Machu Picchu Travel Forum

Hi!

I am going to Peru in march, and I will also visit Machu Picchu. I am not panning to go the incha trail, I will just take the train/buss up there. I just wonder if anybody knows what kind of clothes I should bring? Is it cold? How long time do I need there? Is it enough with a daytrip, and then take the buss/train back to Cusco? Or do I need to spend the night?

Thanks!

Here is the link for weather.com for Cusco
http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/PEXX0008?from=month_bottomnav_business

Averages are mid 60's for a high and mid 40's for the low. Also about 4 inches of rain during the month.

There are only two ways to travel from Cusco to Machu Picchu, the train or hiking the Inca Trail. This is the link for Peru Rail
http://www.perurail.com/web/tper/tper_a2a_home.jsp

And yes, I would recommend an over night in Aguas Calientes (that is where the train arrives) so you can get an early start the next morning to view Machu Picchu and beat the crowds arriving on the morning train.

suerte
SAM

Yes, cool to cold. Definitely spend at least one night in Aguas Calientes, so as to be able to see MP without the hordes of day trippers.

Here's a newspaper article with pretty good info on what the weather is usually like in March:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/2005-03-23-nachu-picchu-climate_x.htm

I'd bring warm clothes and light raingear too. I would have hated to go there on a few-hours trip. I was there for 2 nights. For most people one night is enough, but I loved being able to see it after most people had left and before most people were on the site. We were staying at the now-expensive Sanctuary hotel up there but staying just below means you can catch a bus up to Machu Picchu very early in the morning and catch sunrise. I have a PhotoDiary and chapter on Machu Picchu at
http://www.andrys.com/peru25.html

And a photo-page of MP at http://www.pbase.com/andrys/machu

That will give you an idea of what to expect and how much time you want to spend there. It's not a place most of us would want to hit and run - what a waste. It's one of the most beautiful sights on this earth.

You'll want to breathe it in rather than run around the place so you can get on a packed bus and away.

I hope you'll be getting acclimated to the heights there - about 8,000 ft. high so you should get there in that area at least one night before and rest up before enjoying the site.

Have fun !

- Andrys

Definitely layer your clothing and bring a rain gear/poncho as March is still considered part of the "rainy" season. Don't rush too much. I agree with the other posters that you'll need more time for your MP adventure. A day trip is really not worth it. Check my Aguas Calientes page for more info on this if you wish. Goodluck and enjoy beautiful Peru!

Hi,yes you need winter clothes for cusco,but you can find a lot of cheap clothes here in Peru so dont come with big baggages and many jackets and trousers....,just the basic,Lima is good choice too, but here the weather in march is very hot,see u,greetings

Thanx to everybodey for giving good tips to our trip! It has been very helpful! :) I cant wait to go there:)

As I answered in another posting:

Just a piece of advice: plan your trip/flight to/from Cusco with some flexibility. As I wrote on my transportation pages, Cusco airport is "visual only" and when clouds/rain come down no flights can come in/depart.
Today, saturday 20 december 2008, is such a day; the whole morning CUZ closed, 10 flights cancelled up to now. The local met office and the airport authorities warned tourists not to plan too tightly. especially in the rainy season.

http://www.elcomercio.com.pe/ediciononline/HTML/2008-12-20/nubosidad-afectara-transporte-aereo-y-ferroviario-cusco.html

http://www.elcomercio.com.pe/ediciononline/HTML/2008-12-20/vuelos-son-suspendidos-debido-al-mal-tiempo-cusco.html