Machu Picchu is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and for every World Racer it’s a dream adventure day. But if you’re like me, you’ve spent a ton of money this year, not only on gear and supplies, but also on the other many incredible things to do and see – ziplining across Victoria Falls, safaris in Botswana, visiting Angkor Wat, weekend trips to Pattaya, Thailand — this list goes on. But your travel bug doesn’t go away after these adventures – if anything, it only makes you want to see more.
So you’re on a budget, I get it! But you don’t have to miss out on the incredible things to see on your Race, and you don’t have to break the bank. You just have to be strategic. Here’s and exhaustive explanation of how my team did Machu Picchu for $107.
1. Tickets to Machu Picchu
BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE, you MUST book your tickets INTO Machu Picchu. Make sure that you give yourself a full day before to travel there, so plan to spend two days back-to-back traveling to/visiting/traveling from Machu Picchu. You should try to book your tickets at least a week in advance.
Go on the Machu Picchu government website: machupicchu.gob.pe
This website is a pain in the butt but you gotta just deal with it. Once the site loads (wait ten million years), you select the dates you are going and which site you are seeing. Unless you have more than two days, I suggest you only book entry into Machu Picchu, not any of the mountains. We paid a little extra to hike Machu Picchu mountain, but the mountain takes 4 hours to hike, and we only had about 5 hours there. So we hiked a little bit, but ultimately I wish we had only paid for entry into Machu Picchu. That ticket costs 128 soles, which is about $42.
You have to make a reservation, then make the payment, then check in. Make sure you do all three steps. The reservation gets you a spot, but you can’t get a ticket unless you make your payment. Then when you check in, you will get your actual ticket document. Find somewhere to print this, there are plenty of print shops around that will print a document for less than 1 sol. If you can figure out how to get a ticket on this terribly slow and frustrating website, you can do anything.
2. Traveling to Aguas Calientes
Now, for getting there – this is the tricky part. Peru does not make it easy for you to get there cheap, but it’s possible. Everything starts in Cusco. So if you aren’t in Cusco already, that might be cost added. There are buses to Cusco for pretty cheap from pretty much everywhere in Peru. From Lima it’s a bit of a trek, but we traveled from Puno to Cusco for $17 (team budget) and it was only about 8 hours (which is nothing on the Race). We didn’t have to pay personal money for our travel to Cusco so we don’t include that in our cost. But if it’s coming out of your own money, you can definitely find a cheaper ticket.
Most research you will do about getting to Machu Picchu will tell you that you have to take a train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, the pueblo outside of Machu Picchu – this costs upwards of $140 round trip. DON’T BELIEVE THEM. THERE IS ANOTHER WAY.
When you arrive in Cusco, you will likely come into the Terminal Terrestre bus station. The best thing to do is to go ahead and book your travel to Machu Picchu while you are there. One the second floor of the bus terminal, there is one little booth that advertises a trip from Cusco to Hidroelectrica.
We booked round trip transport through this agency – second floor, office #105 – for 80 soles a person, which is about $24. The man at the agency, Jesus, tried to sell us a whole tour package, which we didn’t need. If you tell him that you only need transport there and back, you can save a ton of money. Use the power of numbers! If you have a larger group, you can get a bigger discount! He started out at 100 soles a person but I got him down to 80. I am sure that you could get him down to 70 or 75 – just ask!!
Make sure you book transport for the day before you are going to Machu Picchu, and return transport for the following day. The minivan left at 7:30am from Terminal Terrestre (which was more like 8:30am) and arrived at the Hidroelectrica around 4pm. Our minivan stopped along the way for the other passengers to have lunch, but we had packed lunches (more money saved!). The ride is along a really windy mountain road for about 6 hours and then on an unpaved windy bumpy dirt road for the last two hours. So bring Dramamine if you get carsick easily.
When you arrive, you will be dropped off at Hidroelectrica, which is a train station that runs to Aguas Calientes. The train is $29 a person for a 45-minute ride to town, but those train tracks run about 9 kilometers on flat ground straight from the Hidroelectrica to Aguas Calientes. So this may sound crazy, but you can WALK THERE. That’s what we did, because we’re on the World Race and trust me, it’s not that hard.
The first stretch takes you to a dead end train track, but if you look to the right, there is a dirt path that winds up to the next set of train tracks. It’s about a ten-minute uphill hike, but it’s the hardest part of the whole walk. I’m sure there is a way to avoid this little hike but we couldn’t find it.
The walk along the train tracks is beautiful, and it will take you anywhere from 2-3 hours. It took us about 2.5 hours because it started to get dark right around 5:45pm, so it’s a little harder to walk along the dirt and rocks. We finally arrived to Aguas Calientes around 6:30pm. Yes, you will be tired, but it’s not an awful hike, and once you get to Aguas Calientes, you can crash at a hostel.
3. Staying in Aguas Calientes
Once you get into Aguas Calientes, you will be immediately overwhelmed at all the signs of civilization as you’ve just been walking in the woods for 2 hours. But don’t be overwhelmed. Head to your hostel, or you can stop by the bus ticket office and buy your bus tickets to Machu Picchu while you are already out. I would recommend doing this when you get there so you don’t have to adventure out into town again after you’ve reached the hostel.
