Hi!

Can anyone tell me when the last bus to Machu Picchu (from Aguas Calientes) departs? I will arrive in AC at 1:30 pm and want to make sure I can still make it to the ruins. I'm also planning to stay overnight in AC to see the sunrise in MP.

Thanks!

Trixie

Hi Trixie:

ROUTE IN BUS
AGUAS CALIENTES - MACHU PICCHU

This bus departs from Puente Ruinas station every 10 minutes, traveling along the winding Hiram Bingham route up to Machu Picchu. The first bus departs at 5:30 a.m., and the last one returns at 5:00 p.m. You are recommended to queue up as soon as you arrive at the station.
Itineraries and Rates
Permanent Services: At the arrival of trains coming from Cusco

you can also check this web site: http://www.cusco-peru.org/cusco-useful-information-cusco-land-transportation1.shtml

You can always walk back down - in fact there are kids who make some sort of living racing the bus, reappearing to wave at every hairpin.

Thanks Patichu and Johnperry!

Does this mean that there are buses going up to the ruins well into the afternoon? I keep reading that the last bus to MP is at 1pm.

And I would love to walk down but I would probably end up carrying my cityslicker friend on my back ;-)

Buses ply the Aguas Calientes-Machu Picchu route every 10 minutes. (as already noted by above responder) and starts at 5:20 a.m. (from AC) with the last bus departure (from MP back to AC) at around 4:00 or 5:30 p.m. depending on which sources you get your information from. Everyone tries to arrive early in the morning to avoid the mad rush around 10-11 a.m. of tourists from Cusco. Also, most people (most are 1-day visitors) leave MP by 2:00 p.m., so they can catch the afternoon train back to Cusco on time. So, a 1:30 p.m. arrival at MP is pretty late in the day and buses may be few and far in between during this time as it operates on "demand" and usually leaves AC when full. This may potentially be a problem for you, but I'm hoping that there will be other visitors coming later that day, so your bus to MP is packed enough in order for it to leave AC.

Goodluck & enjoy beautiful Peru!

Thank you Marissa! That's a great help. If ever I have problems getting a bus ride, I will be prepared for a stressful hike up ;-) I hear it's an hour to two hours to walk up and around 45 minutes to walk down. Is this correct?

Here's a silly question, do buses make their way down from MP in the early morning or do they also wait to fill up before leaving MP?

Thanks again! Will definitely plan to enjoy Peru. ;-)

Thank you Marissa! That's a great help. If ever I have problems getting a bus ride, I will be prepared for a stressful hike up ;-) I hear it's an hour to two hours to walk up and around 45 minutes to walk down. Is this correct?

Here's a silly question, do buses make their way down from MP in the early morning or do they also wait to fill up before leaving MP?

Thanks again! Will definitely plan to enjoy Peru. ;-)

It's 1.5 hrs. more or less, depending on your speed, and about 30 mins. or more to walk down.

Not a "silly" question at all. Most people are actually up in the MP ruins or nearby HP in the early morning or the whole morning as a matter of fact, so there are more buses going up around then than going down. The morning buses to AC should fill up quickly as there will always be people coming down after a couple of hours at MP.

Again, goodluck & enjoy majestic Machu Picchu!

Thanks for helping me, Marissa ;-)

You're quite welcome "Mediatriz!" Feel free to ask your questions any time! Goodluck & safe journey!

Call me Trixie...;-) Just out of curiosity, would you know where or how I can get a cab in Cuzco that will bring me to Ollantaytambo. I will be arriving in Cuzco at 7am and would like to go directly to Ollanta. Thanks again!

Trixie, it's a good question & usually I would suggest to have your hotel/hostel in Cusco arrange transportation service from the airport and back, but it appears that you will go directly to Ollantantaybo en route to Aguas Calientes on this day.

At this point, I'd recommend that you hire an official taxi (there will be swarms of taxi drivers that will "meet & greet" you at the airport & it could be overwhelming) that will take you to Cusco town proper & from there find a taxi where you can negotiate a better fare en route to Ollantantaybo. Alternatively, you can find a "colectivo" that will shuttle you from the city of Cusco to Ollantantaybo, this will be a cheaper option. If you want an efficient way to do this, you may try to negotiate an "agreeable" cab fare from the Cusco airport that will take you directly to Ollantantaybo. Taxi cab fares from Cusco to Pisac is around $20/RT and a reasonable fare from around Cusco to Ollantantaybo will possibly be around $35-$50. Try asking around what a fair price is for this route.

