Macchu picchu - cost

peanuthead

Hi there

I'm currently trying to plan a trip to south america for this summer - 5 weeks in June I think.

The plan is to get a flight to buenos aires and make my way to Quito before flying home.

Of course one of the things I want to do while there is macchu picchu. I was made aware today by a tour operator that I have to do this trip through either them or another operator. They were charging 800€ for 4 days. Now that's obv with hotel etc.

However, I would like to do this trip as cheap as possible - can anyone advise of the cheapest way to do this? I will most likely be coming into Peru fom la Paz and will be aiming for Lima after that.

Thanks

bungaro79

hi peanuthead,
if its the inca trail you're thinking of doing then unfortunately all the passes are sold out for june and july (see here www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/treks/inca_trail_trek_permit_availability.html). you can still do a day trip from cusco, we went with www.perutreks.com for the inca trail but not sure if they do day trips.
you can get a cheap bus from la paz to cusco and you might be able to find a cheap tour operator there. even if you were able to get the train to aguas calientes and over night there then you could have a full day in macchu picchu.

peanuthead

Sorry to sound incredibly green here but does that mean I can't see macchu picchu? Or does it just mean I have to travel along one of the lesser travelled paths to get there?

bungaro79

you can see visit it alright, just not along the inca trail if you're going in june or july. there are other trails, only know of a longer one than the inca trail but there might be shorter ones. the problem usually is the availability of space in the campsites in the different stops along the trail. even if these are booked out you can still see it by going there straight and just getting the bus up from aguas calientes.

themacman

800 euro is a massive rip off. It should cost about half that. If the permits are sold out you should do one of the lesser known trails, many people consider them to be better. Also these should be even cheaper. You shouldnt have much trouble organising this from Cusco if you want to hold off booking.

Also, www.perutreks.com were excellent in my experience.

themacman

peanuthead wrote: »

Sorry to sound incredibly green here but does that mean I can't see macchu picchu? Or does it just mean I have to travel along one of the lesser travelled paths to get there?

Machu Picchu is accessible by road. The majority of people visiting simply get a tour bus up for a day trip!

jobless

dont pay 800.... its a complete rip off.... to do the official tour you nearly need to book 6 months in advance but there other ones you can do from cusco....
I think you would be better off booking it there and save half the price.

i did the official one with peruteks, they might also do some other ones.... would recommend them

dory

When I was there there were alternative routes being advertised for $160. Don't pay €800!
You can always get the train also.

sarkozy

OP: if it's only Macchu Picchu you want to see, then I understand your confusion. The tourist industry there is very developed at offering services and/or ripping tourists off. If you do it independently, here's the deal: get a bus to Cusco, book accomodation ahead and stay in a nice place (whatever you can afford), expecting to chill there a few days. That same day, pop down to the main square where the official shop selling entrance tickets to Macchu Picchu are sold. You'll be given the next available day, as tickets each day are limited. At the square, you can also buy train tickets from the official outlet. From Cusco, you'll also need to take a train, which is in Ollanta, about 1.5 hours away by bus. You can get a regular bus there, or a shared taxi. From Ollanta, you take a train (any one of various options) to Aguas Calientes, it's a horrible little town in a beautiful place which has sprouted up to serve the tourist trail. It's accordingly expensive with correspondingly overpriced accomodation but you can find something you afford.

Alternatively, from Cusco, you can get a package trip from Cusco. We just took a punt on an operator who arranged an overnight trip for us. But, basically, they arranged what you could basically do yourself in Cusco and charge for the privilege. It all went fine - the accomodation was terrible, and so was the food, but we got to see MP less than 24 hours before it was 'discovered' 100 years before.

Yeah, I mean $800 sounds crazy unless it's some lame luxurious tour. Honestly, there are a few very decent bus companies serving major towns/cities in Peru (Cruz del Sur being the creme de la creme). It would be, maybe 40 dollars from Arequipa or Lima to Cusco; getting there via Argentina and Bolívia is a longer trek, and buses in Bolivia are dodge and much cheaper.

solerina

You can get the tourist train up from Aguas Calientes, or you can take the official Inca Trail, or you can do one of the unofficial treks. I did the official trail and loved every minute of it. It cost approx 300 but you need to get an official permit and these book up months in advance for the bust summer months (our summer june-sept), this covered the permit, guides, porters and food and looking back at it I think it wa svery good value....800 if rediculous, def dont pay that. I did my trail with www.gadventures.com if you want to check their current prices.

Meathlass

Hey op,

As a previous poster said I got a bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo (which has spectacular ruins of its own) and then the evening train from Ollanta to Agua Calientes, I didn't book anything in advance (I was there in October) but you'd probably want to book your train ticket. Arrived in Agua Calientes around 11pm and was immediately surrounded by locals offering hostels - just pick one and go with them.

Next morning at 9am got the shuttle bus from the village up to Machu Pichuu, bought my entry ticket there and then to go in. I stayed on site all day, from about 10am until it closed around 4pm. I brought a picnic, slept a little in the shade, done some of the additional walks around it. By 2pm the site was completely empty as everyone had left to get the afternoon train. Stayed that night in Agua Calientes and got 6am train back to Cusco.

I purposedly chose not to do the trek for a few reasons - I'm badly affected by altitude sickness, wasn't that keen on camping and had heard from others that if the weather was bad it was like walking in a fog with no views. When I arrived on site most of the people who'd trekked up were lying around exhausted, all dying to leave and have a shower etc. A few privately admitted to me that the trek took so much out of them they barely spent an hour actually looking at MP itself. Others loved the trek.

Anyway my main point is, not just for MP trains, bus in SA etc is not to pay anything over here. When you arrive the hostels will have plenty of info on bus timetables etc. You have 5 weeks so you've a bit of leeway on time.

ck086

If you want to do a few days trek rather than the 1 day visit I recommend the Inca Jungle Trek. Cost $260 (USD). It was 4 days and included mountain biking, hiking, white water rafting, zip-lining and of course Machu Picchu entrance. It was tough going but worth it.

You can book this, or any of the alternative treks to MP when you arrive in Cusco. The only one that sells out is the 'official' Inca Trail. Some of the alternatives are the Lares (4 days hiking) and the Salkantay (5 days). I've heard good reports about all of them so it depends what your looking for.

EveAlex

I paid about $500 USD for the 4day classic inca trail with perutreks

it was worth every single penny!!!!

when i was there everyone was cursing the jungle trek and there are plenty of dodgy dealers out there offering the sun moon and stars only to rip you off or let you down spectacularly. My travel partners went on the jungle trek and spent 1 day walking 26mile without seeing a thing.

My 3daysof walk were spectacular

My rule of thumb in South America was 'you get what you pay for'

I cant stress enough how good perutreks were. there was no hiccups or mess ups. everything was 100% fantastic