Cusco to Machu Picchu

Today was the day we finally made it to Machu Picchu after our plans to visit five years ago were scuttled by Covid. Getting here is complicated. We had a 5:30 a.m. pick up for a 90-minute drive to the train station. The hotel in Cusco had prepared a boxed breakfast for us which we planned to eat on the train.

The drive was scenic so it wasn’t torturous. Once at the train station, we waited for our train to be ready to board. Brad and I presented our tickets and when we looked at the clipboard that the man was holding, we saw only two names on it. Ours. He then directed us onto the car. We asked if we were the only passengers on the car to which he responded yes. So, we had a private railway car to Machu Picchu! Bonus! We were able to move around the car and stretch our legs as well as sit in different seats for different vantage points.

The train ride to Machu Picchu Village is about two hours because there are inevitable delays along the way. We had at least two 10-minute delays. Upon arriving at the Machu Picchu train station, our guide, Roger, was there waiting for us and explained that we would head straight to our hotel, drop off our bags and then he would meet us again at 11:30 a.m. to grab the bus to Machu Picchu which is about another half hour ride. We had an opportunity to walk around the village a bit before meeting up with Roger.

The process of getting on the bus is quite simple - just line up and wait your turn. The buses run continuously. Tickets have a timed entry which is strictly enforced. Upon arriving at Machu Picchu, you present your passport and your ticket and are directed to the circuit to which you’ve bought a ticket. There are three circuits. We had tickets to circuit two. Tomorrow, we have tickets for circuit three. As you can imagine, it’s a fair bit of climbing, sometimes on stairs with proper bannisters, other times simply rock steps, so it’s somewhat arduous.

Machu Picchu is at a lower altitude than Cusco so the feeling of being out of breath wasn’t bad. Completing the circuit took about 2 1/2 hours. We managed to climb to the viewpoint where you can see the entire Lost City and then ventured down so that we could see the buildings close up.

It’s everything I imagined it would be.

We’ll have a quiet night and dinner at the hotel to rest up for another visit to the site tomorrow.Read more