It was nighttime in Cusco, the day before I would travel to Aguas Calientes via Ollantaytambo, when it dawned on me: A childhood dream was about to come true. I am not sure when I first saw a picture of the site but ever since I wanted to visit.

The next day I travelled to Ollantaytambo from where I took the afternoon train to Aguas Calientes. Slowly the mountains grew higher around us while the signs of human settlement receded. We were following the river down and what in Ollantaytambo had mostly been barren mountains became covered by trees with the ridge growing ever narrower. It was here where I understood why Machu Picchu is a mixed natural and cultural site.

Thanks to a strong case of jetlag with some altitude sickness mixed in, I got up at 4:00h and queued at the bus stop in the city center at 4:30h. By then the line was already huge and it only kept growing while everyone waited for the busses to run and to take them up. Eventually I boarded the bus and we made our way up to the mountain top. The first views I got were from the valley. And then I had made my way past the ticket control and stood in the site. Finally.

This is truly one of the great sites of mankind and should feature prominently on any WHS travellers bucket list.

Getting a Ticket

During my visit in should season (October to November) I met several travellers who had bought their tickets less than a week before their visit. The only caveat was that they had to be a bit flexible on the dates. This will probably not work in peak season (June to September). Seeing that it would be a real pity to travel this far, without seeing this stellar site, I would strongly recommend doing the reservation in any case several months ahead.

You basically have two options. You can do it on your own or hire a travel agency to do it. The advantage of the travel agency is that they will give you a complete ticket covering the train rides, hotel stay, the bus rides and the entry ticket. Otherwise you are stuck to do it on your own.

The official website is terrible. Apart from web design that was already dated in the 90s it requires flash and is only viewable in IE. On top they implemented a really weird purchase process. Essentially, you have to log in the web site three times:

It's not impossible but tricky. I had a full week where the site would not work in even the oldest IE. I probably would have given up had it not been for this useful guide on how to buy Machu Picchu tickets.

When you buy your ticket you are presented with several options:

Afterwards you can buy your train ticket. Again, these may run out, so I would buy this as soon as you have your Machu Picchu ticket. The two providers are PeruRail and Inka Rail. More below.

Agua Calientes

Most travelers heading to Machu Picchu will pass through Agua Calientes, the exception being hikers. There are very few kind words I can find for the place. It’s overpriced and the quality of both restaurants and hotels sucks. They know that nobody is coming back or staying for more than a night anyhow, so why bother? It’s a pity, as I could envision staying in this magical landscape longer if they upped the ante a bit, i.e. improve the service quality and add a few more trails, e.g. along the river or into some other mountain range.

As it stands, I think I would recommend Els' approach. Stay in Ollantaytambo and take the first train into town and the last out.

Getting to Agua Calientes

Agua Calientes is only accessible via train. There are two lines, one from Ollantaytambo and one from Santa Teresa. The total amount of visitors that can be ferried in and out is thereby physically limited. This helps managing the crowds a lot.

You can reserve the train tickets online with PeruRail or InkaRail. Bear in mind that due to hikers ending their trails in Machu Picchu the return trains are fuller. Be sure to schedule at least one train ride during day time to take in the spectacular mountain gorge.

For the main line between Cusco, Ollantaytambo and Agua Calientes, my recommendation would be to connect in Ollantaytambo. I see little value added traveling by train from/to Cusco if you can just take a cab (80-100 Soles) or collectivo (10-20 Soles) to Ollantaytambo. Continuing by train on to Cusco is significantly more expensive than a cab ride would be, especially if you can share the costs. And in most cases the train only continues to Poroy, so you still need to pay for a cab ride (40 Soles).

The side line from Santa Teresa is primarily for locals. There seem to be busses running to Santa Teresa that some travel agencies use. I also met a few travellers who mentioned hiking along the tracks as budget option to get to Aguas Calientes. I would not recommend such an approach. 

Getting Into the Site

From Agua Calientes you can either walk the 8km up the mountain or take a bus (24 USD return). Walking has the benefit that you can be at the gate the very second it opens and potentially have the site for a few seconds for yourself. But this may be a fool’s errant. The busses operate quite efficiently with the first arrivals scheduled before the park opens. Even I who stood in line since 4:30h (aim for 3:30h if you really want to be on the first bus) and got on the 10th bus or so made it up around 6:00h.

Personally, I would take the bus up and then check if I want to walk down or not. The site is large and you will be walking a lot in any case, so why spend your energy already on the ascent? If you don’t want to walk down and still would like to take in some of the magical scenery, you can also just walk from the city to the bridge given you a few nice views along the way.

One more practical remark: The return ticket is not cheaper than two singles, so you can just buy the single. In any case get the ticket up (single, return) the evening before, so you can directly enter the bus queue.

Amenities

While I appreciate a site that is kept pure, i.e. no markets and souvenir shops everywhere (thinking of you, Chichen-Itza), Machu Picchu takes the idea too far. There aren’t any restrooms within the site. There is no cafe and no shop selling water. So come prepared, empty your bladder before entering and hope and pray that this suffices. As a guy, you can also try to find a quiet corner ...

Lonely Planet also claimed that bottled water, walking sticks and large backpacks are banned on site. This was not enforced, so ignore it for the time being. If they start enforcing the luggage rules, you can deposit it at the entry (in and outside). In my case I listened and got pretty thirsty from all the hiking in the site.

Safety

Again, I appreciate a site that is kept pure. But to put in some safety measures would be appreciated. The trails have limited rails and most edges have non. So mind your step. Fortunately, the level of deadly incidents seems fairly limited.

Wayna Picchu 

The hike up Wayna Picchu was spectacular. It took me 30min and you get great views (see picture) of Machu Picchu. Admittedly, the trail could use some rails and some proper safety measures. But unless you are really afraid of heights, you should manage the climb.

While You are There

Connecting from Cusco to Ollantaytambo provides ample opportunity to see some sites of the Sacred Valley. My recommendation would be to negotiate with a cab driver to take you to the sites of Maras and Moroy on your way to Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo itself is very interesting, spefically the fortification. From what I have seen here, I feel that the area has loads of WHS potential.