Goodluck & safe travels!

That's good advice. Thank you very much ;-)

I have one last question....for now ;-). The walk up to MP, is there a path or steps that we take or do we go through some foliage ;-) ? Just in case there are no buses.

Muchas Gracias! (might as well practice me Spanish ;-)

De nada!

After our Inca Trail hike, we had NO energy left. And as much as I wanted to go down to AC and come back up to MP the next day via this trail, my body was just exhausted. From what I've heard from our guide is that this trail is a good alternative for those who are opting out of the Inca Trail hike.

Of course, there will be foliage and flora around. Also, it can be quite scenic. Though it sounded like there were some challenging areas in this path where you are faced with steep steps (those infamous Inca steps) and climbing--almost to the point of scaling. Read more about this path and study the route. Definitely do this hike/climb with other people around rather than on your own.

I doubt if you can use the paved bus route to go up to MP as it's only for buses. So, the trail would be your best bet.


Goodluck & enjoy majestic Machu Picchu!

Trixie, I'd like to caution you that MP entrance tickets are only good for 1 day, so buy another one if you're planning to go back the following day. Also, MP entrance tickets are unavailable at the entrance, so buy them in advance. Please see my MP page "warning tip" re: entrance tickets & "general tip" on tickets. Also, check my Aguas Calientes page "general tip" re: tips for independent MP travelers.

Buen viaje!

Hi Marissa!

Your tips are wonderful! Very, very helpful. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Where do I get the coca candies and drinks and leaves? I'm very interested in trying these out. Do they really help with altitude sickness?

By the way, can I pay with USD while in Aguas Caliente and Macchu Picchu?

I see you've been to the Philippines. You must have seen more places than I have and I live here. ;-)

You're welcome Trixie! Glad you found the tips useful.

Yes, the mate de coca and the coca leaves/candies helped me out with altitude sickness. You will find plenty of these things in Cusco and all over the Andes (e.g., airport, street vendors, hotels/hostels, etc.).

I suggest you change an adequate amount of USD to Nuevo Soles for essentials (e.g., souvenirs sold by street vendors, food, taxi). You can negotiate better prices for items & services with the Peruvian currency than if you were to pay with USD. Bring enough cash (Soles) to last you throughout your AC/MP stay as there are hardly any ATMs around there; however, there will be lots in Cusco. Keep your USD for major transactions like accommodations and domestic airfares.

Trixie, it's so good to know you live in the beautiful & idyllic Philippine islands! I'll be in touch w/ you by e-mail with regard to this topic.

BTW...I will ask a few of my contacts in Peru re: ways to help you out (e.g., reasonable taxi fare from Cusco airport to Ollantantaybo, AC-MP trail, etc.). I will send you a follow-up e-mail via your VT e-mail account.

Cheers!

BTW...going directly to Ollantantaybo, Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu areas first may help in your acclimatization process. These areas are lower in elevation than Cusco & staying here first will help in gradually acclimating you to the Andean elevation. Goodluck!

Hi Marissa! I know this is going to sound silly but I don't know how to access my VT email account. Just in case I don't manage to figure it out, you can write to me at tmboelsch@hotmail.com ;-)

I should be able to change my USD at the airport, right? Even at 7am? Or is that wishful thinking?

So it's a good idea to leave Cusco for last ;-) You're amazing, Marissa! How do you know so much about Peru?

Hi Trixie, please check the upper section of your VT homepage for the menu selections that will include "e-mail," "notices," etc.

I'll keep your hotmail address on-hand. This is a public forum and anyone will be able to use your private e-mail address from this moment on. I hope no one will use your e-mail address for unwarranted solicitations. :(

As to the airport money changers, they are there, but I'm not sure if they are necessarily a 24/7 operation.

Yes, in this case, you're better off going to O/AC/MP first. By the time you'll be in Cusco, you should have no OR less altitude symptoms to deal with.

Don't worry about the email address ;-) I just wanted to make sure I will get your message. Let me try to figure out how to get my VT email ;-)