The cheapest way to get to Machu Picchu is from Cusco. How to get to Machu Picchu inexpensively - from Cusco to Hydroelectrics and to Aguas Calientes

Now, no more than 2,500 people can see Machu Picchu a day. And only four hundred of them will be lucky to be on the highest peak of Huayna Picchu, which rises 360 meters above the archaeological complex. From there you can take the most spectacular photos and appreciate the grandeur of the old city, abandoned by its inhabitants in 1532. If you believe in your luck and believe that you will certainly be able to be among those 2,500 people who will be allowed into the city over the Urubamba River, then you are probably interested in the question, but how to get to Machu Picchu? Arm yourself with patience, because getting there will not be easy.

The road to Machu Picchu should be divided into several stages:

fly to, the capital of Peru;
to get in main city one of the Peruvian provinces - Cusco;
from get to locality Aguas Calientes, which is located next to Machu Picchu;
From Aguas Calientes Station, take the bus to Machu Picchu.

From Russia to Lima

There are no direct flights connecting Lima, the capital of Peru. Have to fly for Atlantic Ocean, and this is the only way to quickly cross a huge distance of more than 12 thousand kilometers, with at least one transfer. The modern traveler may choose the point of transit at his own discretion. Flights with a connection in some city in the United States are considered popular options, but for this you will have to take care of obtaining a transit American visa in advance, which creates additional difficulties. The most acceptable flight to Lima (about 18 hours) is offered by Air France. Docking is carried out in. You will have to spend an hour longer in the sky with the Iberia carrier, which changes the plane to. In about 21 hours you can get to Lima with a change at Aeroflot and Avianca El Salvador.

How to get to Machu Picchu, and first to Lima from? It is better to immediately choose a flight with two connections. Because the one-stop option takes too long (after up to 1 day 9 hours). But tourists with a Schengen visa can happily spend a few hours in the Dutch capital while waiting for their flight to Lima.

From Lima to Cusco

There are few options for traveling from Lima to Cusco - only two: by plane; by bus. If you don’t want to ride a bus on Peruvian roads for 22 hours, then it’s better to choose a plane. The flight will take a little more than an hour. Tourists can choose from ten daily flights that link Lima and Cusco airports.

From Cusco to Aguas Calientes

From the outside, it may seem that the Peruvians deliberately complicate the life of tourists, forcing them to change transport on a quest called "How to get to Machu Picchu." But for the sake of a huge prize - the city of the Incas lost in the mountains - it is worth trying! The city of Cusco is connected with the village of Aguas Calientes by rail. Please note that not all trains go to Aguas Calientes Station. Some follow to the town, from where you can take another train to Aguas Calientes.

How to get to Machu Picchu by bus

At railway station small town Aguas Calientes of all tourists, eager to see with their own eyes the city of the Indians, covered with legends, is taken by a bus. Before Machu Picchu, you have to overcome 8 kilometers of a very difficult road that goes uphill.

Some experienced travelers are planning a very interesting and difficult route By old trail Incas, which is laid along the Urubamba River. In a few days hiking Machu Picchu opens before travelers in all its splendor. It is not worth going on this journey alone.

Foreword
The last evening, before going to Machu Picchu, we decided to spend on the observation deck overlooking the capital of the Incas, Cusco. long stairs climbed from the center of Cusco to the mountain, from which we were to see our last sunset for this cozy city, crowded with tourists, narrow streets with masonry, neat green parks and squares, as well as beautiful architectural buildings in the territory where the Incas settled more than 3000 years ago.

We had a plan: we knew that there was no money for Machu Picchu, so we would have to try to get there for free.

I believe in signs, although I have always been critical of astrology, signs and superstitions, because all this fits more into the category of "prejudices" than the real picture of the world. But sometimes things happen in the world that simply cannot be interpreted in a different way. Like this meeting.

Climbing up observation deck, we saw a group of Russian tourists from Moscow, with whom a conversation began after a couple of minutes.

Yes, we are from Krasnoyarsk. We travel for a year. No, we do not know when we will return, but definitely next year.

