through the mountains and the jungle. It’s very diverse and from what I’ve heard it’s more beautiful than the Inca Trail. It’s also more difficult as you’ll be going over the Salkantay pass (4,600m), but it’s definitely not impossible. Just make sure you’re acclimatized before starting the trail. As it’s the most popular alternative, you will still come across a fair bit of people doing this hike. Also keep in mind that, if going by tour, you’ll do a small part of the hike by car. Unlike the Inca trail, it’s possible to do this hike on your own as well. I decided not to, just because I couldn’t find anyone to go with me and it was shoulder season. The accommodation of the tours is a lot more comfortable in case of rain than my tiny tent.
Agencies offer 4 and 5 day tours. The 5 day option includes an optional visit to the hotsprings (entrance not included, transport depends on the company). The 4 day option skips the hotsprings and will take you a little further by car.
Besides the Salkantay, there are a few more alternative trails like the Lares trek, the Vilcabamba trek, and the Inca Jungle trail. The Lares trek goes through the mountains of the Sacred Valley and passes by traditional villages. It ends at Ollantaytambo, from where you’ll need to take the train to Aguas Calientes. The Vilcabamba trek is a more challenging mountain hike going through 3 passes. Like the Salkantay it will also get you to Hidroelectrica. From here it’s a 2-hour walk along the train tracks to reach Aguas Calientes. The Inca Jungle trail is more of an adventure trail than a hike, you’ll go biking and can go zip-lining and rafting as well.
Price: This really depends on the hike you want to do. The Inca trail is the most expensive one, which will set you back 500-600 USD. You can get the Salkantay for 150-170 USD when arranging it on the spot and the other trails have similar prices. Do note that for the Lares trek you’ll still need to pay for the train, making this one a little pricer. Tour prices include a standard entry ticket to Machu Picchu and transport by bus back to Cusco. If you’re doing them on your own, it might be even cheaper.
Protip: Organize your hike when in Cusco. If you book online tours are about double the prices compared to in town. If you’re worried about tickets being booked out, buy your entry online and your hike once in Cusco.
3. Which Machu Picchu ticket should I buy
2023 Update: There have been seen some changes to the available tickets and routes in Machu Picchu since I wrote this post. Check here the available tickets and their characteristics.
You now have to pick a circuit, and if you want to hike up a mountain, you’ll only get limited access to the citadel. As this wasn’t the case when I visited, I could buy a mountain ticket and visit the whole of the citadel, I can no longer recommend whether you should buy a mountain ticket or not. When you got to do both, it was 100% worth it, but it looks like now you’ll have to choose if you want to focus on the citadel or get views from higher up. If you really want to do both, you’d have to buy 2 separate tickets. I’m inclined to say the Ticket Machu Picchu + Inca Bridge is probably the most extensive, and allows you to visit as much of Machu Picchu as possible with the new rules.
4. Getting around Machu Picchu
In Machu Picchu itself, you don’t have that many options. Visits are now restricted to certain circuits and there is just one way to go. This makes it fairly straightforward. Ticketmachupicchu offers maps of the circuits and a clear comparison of the different options.
As Machu Picchu is up in the mountains, the weather can be pretty unpredictable. You might have clouds and rain and not really be able to enjoy the views as much. Do keep this in mind when passing by the viewpoints. You might have to wait a little and hope the clouds clear, because you’re not allowed to backtrack.
I was lucky enough that the clouds cleared just as I was coming down from Machu Picchu mountain after waiting for almost an hour. This made the whole experience even more special and mysterious, so don’t despair if you have a cloudy view! A clear view could just be minutes away. Or a few meters below, if you’ve summited one of the mountains.
From the budget backpacking tours at least, most who will promise you a guided tour won’t actually give you a guided tour. You’ll just get some explanation at the guardhouse. As I had confirmed with the agency that they would really give me a guided tour they put me in a group with a guide in the end, but usually they wouldn’t have. So think about how you would want to tour Machu Picchu: quicker but with more information on a guided tour or taking your time without a guide, as you’re not able to backtrack.
