Machu Picchu: Planning a trip?

Getting There

If you were hoping to soar over the Andes to Machu Picchu in a helicopter, you’re out of luck: All flights have been suspended indefinitely, due to very real environmental concerns.

By Train — The 112km (70-mile) train from Cusco to Machu Picchu is a truly spectacular journey. It zigzags up Huayna Picchu and then through lush valleys hugging the Río Urubamba, with views of snowcapped Andes peaks in the distance. There are three tourist trains from Cusco to Machu Picchu, taking less than 4 hours: the Backpacker, the slowest and least expensive ($48/£24 one-way; $96/£48 round-trip); the Vistadome, the faster first-class service ($71/£36 one-way; $142/£71 round-trip); and the top-of-the-line and very pricey luxury line Hiram Bingham, named after the discoverer of Machu Picchu ($307-$334/£154-£167 one-way; $588/£294 round-trip only, including 2 meals, cocktails, and a guided tour at the ruins).

The Backpacker departs Cusco at 7am and arrives in Aguas Calientes at 11:04am (returning at 5:15pm and arriving in Cusco at 9:38pm); the Vistadome leaves at 6:15am and arrives at 10:10am (returning at 3:20pm and arriving at 7:45pm); and the Hiram Bingham leaves Cusco at 9am and arrives in Aguas Calientes at 12:24pm (returning at 5:50pm and arriving in Cusco at 9:18pm).

The tourist trains, all of which now belong to Orient-Express/PeruRail, depart from Cusco’s Estación San Pedro on Calle Cascaparo; it’s open Monday through Friday from 5am to 3pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 5am to 12:30pm. Hiram Bingham trains depart from Estación Poroy, a 15-minute drive from Cusco, 6 days a week in high season (May-Oct) and 4 days a week in low season (Nov-Mar). Make your train reservations as early as possible. The online reservation system is extremely rudimentary, requiring one to send a booking request for the selected itinerary. Once in Cusco, one has to go to Estación Huanchaq on Av. Pachacútec to pay (in cash, dollars) for tickets reserved in advance. It’s open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm, Saturday and Sunday from 8:30am to 12:30pm. Tip: For the best views on the way to Machu Picchu, sit on the left side of the train.

Travelers already based in the Urubamba Valley can go to Machu Picchu from Ollantaytambo (90 min.).

Estación Machu Picchu Pueblo, the train station in Aguas Calientes, is on the river side of the tracks, just beyond the market stalls of Av. Imperio de los Incas. Porters from the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel and other inns greet the trains upon arrival each morning.

Train Schedules to Machu Picchu — Train schedules have changed with alarming frequency in the past few years, according to season and, it seems, the whims of some scheduler. It’s wise to make your reservation at least a day (or more) in advance, especially in high season. For the luxury Hiram Bingham service, reservations several weeks or more in advance are recommended. It’s also smart to verify hours and fares at your hotel (if you’re staying in one of the better ones with good service and informed personnel), the Tourist Information Office in Cusco, or via PeruRail (tel. 084/238-722; www.perurail.com).

By Bus — You can’t travel from Cusco to Machu Picchu by bus until the final leg of the journey, when buses wend their way up the mountain, performing exaggerated switchbacks for 15 minutes before suddenly depositing passengers at the entrance to the ruins. The cost is $12 (£6) round-trip. There’s no need to reserve in advance; just purchase your ticket at the little booth in front of the lineup of buses, at the bottom of the market stalls. Buses begin running at 6:30am and come down all day, with the last one descending at dusk. Some people choose to purchase a one-way ticket ($6/£3) up and walk down (30-45 min.) to Aguas Calientes.

By Foot — The celebrated Inca Trail (Camino del Inca, or Camino Real) is almost as famous as the ruins themselves, and the trek is rightly viewed as an attraction in itself rather than merely a means of getting to Machu Picchu under your own power. There are two principal treks: one that takes 4 days (43km/27 miles) and another shorter and less demanding route that lasts just 2 days. The trails begin outside Ollantaytambo (at Km 82 of the Cusco-Machu Picchu railroad track); you can return to Cusco or Ollantaytambo by train. Many new regulations have been introduced in the past few years.

For those who take the train to Aguas Calientes but still want a small dose of what it’s like to walk to Machu Picchu, it’s straightforward (if a little difficult) to walk up to the ruins from town up a steep path that cuts across the switchback road. It takes a little over an hour to make it up and about 45 minutes to descend. Because you’ll probably want to save your energy for exploring Machu Picchu, if you are fit and want to walk at least one-way, I recommend walking down from the ruins (which is still pretty strenuous on one’s knees).

Visitor Information

Aguas Calientes has an iPerú office, Av. Pachacútec, cdra. 1 s/n (tel. 084/211-104), about one-third of the way up the main drag in town. It has photocopies of town maps and some basic hotel and Machu Picchu information.

Fast Facts

There are no banks in Aguas Calientes. To exchange money (cash or traveler’s checks), try Gringo Bill’s Hostal at Colla Raymi 104, just off the main square. Shops and restaurants along the two main streets, Av. Imperio de los Incas and Av. Pachacútec, buy dollars from gringos in need at standard exchange rates.

You’ll find the police on Av. Imperio de los Incas, down from the railway station (tel. 084/211-178).

There are Internet cabinas at the Café Internet (no phone) on Av. Imperio de los Incas, a block away from the main square on the railroad tracks, and at a couple of places on the Plaza de Armas. Gringo Bill’s Hostal (tel. 084/211-046), on Colla Raymi 104, also has Internet access. There’s a post office on the corner of Manco Cápac at Av. Imperio de los Incas. The Telefónica del Perú office (no phone) is at Av. Imperio de los Incas 132.

Mudslides at Machu Picchu

In October 2005, an avalanche destroyed part of the train track leading from Cusco to Machu Picchu, stranding 1,400 tourists. Before that, in April 2004, two massive mudslides at the tail end of the rainy season hit Aguas Calientes, killing at least six local people and stranding as many as 1,500 tourists for the duration of Easter weekend. Seventy people were left homeless, and about 600 tourists had to be evacuated by helicopter. A portion of the railroad track that takes hundreds of thousands of tourists to the famed Inca ruins annually was damaged — though normal rail service to and from Cusco reopened 2 days later — as were a couple dozen homes near the river.

Though the heavy rains were unusual, they highlight both the dangers of traveling during the wet season as well as the precarious infrastructure of the town and its ill-preparedness to handle the growth of tourism in recent years. The tragedies are likely to reignite calls in Peru to further limit the numbers of tourists permitted at Machu Picchu.

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