They arrived in a white minibus with a Peruvian guide who spoke excellent Russian. I sat down on a bench, and Ira talked to the guide while the Russian guys loaded onto the bus. Five minutes later, the bus drove off, and Ira sat down next to me, but having caught up with us, the bus stopped again, and a man appeared from behind the door. My first thought was: "Probably want a ride to the center", but instead he shouted:

Girls, do you have money?
- Uh, well, there is! - we shouted back with doubt in our voices.
- Don't be shy, girls! You need to help yours!
We don't leave ours! cried the lovely lady who was sitting behind him.

Then two men ran out of the bus, and one of them handed us $200, and the other took out a pack of hundred dollar bills and gave us $500. I, not believing my eyes, took the money and immediately shoved it into my bag under the looks of the astonished local souvenir merchants.

Good luck girls! they shouted as they ran back to the bus.
- God, thank you very much! You have no idea what this means to us! We only have money for food!
- Yes, not for that!

The doors closed and the bus left. We didn't believe what was happening. They didn't believe at all. They decided to count the money at home, because they did not want to attract even more attention to themselves.

I think, in total, there is $300, - I said to Ira, - $150 for each.

But at home it turned out that they gave us $700, which is $350 per person! The issue with Machu Picchu was now considered from a different angle, because this money came to us precisely for this. After all, it happened just on the last evening in Cuzco, when tomorrow we had to long road hitchhiking to the village, from where the trail goes to the ancient city of the Incas.

Ira yesterday said the phrase: "They probably already forgot us, and we will remember them all our lives."
Indeed, you already understand literally the expression that Russians have a broad soul. And very generous.

How to get to Machu Picchu
I read that Machu Picchu will cost several hundred dollars if you go from Cusco and this is true. Most cheap ticket a train from Oyataytambo costs $62 one way, but you still need to get to this village by bus. Regular tickets from Cusco will cost around a hundred dollars and more depending on the class one way, but there are also buses to a place called Hydroelectrica, from where it is two hours to Agvas Calientes (from where the trail to MP goes). The whole way is something like this: Cusco-Oyataytambo-Santa Maria-Santa Teresa Hydroelectrica and 2 hours walk along the railway tracks to Agvas Calenetes. Here you need to bargain, there are legends that someone bargained for $3, but a regular ticket will cost 30 soles or $9. Although, this is information from other people's lips, because we hitchhiked this way. Our friend traveled for 18 soles to Santa Teresa and walked to Agvas Calientes in 6 hours, but this is a rare record! You can get there for 5 sols on minibuses from Santa Teresa to Hydroelectric, or even 2.5 sols if you bargain.

We left the house in Kuskov at 7.30 in the morning, took a bus for 1 sol to the exit to the highway, and from there we already caught the first taxi that took us for free to Urubamba. From Urubamba, a couple of minutes later we were picked up by another taxi with Colombians to Oyataytambo.
Oyataytambo is a very beautiful and cozy tiny village, famous for its archaeological excavations period ancient civilization Incas. The entrance costs 70 soles, but all the buildings are perfectly visible from the road along which we walked to the exit from the city. Climbing up the hill to the next village, we bought food in a shop on the side of the road and after 15 minutes we caught a white minibus with tourists, who also took us for free immediately to Hydroelectric. In Hydroelectrics were already at 14.50 in the afternoon + 2 hours on foot to Agvas Calientes.
Total: 0 rubles for the road. The way back by hitchhiking was even faster, although we also changed three cars :)

Life in Agvas Calientes
Accommodation
There are several places where you can live for 15 soles per person or $ 4.5, but the cost for a chic room with a bathtub where the sacred hot water, as well as a TV, soft beds, white towels, Wi-Fi and other unaffordable luxury costs 20 soles per person, which is $ 6. Plus, and not least, we were allowed to use the kitchen after seven in the evening!
We chose the last option, so as not to sleep in a dormitory (bed) or suspicious hotels.
Food
It's popular here local cafes specialist. gringo menu
10 soles/$3 regular burger with fries, salad and drink
12 soles/$3.6 double burger with the same
15 soles/$4.5 triple burger with the same
They can make a vegetarian option! I liked it, tasty and large portions :)
But it's the cheapest on the market
8 menu salts or $2.40 - soup, main course and drink.
I took there for 6 soles or $ 1.8 - tortilla with vegetables, salad and french fries. Great big portion.
Can cook at home
For 1 dollar you can buy 7 eggs and boil, as we did and eat with bread - 3 buns for 30 cents.

