Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan City where the ruins lay way up in the Andes Mountains in Peru. It is one of the seven Wonders of the World and usually pretty high on travellers list to go and visit. It was very high on my list and one of the first trips which I did once I had got back from my 8 month travels; so I needed it to be a good one.
There are many different ways to see Machu Picchu; group touring, private touring, independent travel and train travel. Depending what works well for you, how much time you have and how much money you would like to spend there will always be a style for you.
Here is how I decided what would work best for me. I am a solo traveller and therefore would like to meet people. I had only two weeks off work so I didn’t have infinite amount of time. I would like to hike to Machu Picchu rather than take the train. I realised the best trip for me would be a Group trip. Now, this isn’t a blog about Peru itself and the different areas and places you can visit this is just about Machu Picchu. I will be writing a blog page just on Peru which is coming soon.
So let’s jump into the different ways to get to Machu Picchu. The town you need to be able to get to is called Ollantaytambo. The start of the Inca Trail is about 20 minutes drive away from here as well as the Lares Trail and the Salkantay Trail. The train to Machu Picchu goes directly from the town if this is your preferred method of travel. Below is a photo to best explain the different routes you can take to the beautiful city.
Please bare in mind, there is only two trails which will finish at the Sun Gate which is the official lookout over the Incan City which are the Inca Trail and the KM 104. The other trails are just trails around the area but they will not finish at the city. With the other trails you will need to either make your way back to Ollantaytambo to be able to get the train over to Machu Picchu town to be able to get the bus up the hill to the tourist entrance of Machu Picchu itself.
How Long Is Each Trail?
The Inca Trail is the most famous out of all the trails it stretches over four days; so three nights camping. If you are a solo traveler you will be put with another solo traveler of the same sex. If you are a couple you are already sorted as the tents on the trail are a maximum of two people. The Inca Trail can only be completed by joining a group, as the group will be providing the porters to carry your things from point A to B along the way. The porters will also be setting up camp for you and cooking your meals. The highest point of the Inca Trail is 4215 metres above sea level; I would always recommend speaking to your doctor before travelling if you have any medical conditions as the high altitude is not for everyone and you may prefer a different route or to take the train.
For those who wish to end at the Sun Gate but do not want to do more than 1 day of walking you can chose the KM 104 Trail. It is a very early start as you get to the Sun Gate for Sunrise but first you must hike from the bottom of the mountain to the check in point for the entrance to Machu Picchu (this entrance is only for walkers, not the same as the tourist entrance). It is a very steep hike please bare this in mind as well. I would recommend going in the driest months if you are to do this trail which is usually May to September which is their winter so will be a bit cooler.
The Lares trail is the second busiest trail but does not lead you to or finish at Machu Picchu city. This trail on the map is the blue line on the left hand side in the photo which starts in Patacancha and leads off to the East. You will set off on the same day at the other explorers for the Inca Trail however this walk is 1 night less where you will stay back in Ollantaytambo for 1 night before you head to Machu Picchu by train the next day. If you are in a group which is split half Inca Trail and half Lares trail you will all end up in Machu Picchu on the same day. This is also a camping trail so two nights will be camping with three days of walking either side of these. Another note to bare in mind is that the Lares trail is another 245 metres more at the highest point than the Inca trail so if you are worried about the altitude this may not be the best route to take for you.
The Salkantay trek is the longest and the highest of all the routes which you can choose from. This trek is five days/four nights and spans a lot closer to Cusco city itself starting at a town called Mollopata and eventually ends up at the Hydroelectric Station. Even with this trek you will need to get a train round to Machu Picchu town before you can hop on the bus to get up to the tourist entrance for Machu Picchu. This trek gets up the highest in altitude which is 4600 metres above sea level. If you love a challenge and have a lot of time this would be perfect for you.
What do you take with you?
Well, if you are taking the train then all you need is a day bag. The same for the day hike, you don’t need to take a huge amount with you. You will look the freshest people at Machu Picchu so make sure you take all your tripods and cameras to get those amazing photos!
If you are hiking their will be porters who will be carrying all the tents, food and kitchen equipment, along with a 5kg duffle bag you will fill up when you are in Cusco. This will include everything you will need for the nighttime while at the camp site. Your sleeping bag (which most companies say you can hire when in Cusco for a small fee), your clothing (pants, socks, new t-shirts etc) and any other essentials. From personal experience take a pair of flip flops with you; these are so handy when you want to give your feet a rest from the hiking boots throughout the day you can just wander around the campsite with them and if you need to make a quick escape to the loo in the night you don’t want to be faffing around with your boots!
