Lost City of the Incas: Exploring Machu Picchu’s Rich History

I’ve been a trifle off the blogging/social media grid for the past couple of months. Mainly because I spent most of January preparing for the solo trip of a lifetime – to Peru. February was spent completing most of my office work, and panicking wondering if the Corona virus was going to play spoilsport and force me to cancel my trip!

Thankfully all went well, and now that it’s almost a month since I got back, and I am feeling good and healthy, I can now focus on blogging a bit about my trip.

To me, Machu Picchu was the reason to board a plane to Peru in the first place. It’s one of the seven new wonders of the world (and the third that I have visited – The Great wall of China and the Taj Mahal are the others). This is also my first trip to South America.


Buying tickets to Machu Picchu

Visiting Machu Picchu is incredibly popular – With over 6500 people entering the archaeological site each day it is necessary to purchase a ticket in advance.

Depending on how you want to visit, there are multiple options.

  1. You could choose to do a one-day tour of the ruins, and visit Machu Picchu alone (what I opted for).
  2. You can choose to do the Machu Picchu + Huayna Picchu Mountain tour. This is pretty strenuous but also offers great views of the ruins.
  3. Another option is to do the Machu Picchu ruins + Machu Picchu mountain tour.

Most people tend to do option #1 or #2.

Apart from the tour itself, you can choose how you want to approach the site. Do you want to do a 5 day trek? Or climb up the Machu Picchu mountain (approx. an hour), Or take a bus to the site?

Based on your fitness levels, and time available, you can choose which option to go for. Some popular tour agents who can help:

NOTE: It is prohibited to take food, tripods, selfie sticks, and 
drones. So don't do it 😊 .

Getting there

I landed at Lima airport, which is the only international airport in Peru. After spending a day sightseeing there, I took a flight to Cusco. It is the closest airport to Machu Picchu, but it’s not close by any means.

Most travel forums advise people to spend a little time acclimatizing to the altitude in Cusco, before venturing to Machu Picchu. So, that’s what I did. I spent a day in Cusco, then took a cab to go to the Sacred Valley (one of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever been on). Then spent a night in Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley.

Drove down from Cusco via Chinchero (detour for some sight-seeing around Moray, spent the night at Ollantaytambo, before taking the train to Machu Picchu Pueblo, and then taking a bus to Machu Pichhu itself. Quite a journey!
NOTE: I didn't trek the 4-day Inca trail. Since 
mine was a short trip (9 days), I wanted to
use the time I have to visit other places in
Peru as well.

The next morning bright and early, I took a train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu Pueblo.

It’s a three-hour train ride, and there are many train services. I went with Perurail’s Vistadome option. They were a very professional and efficient company – it felt like I was taking a train in Europe! I loved their panoramic windows that offered beautiful views of the scenery.

Loved the train ride from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu

Once I reached Machu Picchu Pueblo, it was time to take a bus to the top. The bus is pretty expensive (a round trip costs USD 24). But, I think it’s worth it, as I wanted to ensure I have enough time at the top rather than spending a couple of hours climbing up and down.

So, yeah! I took the easy (and expensive) way to Machu Picchu. Do I regret it? Not one bit! For one, cutting the extra time hiking meant that I could also visit other places in Peru (Lima, Lake Titicaca). I am likely to visit Peru only this one time, so I wanted to squeeze in as much as I could during this trip.


What to wear to Machu Picchu

Whatever season you visit, layering is key. There’s also a good amount of walking. So wear decent walking shoes (I wore my Adidas Superstars, which worked well since I wasn’t doing extensive trekking). I was lucky it didn’t rain, though.

The best options are leggings, a light tee, a raincoat (weather is really changeable), and waterproof sneakers.

Don’t get fooled by all the glam outfits by Instagram travel bloggers 😁. It’s really not a venue to dress up to the nines.


When to visit Machu Picchu

All travel websites say the best season to visit is between May and September (winter in Peru). I however visited in February, which is the wet season. It was a risk, I met many travelers whose Machu Picchu dream was a washout. Thankfully, the day I was scheduled to go, the weather was delightful.

The plus point of going during the off-season? Cheaper flights (think CheapTickets) and lesser crowds.


Machu Picchu in Pictures

There are two routes that you can take once you reach the site. One approach is to climb up and approach Machu Picchu from the top. That way, you get scenic shots of the view from up.