What to see?
Mariposario - or Butterfly Garden - 3$ entry, including detailed tour with a guide who will tell you about the 4 stages in the life of butterflies: egg, caterpillar, cocoon, butterfly. At this time, beautiful large butterflies will flutter above you, of which there are more than 300 species.
Hot springs are also for 10 soles or $3. Towels and swimwear can be rented in the village.

Machu Picchu
Tickets can be bought in the center at the official agency next to the plaza.
128 soles/39$ - Machu Picchu
142 soles / 43$ - Machu Picchu and the neighboring mountain
All tickets for Waynu Picchu were sold out three weeks in advance.

It turns out that the most cheap tour looks like that:
Hitchhiking round trip - free of charge
Night in a cool hotel - $6
Machu Picchu - 39$
Total: $45 and if you want to take buses back and forth, then $63.
Not such incredible money, if you think about it.

My opinion
We spent 3 and a half hours at the MP, but it could have been longer, it just started to rain heavily. Be sure to go to the Inca Bridge, Sun Gate and walk along the ancient city MP. Plus, you'll need time to grab a bite to eat (you can't eat on the MP), so you can either hide in the bushes and have lunch, or go back out of the area, get an exit stamp, and eat in front of the box office.
The ascent took an hour one way and an hour the other. You need to go to the MP very early, at 5-5.30 in the morning, because after 12 noon the clouds will come running and it may start to rain.

Friends experience
Our brave friend Elya decided to go through with fake tickets, as described by Vitali and Sveta (the link is given at the beginning of the article). The fact is that now there are no arrows, it was impossible to find the gate, but there were clearly visible paths from the stairs leading to the right. On one of these paths, Elya went to the terraces, but, unfortunately, restoration work is underway now, and all the terraces have been full of workers since dawn, so Elya was not lucky. Surprised workers noticed her in the company of two guys and soon a security guard ran up to ask for tickets. The guys managed to take pictures for 15-20 minutes, but then they were taken to the police station, where they spent the whole day. They were released when they believed Eli's story that they didn't forge the tickets, but honestly bought them from a certain girl from Chile named Marina, who charged them $30 per ticket. Now all law enforcement agencies under the MP are looking for this unknown girl whom they will never find)) Plus, before that, they went up to the box office while they were looking for a bypass path, and the cameras spotted them there, so they believed that the guys first tried to enter through the box office, but then they went around, not knowing that they had fake tickets.

You can also try to get through this way.
You come to the MP, take a ticket from a dude (the ticket design is constantly changing), who goes to the MP tomorrow, scan it. Then the dude comes back, take the ticket from him and scan it again with the RED STAMP. Print these tickets, changing the data in them to your own. So.
At the first security point, the ticket is looked at briefly, so show the printed ticket without a stamp.
And at the second security point, the ticket is not scanned if it already has a red stamp! They just watch and pass. Therefore, just show a ticket with a seal and say that you went out to buy water from the complex.
We DID NOT CHECK this method, it's just the way it is on this moment. We went out, they put a seal on us and no one scanned the ticket at the entrance, but just looked at the presence of the seal.
The main thing is that this dude, whose ticket you are scanning, leaves the complex at least once for the toilet or for water, so that he has such a red stamp.

99% of tourists get to Machu Picchu by train. The reason is far from romantic - just highway to high-altitude Machu Picchu does not exist. But you must admit, "train to Machu Picchu" - it sounds.

Perurail, the main carrier on the Cusco-Machu-Picchu (and the Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu) line, offers several types of trains to the conquerors of the lost city of the Incas. Many have heard about a cheap train for locals.

Such a train really exists, it costs mere pennies, but I have never heard that tourists can buy tickets for it, and having bought it, get on board. I would not call it too convenient, but a trip on it costs an order of magnitude cheaper.