Wet wipes are your best friend. At the campsites we stayed at I think one out of the three had some sort of public showers you can use but these are in the middle of no where and everyone from every group trekking to Machu Picchu that day will have access to them as well. So it’s wet wipes galore for a few days! You can shower on the last day once you return to Cusco so if you can go to a festival and not shower you can certainly do it here. Get into the great outdoors and rough it up a bit, it’s all part of the experience after all. Toilet roll and extra layers for sleeping in as well as extra socks. I cannot tell you how important extra socks are. You do not want to be sleeping in the same socks you walk in, nasty. Staying in wet socks can cause a lot of problems for your feet as well and will make your feet more prone to blisters. The last thing you want is a big fat blister on day two when you haven’t even reached the peak of the hike yet.
What about your day bag?
The day bag is all your electronics; phone, camera, tripod, GoPro, video camera, battery packs to charge all of these things, also any extra layers, deodorant, face wipes, toilet roll, plastic bags for the toilet roll (you will be fined if you are caught littering so do not do this) and water!
Now I didn’t do a huge amount of research on water before I went and I also didn’t want to buy a new hiking rucksack but boy did I wish I did. Camelbaks and water hydration sacks are the best thing you could get. People had it so easy to just pull the toggle to your mouth and drink half-way up the mountain. However I had a water bottle, in a zip up rucksack; every time I wanted some water I had to stop, take my bag off, drink, zip it back up and put the bag back on again. What a waste of life and energy! If you are a hiker or common walker you will probably already have these things already but if you don’t I would invest in a good one. I currently have an Osprey bag which is 30 litres and a 3 litre hydration sack which work for be perfectly on all my walks I have done since. Don’t make the same mistake as me.
Once you get to Machu Picchu you will be the sweatiest looking people there, its ok, fifty percent of people will be in the same boat as you. I did take a small amount of make-up in my day bag just for the last day though, it weighs nothing and just to make your photos look that little bit nicer it is worth it. For men perhaps some hair gel or beard styling cream? Who knows, but just have those final photos in mind when you are packing.
Hopefully that covers the main basics. Just a few handy tips and tricks to get you started. If you have any other questions please get in touch with me through my contact page.
Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan City where the ruins lay way up in the Andes Mountains in Peru. It is one of the seven Wonders of the World and usually pretty high on travellers list to go and visit. It was very high on my list and one of the first trips which I did once I had got back from my 8 month travels; so I needed it to be a good one.
There are many different ways to see Machu Picchu; group touring, private touring, independent travel and train travel. Depending what works well for you, how much time you have and how much money you would like to spend there will always be a style for you.
Here is how I decided what would work best for me. I am a solo traveller and therefore would like to meet people. I had only two weeks off work so I didn’t have infinite amount of time. I would like to hike to Machu Picchu rather than take the train. I realised the best trip for me would be a Group trip. Now, this isn’t a blog about Peru itself and the different areas and places you can visit this is just about Machu Picchu. I will be writing a blog page just on Peru which is coming soon.
So let’s jump into the different ways to get to Machu Picchu. The town you need to be able to get to is called Ollantaytambo. The start of the Inca Trail is about 20 minutes drive away from here as well as the Lares Trail and the Salkantay Trail. The train to Machu Picchu goes directly from the town if this is your preferred method of travel. Below is a photo to best explain the different routes you can take to the beautiful city.
Please bare in mind, there is only two trails which will finish at the Sun Gate which is the official lookout over the Incan City which are the Inca Trail and the KM 104. The other trails are just trails around the area but they will not finish at the city. With the other trails you will need to either make your way back to Ollantaytambo to be able to get the train over to Machu Picchu town to be able to get the bus up the hill to the tourist entrance of Machu Picchu itself.
How Long Is Each Trail?
The Inca Trail is the most famous out of all the trails it stretches over four days; so three nights camping. If you are a solo traveler you will be put with another solo traveler of the same sex. If you are a couple you are already sorted as the tents on the trail are a maximum of two people. The Inca Trail can only be completed by joining a group, as the group will be providing the porters to carry your things from point A to B along the way. The porters will also be setting up camp for you and cooking your meals. The highest point of the Inca Trail is 4215 metres above sea level; I would always recommend speaking to your doctor before travelling if you have any medical conditions as the high altitude is not for everyone and you may prefer a different route or to take the train.
