Our Trip To Machu Picchu

August 6th, 2022

Machu Picchu, Peru

Sasha & Eric Hathaway

Have you ever had that feeling when you are so overcome with seeing something that everything in the world seems to just freeze?

They show it movies and people write about it in novels, and I’ve had moments here and there where you can start to feel just the outer glimpses of those feelings. However, when we stepped onto the ancient grounds of Machu Picchu with the sun slicing through the cloud layer of the ginormous Andes mountains before me and we were one of maybe 5 people in sight, I felt it.

It’s a crazy feeling to grow up seeing something online and in books and then see it with your own eyes, and Machu Picchu was everything and more of what I could have imagined. To be honest, the pictures don’t even come close to capturing the true beauty and relief when the cloud layer parted and we got a full view of the ruins below, after a grueling hour and a half stair stepper hike. 
 

Our Itinerary

Machu Picchu was a goal of ours from the minute we decided we were going to Panama for the summer.

We bickered back and forth about how we could make a weekend trip from Bocas to see the ruins. Did it fit in our budget? Was the flight worth it?

So, when we decided to continue our journey, we knew Machu Picchu had to be our first stop. After reading countless blog posts and scouring the internet for the best way to see Machu Picchu we narrowed it down to what we think is the most comfortable and efficient way.  

Traveling to and From Machu Picchu: This was surprisingly the most confusing part, and many sites didn’t make it quite clear. Based off where you come from (sea level or high altitude) you may need more or less time to adjust, but do not take altitude sickness lightly as I can tell you from first-hand experience it sucks. 

1. Fly into Cusco and take an Uber to Ollaytantambo (way cheaper than taxis and don’t fall for it if the taxi drivers tell you it’s illegal for ubers to drive to Ollaytantambo, it simply is not true). Ollaytantambo has a lower altitude than Cusco and gives you time to adjust before hiking Machu Picchu. 

2. Adjust in Ollaytantambo to altitude – amount of time will depend on each person! 

3. Take the train (the only way to get to Machu Picchu) via Inca Rail or Peru Rail.

4. Stay the night in Aguas Caliente – this allows you to be the first to the bus the following morning to catch Machu Picchu before the crowds. 

a. You can buy your bus ticket in the town of Aguas Caliente (ask any store owner where) and make sure you buy it the day prior to departure for Machu Picchu.

b. If you don’t have a guide there are plenty waiting in the bus line to help.

5. Spend the morning in Machu Picchu: explore the citadel and complete one of the hikes and take the train back to Ollaytantambo that evening. 

Seeing as we don’t really consider ourselves history geeks and we can be interested in a ruin for about 5 seconds before moving onto the next, we planned for only 1 day to explore the Incan city, and that was a perfect amount of time. It allowed us not only to explore the main sections of the citadel and get the “money-shots” but also get a fantastic hike and view in from the top, leaving us exhausted and fulfilled.


 

Buying Tickets

To get the best price and ensure your tickets are reliable, book through the direct government site. 



 

Hiking

There’s 2 main hikes that are separate from walking through the citadel (which are the ruins itself and the famous picture of the steps you see from the sun-gate). One being Huaynu Picchu which sells out fast, so book in advance for this one, and be prepared for a steep and somewhat harrowing climb. The second is Machu Picchu Mountain (the one we ended up doing because of course we didn’t book in advance) and from my perspective the view is just as stunning, it’s somewhat less crowded, and for those afraid of heights much better. Again though, be prepared for a solid hour and a half on what feels like a stair-stepper. 
 



 

Citadel

This was the most confusing part for me when I was doing research and to make it simple it’s the following: there are 4 circuits that take you through the actual ruins of Machu Picchu. We ended up doing circuit 1 which we were worried we wouldn’t see enough, but if you aren’t history geeks and need to see every single ruin, that honestly all look the same (don’t tell my grandpa that), then circuit 1 is for you.