The fare for the Expedition train starts at $35 one way (from Olantantambo to Aguas Calientes), the price varies depending on the time of departure (of course, the most inconvenient trains are cheap, the most convenient are more expensive).

For this money, tourists will ride on leather chairs in a carriage with panoramic windows. It is curious that wagons for locals are attached to it, who pay several soles for travel along the same route. Please note that if you are traveling during the rainy season, then part of the route to Cusco will have to be covered by bus - in this case, it makes no sense to take a ticket to or from Cusco - take it from an intermediate station. The trip will cost less, and any taxi driver will take you to Cusco for three pennies.

For those who like to take pictures from a moving train, there is Vistadome - an electric train with the same set of amenities and even larger windows. There is no difference in price or service.

Hiram Bingham, named after the discoverer of Machu Picchu, is an analogue of the Orient Express with a Latin American twist. A one-way trip costs $350, despite the fact that the ride is less than three hours. But on board the train there is even a kitchen car!

The journey on the Hiram Bingham train begins in an airport lounge. At the service of passengers - welcome drinks, press, musicians.

Decorated in the style of the beginning of the last century, the train resembles a restaurant. An hour after departure, a gala dinner will begin with several changes of locally well-prepared dishes.

The neighboring car is a bar, alcoholic drinks are also included in the price, and so that the passengers are not bored, they are entertained by musicians. In the daytime, you can go out into the open vestibule - admire the surroundings.

In addition to Perurail, the Incarail carrier operates on the line, but unfortunately, I did not see its trains. If you want to save money, compare prices on the websites of both companies. Travel time from Ollantantambo to Aguas Calientes is about two hours, from Cusco to Aguas Calientes - four hours. Bon Voyage!

Machu Picchu was built by Pacachutec, the ninth ruler of the Inca Empire, who ruled from 1438 to 1471, high in the Andes at an altitude of 2450 meters above sea level in the valley of the sacred river Urubamba.

Pacachutec is believed to have built Machu Picchu as his winter imperial sanctuary, but no one knows for sure. In total, about 1200 people lived here, there are 200 buildings in the city.

On numerous terraces in the mountains, the inhabitants of the city were engaged in agriculture.

The city was built in a very difficult place for construction - on the slopes of steep mountains. However, for 500 years, he did not slip into the gorge due to massive retaining walls and terraces.

Until now, water has been supplied to the city through a complex system of canals.

Roofs in Inca times were made of straw.

In 1532, the inhabitants left the city when the Spanish conquistadors entered the Inca Empire. The Spaniards did not find Machu Picchu, so it was not destroyed. It wasn't until 1911 that Machu Picchu was rediscovered by Yale University professor Hiram Bingen.

The city is made of granite. Some of the walls, like the bottom photo on the right, are so meticulously crafted that it's hard to imagine how they did it.

Combination mountain peaks and majestic ruins is so mesmerizing that you can watch the landscape change for hours.

How to buy a ticket to Machu Picchu

A ticket to Machu Picchu must be bought in advance, because. no more than 2,500 people can visit a new wonder of the world every day - this is a requirement of UNESCO. In the future, it is planned to reduce this number to 800 people in order to save this city for posterity. Peak tourist season falls in June-September.

The easiest way to buy a ticket for website of the Ministry of Culture of Peru. If you cannot do this on the English-language page, then use the page on Spanish. On the site, you need to select Machupicchu in the "Lugar a visitar" window, and then select the route (Seleccione la Ruta). The choice is to visit Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu with a museum, Machu Picchu with trekking on Mount Huayna Picchu (up to 400 people per day), Machu Picchu with trekking on Mount Montagna (up to 400 people per day). Next, select the date, at the top left will be the number of available tickets. In 2015, fares ranged from sols 128 (approximately $40) to sols 152 (approximately $51). Please note that it will take time to reach the trekking entrance. Be sure to ask the employees for directions, because. the entrance to Huayna Picchu is far from the entrance to Montagna and you may not have time to enter if you mix up the road.