So here’s the kicker – when you get to Aguas Calientes, you’re so close to Machu Picchu you could taste it, but you still have a ways to go. You have two options: You can take the bus up the mountain for 81 soles per person (that includes a bus ride back down the mountain), or if you are absolutely INSANE, you can actually walk/hike up the mountain for free. If you are really that desperate to save a buck, I will personally pay for your bus ticket. Trust me, it’s not worth it. The hike looked absolutely brutal. We opted for the bus tickets and I did not regret it at all. Buy these the night before. There are plenty of signs that will point you to the bus station, and the bus tickets are sold at a tiny booth right outside of the station. You need to bring your passport with you to get your tickets.
Once you get your bus tickets, head to your humble abode! It can be hard to find a cheap hostel in Aguas Calientes, since it’s a pretty touristy place, but we found a place called Supertramp Hostel. It’s 36 soles per person per night, equal to $12, for a bed in the 12-person mixed dorm. The dorm room had really really comfy bunk beds and it was on the second floor, so you didn’t get too much noise from downstairs or the rooftop bar. Breakfast was included in the price, and they serve it really early, so it’s definitely worth it. You should also book ahead of time through Hostelworld and make a small deposit to reserve your rooms.
If you’re staying at Supertramp, just walk up the street with the bus ticket office and then turn right at a bridge. You should pass a big soccer stadium and then you’ll basically be there. To check in at the hostel, you will need your Peru exit card – you know that tiny piece of paper they told you to keep at the border? It’s proof that you’re leaving the country. Make sure you have it!! Once you’re checked in, you can settle in for the night. Get some sleep!
4. Visiting Machu Picchu!
Ok, good morning, it’s time to go to Machu Picchu!! You should try to head out of the hostel by 4:45am. We ate our free breakfast around 4:30 and then left to get in the line for the bus. There are some crazy people who get in line for the bus at 3am, but you don’t need to be one of those people. The park doesn’t even open until 6am, and the first bus doesn’t leave until 5:30. If you leave Supertramp at 4:45, you will get to the line in plenty of time. Once the buses start going at 5:30, it’s a pretty constant trickle. You will likely get on a bus by 5:45 and be up to the entrance by 6:15. So save yourself some extra sleep – you earned it after that long walk!
Make sure you have ALL of your stuff with you – if you do the trip like us, you are heading back to Cusco straight from Machu Picchu. Wait in line, get on your bus, and enjoy the windy ride up to the top!!! You’re almost there!!
Once you get dropped off, follow the crowds of people into the entrance. You will have to get your ticket scanned and show your passport to get in. I would recommend finding a guide to bring in with you at the entrance, or book ahead with the guide we took – trust me, it is SO worth it to have a guide, otherwise you are just looking at bunch of old rocks. The guides might try to charge you more, but you can get them to do it for 15 soles a person – only $5!
Our guide was named Odhy, and he was great. We got lucky because he walked by and asked if we wanted to join his tour group, and he agreed to our price of 15 soles each (again, the power of numbers – more people = cheaper price!). He was great! He was really funny and interesting, he gave us plenty of times and opportunities to take pictures, and he only shared the most interesting information. I felt like I learned a lot without getting bored. And the tour only took 2 hours, so it was perfect for Racers on a time crunch! If you are heading to Machu Picchu, you can arrange a tour with him ahead of time: [email protected]
Once you finish the tour you have plenty of time to walk around, maybe take the walk out to the Sun Gate or the Inca Bridge. We didn’t have time for either of these, but if you have time, try to walk out to the Sun Gate – it’s 45 minutes there, and 45 minutes back to get out there, but we heard it was worth it. Try to fit it in!
We finished our tour at around 10am, and we left at 11:30 from Aguas Calientes to walk back to the Hidroelectrica in time to catch our minivan back to Cusco, which was scheduled to leave at 3 from Hidroelectrica. Remember that the bus down the mountain from Machu Picchu takes 30 minutes, so factor that into your schedule.
Also, budget more time to walk back because you are probably going to be tired.
Begin your journey back to Hidroelectrica, and then hop on your van back to Cusco! You did it! Take a nap.
Here are a few other tips that saved us:
- Wear bug spray on the walk along the train tracks and when you go to Machu Picchu. There are some KILLER bugs that bite and make you bleed, and they itch like crazy.
- Check the weather before you leave. It’s much colder in Cusco than it is at Machu Picchu. I wore sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt and I felt fine. Bring a sweatshirt and maybe a scarf for the cold morning in Aguas Calientes, but once the sun comes out, it can get really hot. You don’t need to bring a lot of layers, wool socks, or any sort of mittens. It’s a lot warmer than you think.
- Bring your own food!! We packed PB&J sandwiches, some fruit, some potato chips, and a few snacks for our two lunches and dinner on the way to Cusco, and we packed Ramen noodles for dinner on the night we arrived in Aguas Calientes. That was one of our best ideas – Supertramp gives you hot water for free, so we had ourselves some delicious ramen for dinner that night. So good and it’s so cheap!
- There are signs that say not to walk along the tracks through the tunnels, but we did. Just be cautious and aware of your surroundings. You’ll hear the train coming from far away, so don’t be dumb.
- Make sure you have money to buy water!! It’s only a few soles per bottle, but you will need lots of water for all the walking you are doing.
Well, that’s all you need to know to do Machu Picchu on a budget. After your trip, post a picture of yourself with a llama on Facebook and watch the likes pour in. Of course, that’s not the only reason we do these adventures, so remember to soak it in – this is a once in a lifetime chance, so enjoy every minute! When else will you get to walk 9 kilometers to go look at some old rocks? Enjoy!
