Machu Picchu Travel Forum

My girlfriend and I are going to Machu Picchu in three weeks, flying to from Denver to Lima then Cusco. Our plan is to stay in Cusco for one day; any suggestions for lodging, food, things to do? We're going to be in the area 5 days during the last week of March.
I'd like to know if it's possible to hike without a guide from Aqua Calientes to Machu Picchu as well as Huayna Picchu and Picachu (last one is a joke)? What are the logistics involved: entrance fee , reservation, and other fees?

There is a switchback trail that leads up the side of the mountian from Aguas calientes to Machu Picchu - it is pretty steep and crosses and re-crosses the road many times as it heads uphill. We heard that it is better to take the bus up and then if you still want to hike, take the trail back down. You would still have to have pre-purchased your entrance tickets to the ruins ahead of time in order to get in to Machu Picchu.

There is a limit on the number of people allowed to climb Huayna Picchu at any given time (400?) - we were at Machu Picchu a week and a half ago - the ruins were not really crowded at all, but the limit had already been met for Huayna Picchu when we arrived at about 10 a.m.

Not sure about other treks, if that's what you mean ... I know there are some that do not require a guide, but your limited amount of time could be a factor in being able to do that.

We spent about five or six days total in Cusco - we were there twice (before and after we went to AC and MP) ... we stayed at El Balcon, and thought it was great. There are lots and lots of restaurants in Cusco, just about anything you want, and a variety of prices. Also plenty to see and do - Sacsayhuaman is amazing, also the museums and the cathedral. Not to mention just wandering around the side streets and up into San Blas.

last i heard, you can hire picachu as a guide. his name is macho picachu.

are you going to spend only 1 day total in cuzco? i think you will regret it. there is worthwhile stuff to do for more than a day.

It looks like a misspelling! :-)

Cusco for one day, you may as well skip it! First, Cusco has lots of things to SEE & DO like above posters have noted, and second, if you base yourselves in Cusco, you need to properly acclimate for at least 3 days, otherwise you'll feel the effects of altitude sickness. So, if you don't have the time to acclimate in Cusco, skip it initially, head to lower ground (i.e., Sacred Valley, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu) then go back to Cusco for a day. See my Cusco page for tips on accommodations, etc. Your hotel/hostel can also set you up with 1/2 day and full day Cusco tours, which includes most historic and tourist-oriented places. Be careful hiking up to MP from AC. Why don't you take the 1st poster's advice and just go up by bus and come down later on your own? The reason why I'm suggesting this also is that if you want to really hike up HP, you need to go up via the first bus out of AC, so you can be one of the first ones to be granted entry to HP. It gets quite pack during the 2nd/last entry. Please check my AC & MP pages for info on entrance tickets, bus, accommodations, etc.

Goodluck & enjoy beautiful Peru!

Correction: "packed" rather than "pack."

Goodluck!

Hi All!
Thank you for your inputs. We'll be in Cusco from Mar 26 through Mar 31 (a total of 6 days). With all the info I've got looks like this is the itinerary:

Mar 26 (spend in Cusco)
Mar 27 (A. Tour Cusco or B. Take bus to MP and hike HP)
(Want to do the 2 day hike if it's worth it)
Mar 28 (Stay in AQ if option B. and Spend rest of the time in AQ)
Mar 29 (Option B and stay in AQ)
Mar 30 (Stay in AQ)
Mar 31 (Spend Time in Cusco and do more tours)

In between the days, propose to my gf on Huayna Picchu peak:) And hopefully do get pushed downhill.

Either do Cusco first (and acclimate there properly for 3 days, otherwise you'll get sick from the altitude) OR do it last (1-2 days) after your AC/MP/HP adventures. Goodluck on the proposal!

Here's my proposed itinerary:

Mar 26: Arrival in Cusco, train ride to Aguas Calientes, overnight in AC
Mar 27: Wake up early @ 4:00 am & get ready, take earliest bus out of AC to MP, ensure to get the first free tickets to HP, hike to HP & propose, hike down & check out MP (make sure to pre-purchase your MP entrance tickets in advance) & do tour, hike down to AC from MP if you so will it, overnight in AC
Mar 28: Wake up early & get ready to take earliest bus out of AC to MP for the sunset viewing at MP, tour again (if you decide to, just make sure you have another pre-purchased entrance ticket for this, stay until early afternoon, check out of AC hotel/hostel, and take the last train out of AC in the evening en route to Cusco, overnight in Cusco.
Mar 30: Relax & see if you feel okay with the altitude, do 1/2 day tour
Mar 31: You should be okay at this point & can do a full day tour of Cusco & surrounding Sacred Valley sights, leave Cusco at night or stay overnight & leave the following morning from there en route to your next destination.

Goodluck and enjoy beautiful Peru!