If you’re a little unfit, you can visit the site directly, but that means no scenic photos and views.

I of course, opted to climb up and then down into Machu Picchu, and it was the best experience. I highly encourage everyone to make the effort to do the climb. Totally worth it! It’s also only about 15-20 mins of uphill climb; the rest is flat or downhill.


Don’t forget to get the passport stamp

When you exit Machu Picchu, be sure to stop at the exit and get the official Machu Picchu stamp in your passport. It felt really cool to get that stamp, and it’s a great memory of the trip!

So that’s what I have to say about my trip to Machu Picchu. I am not sure if I have covered everything. If you have questions or just want to say hi 😊 , feel free to email me, or leave a note in the comments.

More posts about Peru to come soon!

Machu Picchu travel guide

19 comments

Add Yours
  1. Ami Bhat

    I am glad that you climbed up to the top – else you definitely would have missed the scenic sites. I would love to do the same too. Thanks for sharing information on the kind of trips there are. I would ideally like to budget for the 4 day one but I fear, I will run out of time.

    • Nish

      There’s no way I was missing seeing this place from high up. I so badly wanted to do the 4-day trek, but I had limited leave from work, and wanted to make sure I optimize the time I spent in Peru.

  2. Bolupe

    Your beautiful pictures makes me dream of visiting Machu Picchu. I think I will be following your advise and visit Machu Picchu in February and hope for the best. After-all, it’s just rain. I will definitely like to get the stamp in my passport for the memories.Thanks for that tip.

    • Nish

      I’d say we got lucky. It was raining the past few days. It’s a bit of a hit and miss. When it’s sunny, it’s glorious, but when it rains, you can get all those lovely misty pictures you see on the web. But with some amount of discomfort though.

  3. SherianneKay

    I would love to visit but get altitude sickness and am nervous about it, I’ve heard it can be very bad there. I would absolutely pay to take the bus to the site so I had more time exploring. It is great to know the hike to the top is only 15-20 minutes. I can do anything for 15-20 minutes 0 especially for the photo!

    • Nish

      It wasn’t too bad actually. Our guide was extremely conscious about the change in elevation, and the whole trip was planned in such a way as to reduce the strain. They give you multiple cups of coca tea, which is supposed to help. I’d also gotten a strip of over the counter medication, which I used when I felt uncomfortable.

  4. blair villanueva

    Thank you for sharing this awesome travel experience at Machu Picchu. It is a gorgeous place, one of the top most destination in every travellers list! Can’t wait to explore more of the South America.

  5. Subhashish Roy

    South America is one of my dream destination now and Peru now would certainly feature now. Wow what a place. Machu Picchu views are just amazing. No wonder it is in the list of seven wonders.Thanks for all the tips to pla a holiday there.

    • Nish

      You’re welcome. Glad you liked it! South America is amazing. Such a pity it’s so far away. I definitely want to make another visit to the continent. Let’s see. Fingers crossed 🙂

  6. sumit

    hi
    The opening visual of your post bowled me over completely. I can understand why this place occupied the position of our dream trip. The Perurail train shot is so amazing with open viewing spaces all around. I was thinking would the rains offer some great frames with all the greenery around, wanted to know your views on the same

    • Anonymous

      Thanks. It’s such a beautiful place! It’s hard to take a bad picture of it.

  7. Linda (LD Holland)

    We have now missed Machu Picchu twice. The first time we cancelled for health reasons. The second got cancelled when we could not land in Peru during the pandemic. Every picture shows why this is a dream trip. We definitely are not up for the long hike. So the one day tour seems like the best bet. And I like the idea of having more time at the top by taking the bus. Machu Picchu will definitely stay on our travel wish plan. Glad you got to visit before Peru shut down!

    • Anonymous

      That sucks. Maybe, you”ll get third time lucky. I am very happy I did the one-day trip. I’m sure the hike would have been wonderful, but I really had very limited time, and wanted to see and do more places than just Machu Picchu.

  8. Lisa

    I’ve not yet been to Peru, but I can totally understand about wanting to see Machu Picchu. It looks like you had an incredible time here, I’d like to do the one day tour I think. I didn’t know about not bringing selfie sticks, food etc, it’s good to know

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