The visit to Huayna Picchu or Montagna takes place only at certain times. You can buy entrance from 7 to 8 am or from 10 to 11 am. Launch strictly on time. It should be noted that if you choose the option from 7 to 8 in the morning, then you need to spend the night in Aguas Calientes in order to be on time, because. you will not have time to get from Cusco or Ollantaytamba. If you choose the option from 10 am to 11 am, then it is better to spend the night in Ollantaytamba. If you only choose to visit Machu Picchu without trekking, then you can spend the night before visiting Cusco, Ollantaytamba or Aguas Calientes. The main crowds of tourists in Machu Picchu are from 10 am to 2 pm.

How to get to Machu Picchu

The new wonder of the world Machu Picchu is located in a hard-to-reach place in the Andes at an altitude of 2450 meters above sea level. Despite the fact that the city of the Incas is only 80 kilometers from Cusco, getting here is not easy: first by train from Cusco or Ollantaytamba to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu), and then by bus up the serpentine.

A train ticket to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) must also be bought in advance online on the company's websites Perurail or Incarail . The cost of a one-way ticket is from 50 to 400 dollars. The duration of the trip is 1.5-2 hours.

In Aguas Calientes, you need to buy a bus ticket up to Machu Picchu. The cost is 12 USD one way. You can go up and down on your own, but it is quite difficult - see the view from Machu Picchu to the train in the photo below.

Get to Machu Picchu, if we discard the extreme options in the form of private jets and helicopters, or vice versa walking route You can only through Cusco. Those. The route is divided into 2 sections:

How to get to Cusco, which depends on the initial position
How to get from Cusco to Machu Picchu. There are only 2 options on this stretch.

How to get to Cusco

Depending on where you want to get from, direct flights to Cusco may not be available or they will be very expensive. It is often cheaper, but certainly less convenient, to travel via Lima, which is the capital of Peru.

In our case, when we traveled from Valparaiso the best option turned out to be a flight via Lima from Santiago, the capital of Chile.

Valparaiso — Santiago

Santiago is about 120 km away. Can be reached by:

Taxi ($100 per car).
Bus ($6 per person). Buses run from central station, to which we took a taxi ($ 10) from the hotel. We just told the driver that we wanted to go to Santiago by bus and he brought us there. :-)

How we almost got robbed again

At the bus station, when I went to the kiosk, and Lesha was left with the bags: he walked away for a second to look at the scoreboard, and when he turned around he saw already a showdown - the policeman was standing with our bag and holding the thief by the hand. The bag contained documents and a wallet. In short horror!

IN South America you have to be very vigilant.

The bus takes about 2 hours.

Santiago - Santiago Airport

You need to get off at the penultimate stop (where, as a rule, everyone gets off). At the station “Pajaritos” (birds). Near this station, in a three-minute walk, there is another one, from there buses to the airport leave every 10-15 minutes. We also just asked at the box office where the buses to the airport were and they showed us. Tickets must be bought on the bus, there is no separate ticket office, they cost $ 2.5 per person. Taxi alternative = $20

Santiago Airport - Lima - Cusco

We arrived at the airport 5 hours before departure. While they checked in, while they ate, then yes, and they are already calling for landing.

Online scoreboard airport Arturo Merino Benitez (Santiago)

Fly around 4 hours. We ended up in Lima at night at 1-30, local time at 23-30 and wait until the next flight for 5 hours. Barely talked to the airport staff to let us into the waiting area, where the gates are. Because they have a rule that domestic flights they launch 1 hour before departure, and it was not clear where to hang out for 5 hours. But in this zone we found comfortable chairs, where you could lie down, which Lesha and I did and slept for 1.5 hours in turn.

Online scoreboard airport Jorge Chavez (Lima)

Fly 1 hour.

Cusco - Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is by itself lost city. All tourism infrastructure in the form of hotels, cafes, etc. located in a town at its foot called Aguas Calientes. It can be reached by two rail companies Perurail and Incatrail. You can also walk.

Perurail Hiram Bingham tourist train from Poroy station to Aguas Calientes. The cost was 200 USD, now 475 USD per person one way, including food and drinks.
Other variants of the same Perurail company and from the same Poroy station, but already 85 USD each way per person
A combination of a two hour drive to Ollantaytambo station and from there by train. The cost of the train was 38USD dollars one way. Now it has risen in price to at least 55USD.