For those who wish to end at the Sun Gate but do not want to do more than 1 day of walking you can chose the KM 104 Trail. It is a very early start as you get to the Sun Gate for Sunrise but first you must hike from the bottom of the mountain to the check in point for the entrance to Machu Picchu (this entrance is only for walkers, not the same as the tourist entrance). It is a very steep hike please bare this in mind as well. I would recommend going in the driest months if you are to do this trail which is usually May to September which is their winter so will be a bit cooler.
The Lares trail is the second busiest trail but does not lead you to or finish at Machu Picchu city. This trail on the map is the blue line on the left hand side in the photo which starts in Patacancha and leads off to the East. You will set off on the same day at the other explorers for the Inca Trail however this walk is 1 night less where you will stay back in Ollantaytambo for 1 night before you head to Machu Picchu by train the next day. If you are in a group which is split half Inca Trail and half Lares trail you will all end up in Machu Picchu on the same day. This is also a camping trail so two nights will be camping with three days of walking either side of these. Another note to bare in mind is that the Lares trail is another 245 metres more at the highest point than the Inca trail so if you are worried about the altitude this may not be the best route to take for you.
The Salkantay trek is the longest and the highest of all the routes which you can choose from. This trek is five days/four nights and spans a lot closer to Cusco city itself starting at a town called Mollopata and eventually ends up at the Hydroelectric Station. Even with this trek you will need to get a train round to Machu Picchu town before you can hop on the bus to get up to the tourist entrance for Machu Picchu. This trek gets up the highest in altitude which is 4600 metres above sea level. If you love a challenge and have a lot of time this would be perfect for you.
What do you take with you?
Well, if you are taking the train then all you need is a day bag. The same for the day hike, you don’t need to take a huge amount with you. You will look the freshest people at Machu Picchu so make sure you take all your tripods and cameras to get those amazing photos!
If you are hiking their will be porters who will be carrying all the tents, food and kitchen equipment, along with a 5kg duffle bag you will fill up when you are in Cusco. This will include everything you will need for the nighttime while at the camp site. Your sleeping bag (which most companies say you can hire when in Cusco for a small fee), your clothing (pants, socks, new t-shirts etc) and any other essentials. From personal experience take a pair of flip flops with you; these are so handy when you want to give your feet a rest from the hiking boots throughout the day you can just wander around the campsite with them and if you need to make a quick escape to the loo in the night you don’t want to be faffing around with your boots!
Wet wipes are your best friend. At the campsites we stayed at I think one out of the three had some sort of public showers you can use but these are in the middle of no where and everyone from every group trekking to Machu Picchu that day will have access to them as well. So it’s wet wipes galore for a few days! You can shower on the last day once you return to Cusco so if you can go to a festival and not shower you can certainly do it here. Get into the great outdoors and rough it up a bit, it’s all part of the experience after all. Toilet roll and extra layers for sleeping in as well as extra socks. I cannot tell you how important extra socks are. You do not want to be sleeping in the same socks you walk in, nasty. Staying in wet socks can cause a lot of problems for your feet as well and will make your feet more prone to blisters. The last thing you want is a big fat blister on day two when you haven’t even reached the peak of the hike yet.
What about your day bag?
The day bag is all your electronics; phone, camera, tripod, GoPro, video camera, battery packs to charge all of these things, also any extra layers, deodorant, face wipes, toilet roll, plastic bags for the toilet roll (you will be fined if you are caught littering so do not do this) and water!
Now I didn’t do a huge amount of research on water before I went and I also didn’t want to buy a new hiking rucksack but boy did I wish I did. Camelbaks and water hydration sacks are the best thing you could get. People had it so easy to just pull the toggle to your mouth and drink half-way up the mountain. However I had a water bottle, in a zip up rucksack; every time I wanted some water I had to stop, take my bag off, drink, zip it back up and put the bag back on again. What a waste of life and energy! If you are a hiker or common walker you will probably already have these things already but if you don’t I would invest in a good one. I currently have an Osprey bag which is 30 litres and a 3 litre hydration sack which work for be perfectly on all my walks I have done since. Don’t make the same mistake as me.
Once you get to Machu Picchu you will be the sweatiest looking people there, its ok, fifty percent of people will be in the same boat as you. I did take a small amount of make-up in my day bag just for the last day though, it weighs nothing and just to make your photos look that little bit nicer it is worth it. For men perhaps some hair gel or beard styling cream? Who knows, but just have those final photos in mind when you are packing.
Hopefully that covers the main basics. Just a few handy tips and tricks to get you started. If you have any other questions please get in touch with me through my contact page.
LEAH HANCOX 