Machu Picchu is one of the New 7 wonders of the World. It was built in 1450 on top of a mountain. It is an Inca City with temples, terraces and water channels. Because of the location, Machu Picchu has become a famous trail for hikers. I guess you all know about Machu Picchu. So I don’t need to explain that much.

Is it Machu Picchu: expensive?

Yes Man! Machu Picchu is expensive. But you can travel there on a budget too.

If you go by train it will cost you at least $300 USD.
The entry ticket into the Machu Picchu park is 152 Soles, $47 USD.
Plus the bus ride up to the Machu Picchu park is $12 USD each way.
Even going to the toilet in the park costs money. Nothing is cheap!

I’ll let you do the math. Toilet fee per entry is 2 Soles. 2500 people for morning section and 2500 people for noon session. They are making 10,000 soles = 3,000 USD per day on just the toilet!

Fun Fact about Machu Picchu:

1. Machu Picchu is expensive.

2. There is only one toilet location at the entry and there is always a long queue on the female side.

3. You can leave your BIG backpack when you enter, one inside the checkpoint, one outside the checkpoint. It costs 3 soles inside the checkpoint, and 5 soles outside the checkpoint.

4. You are allowed to bring in a small bag with a bottle of water. You definitely need water while you walk around Machu Picchu for 6 hours.

5. There is now a morning and an afternoon session. The afternoon session is better because the morning is so crowded. I went in the morning and there was just a ton of people there.

Is it hard to go to Machu Picchu?

Yes, it is hard if you decide to hike.
So, I recommend taking a bus from Agua Calientes to Machu Picchu, It costs $12 USD one way. But buy a ticket for both ways for $24 USD both ways. Because hiking down is just as hard because of it so steep. I almost fell 3 times.

Please remember to bring your passport to purchase your bus ticket. Your tour guide will inform you where to buy your ticket. Make sure to buy your tickets before dinner the night before you go. Otherwise, you will end up in a long queue.

Machu Picchu on a Budget!

2 Days, 1 Night, tour to Machu Picchu from Cusco, traveling by mini-van, costs $90 USD per person. Some agencies sell the package for more, up to $150 USD, per person.

This is the price ($90 USD) I paid in June 2018. It includes 1 lunch & 1 dinner. The lunch sucked but dinner was good. This agency provides us with a nice hotel. The hotel even provided us with a box breakfast to take with us at 4 am to wait for the bus to Machu Picchu.

Schedule of Machu Picchu (2 Days 1 Night)

First day

Around 6:30 am – Agency will pick you up at our hotel.

Around 10:00 am – I can’t remember where they stopped for breakfast. But, it was quite a nice place. The breakfast was not special but at least it will fill your stomach.

The road was really windy and dangerous, only dirt at times. You can feel the weather go from cold to warm. We were there in June 2018, which is winter time for Cusco, Peru, below the equator.

Around 12 pm – We stopped for a buffet lunch. Don’t expect too much. It was just tomato paste with pasta. I had no choice because I didn’t prepare or bring food with me. Make sure to bring some snacks with you.

After lunch, the drive down the crazy road continues, no joke!

Around 3 pm, we arrived in Hidroelectrica. This is a messy place! All the mini-vans coming and going all around you. People yelling out names on lists. Our driver told us to listen carefully for someone yelling your name. I was like, WTH? There are more than 200 people standing there.

I asked Dan to go check for our names on a list, by one of the guides. He found it! But, the guy holding the list said he wasn’t our guide. He told us just go ourselves and look for Erik when you arrive in the main square of Agua Calientes.
Tip: Get the phone number of the guide you are meeting before you leave Cusco.

It took us 2 hours to hike to Agua Calientes. The weather is chill because you are surrounded by mountains and water. You will enjoy the walk. Really? Well, it depends on how long you feel comfortable walking.

5.30pm, we arrived at the main square of Agua Calientes. Damn. I needed to rest and eat. Luckily our hotel was just a few blocks from the main square. That’s why I suggest you get the name of the hotel your agency is booking for you. Google the hotel and read the reviews and see the location.

Our room had a great view and the shower had hot water. There are a restaurant and a convenience store right next to our hotel. Our hotel has a restaurant too. We chilled with beers on our balcony. Yes, we had a fancy balcony and we enjoyed people watching.

On that first day, even before dinner, we still managed to get the time to go to the fancy ‘hot’ water springs. Man, don’t go there. It is expensive, it is nothing fancy, and the water isn’t even warm enough. They have small pools full of people. The water is not even hot enough due to too many people.

If you are a solo travel, and you want to meet people, then you may want to go there and order cocktails and chill in the lukewarm water.

7 pm – Meet up with your tour guide. He will explain the agenda for the second day. He explained where we would meet at the top and where to buy bus tickets. (Bring your passport and buy the tickets before dinner, to avoid the long queue. The bus ticket is 12 USD each way, it is not included in tour package).

Dinner time! This was the best meal of the 2-day trip. It is included in the tour package. The beverage is not included but the food is included.

Second Day

4 am – The tour guide told us to be in the queue by 4.30am to get the bus to Machu Picchu. Lucky the bus station was just below our room. So we had more time to sleep.

The hotel prepared breakfast for us and hot coffee while we waited in line. Nothing is perfect if you don’t have hot coffee in the cold weather.

4.30am – When we arrived at the queue, it already had around 250 people waiting.

5.30am – We got on the bus to Machu Picchu! The bus was expensive but it saved time and trouble.

6 am – Queue at the checkpoint where the bus drops you, and meet your tour guide. (Bring your passport for a Machu Picchu stamp. Make sure to visit the bathroom before you go inside. There is no toilet inside Machu Picchu.)

Once inside, your tour guide will explain the story of Machu Picchu to you. That discussion lasts for about 1 hour. After that, you have free time to explore Machu Picchu by yourself until 12 noon.

12 noon – We hiked down to Agua Calientes. I regret that we didn’t take the bus back down to Agua Calientes. The hike down sounds very easy, but it is not. I almost fell down 3 times and hurt my ankle.

1 pm – Once we had hiked down to Aqua Calientes, we had to continue hiking from Agua Calientes to Hidroelectrica. But, this time, we stopped in a restaurant along the road for lunch and beers. Remember have your lunch before getting back into the mini-van for the drive back to Cusco. It is a long drive (7 hours) and they don’t stop at any place for food.

3 pm – We arrived in Hidroelectrica and started looking for our mini-van back to Cusco. Dan looked again for a guide who had our name on a list. As usual, the place was a mess.

Continue back to Cusco on the crazy curly windy road.

Around 8-9pm, we arrived back in Cusco!

Final thoughts on Machu Picchu ?

 

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It is not easy but I did enjoy it when we finally enjoyed our arrival at Machu Picchu. It is magical to feel the past of the Inca empire and travel to the Sun Temple.

There are not enough words to describe the feeling of Machu Picchu. I was very satisfied when I arrived at Machu Picchu. The challenge of the travel and the hike made the arrival so much sweeter. I achieved one of the goals in my life.