We chose the third option. And at the Cusco airport at the counter with tourist information booked the entire itinerary to Machu Picchu with transfer and entry tickets to Machu Picchu.

It turned out like this: taxi Cusco - Ollatayambu - train to Aguas Calientas - bus to Machu Picchu - entrance ticket to Machu Pukchu and transfer to reverse direction to the hotel in Cusco = $250 per person.

It was possible to try to organize logistics a little cheaper, but there was a risk that there would be no tickets, and time was running out.

Yes, get to Machu Picchu not so easy!!!

Cusco - Ollatayambo

They took us to the office, where they issued all the tickets, copied our passports and put us in a car to Ollatayambo. It was already around 10 am the next day, counting from Valparaiso. In the car, Vlada and I fell asleep and on the way took a little picture of Lesha.

Ollatayambo - Aguas Calientes

The taxi dropped us off near the railway station, where we had to wait another 2 hours for the train, and we were already so tired. :-(We found Cafe Mayu with Internet access at the train station, drank coffee, and some milk. :-) Instagrammed. :-) We tried the most popular drink in Peru - Inca Cola, we taste Duchess.

Train to Aguas Calientes

Boarded the train at 12:58. The train is cozy, with panoramic windows in the roof. They served snacks and hot coffee.

The views were already beginning to open up simply cosmic, mountains, raging rivers .. But it was raining incessantly. This is what we were afraid of - now the rainy season is here.

Around 15:00 we were in Aguas Calientes. The journey from Valparaiso to Aguas Calientes took us more than a day - 27 hours!

Upon arrival, Lesha ran out onto the platform and bought raincoats from enterprising Peruvians.

Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu

From Aguas Calientas to Machu Picchu you can get:
1. By bus. 8 kilometers along the mountain serpentine. $25 round trip. The first bus leaves for Machu Picchu at 5 am. Last return bus leaves at 17:30.
2. On foot. 500 meters in steep mountain. Free. Taxi no.
  Sometimes there is no choice, as we did not have.
Entrance fees to Machu Picchu. It is better to buy entrance tickets in advance, 3 weeks in advance on the website http://www.machupicchutickets.com or the Spanish version of the website http://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/.
There are 2 mountains on Machu Picchu, where it is advised to climb and watch the view from there, so tickets are sold with one mountain already included, you can’t just buy an entrance ticket.
1. Mount Cerro Machu Picchu, which takes 1.5-2 hours to climb, is the highest and offers the most beautiful view from it.
2. Mount Wayna Picchu, smaller and more popular with tourists. Climb it for 1 hour. But there is a limit of 400 people per day. The first 200 people enter at 7 am, the second 200 people at 10 am. You must buy tickets for this mountain in advance! On a general view of the village of Machu Picchu, in the background is just this mountain.
3. You can't visit two mountains in one day - also a kind of limitation.
  We took tickets Machu Picchu + Cerro Machu Picchu 140 soles (about 50USD) per person. More precisely, these tickets were included in our package for 250USD, which included the bus for 25 dollars. But, it's like a free ticket supplement.
  Lonely Planet also advises buying tickets to Aguas Calientas so as not to stand in line at Machu Picchu itself. You can do this at any local travel company.
  Passports are required at the entrance to Machu Picchu!
Restrictions in Machu Picchu.
After checking your entrance tickets, i.e. in Machu Picchu itself, it is impossible to buy water or food.

So everyone brings everything with them. Apples, chocolate, sandwiches go well. :-)

In lonely planet it is written that even water in plastic bottles You can’t carry it, but as experience shows, you can! They carry everything and do not even hide it in backpacks.
Rain season
In February, because of the rain, there are no buses to Machu Picchu at all. In the rest of the "wet season", which lasts from November to March, the weather can be very unstable, the rains here are torrential and long, and climbing into the mountains in the rain can be dangerous and even impossible. Therefore, when planning your trip at this time, you should take at least 2 days in Aguas Calientes to increase the chances of seeing all this beauty! Which is what we did.

But we planned for tomorrow, and today we just got to the hotel and fell asleep after spending a day on the road!