Machu Picchu

yourdeadwright

Id love to do one of the treks of Maccu Picchu for my hoildays
But i dont really no where to start ,
Has anyone been or have any info ,.
Is it best to do it as a package holiday or just go and do it?
What time of year is best ?
Anything else worth seeing whle you there ?

Any info would be great

bungaro79

to do the inca trail you need to book your ticket well in advance, think they have 500 passes per day and they fill up fast! we went with a crowd call www.perutreks.com and would definitely recommend them. we went in the summer (june) and it was lovely but got really cold at night.
lots to do around the area too, you'll probably leave from cusco and there are other trips to do from there. we did a trip to the amazon and also went to la paz for a few days. you can check on the peru treks website for a link to the official page to see how many passes are left for each of the different days.

Seaneh

Just go and do it.

A package would be stupidly expensive.

The easiest/cheapest way to get there is to fly to La Paz in Bolivia and then get a bus to via Copacabana or Desaguadero to Puno in Peru, and then on to Cusco and Aguas Calientes (where you can either get a bus to or walk the 8km to Manchu Picchu) unless you plan on doing the trail, in which case you will get a bus from Cusco to the start of the trail. If you're going to go to all that trouble I'd recommend taking a day or two in both Puno to see Lake Titicaca and Arequipa because it's just a lovely city and only a wee detour.


If you plan on doing the inca trail you need a pass to be on the trail and they book out a few months in advance, you will also need a guide, so book that part of your trip well in advance with one of the tour companies in Cusco, it takes 4 days and it's apparently pretty hard going even though it's only 25 miles in total.

You *might* might cheaper flights to Lima from europe but I'd imagine the cheapest you will find are going to be to La Paz through Miami with American Airlines, probably with a layover in either NY or Charlotte (their east coast hub) before Miami.

Flying to Lima would mean the guts of 2 days on a bus before you get to Cusco, where as La Paz is better because it's only a couple of hours to Puno and then another 6 bus hours to Cusco and there is a lot more to do in Puno than there is in the bits between Lima and Cusco, where the only nice stop is Arequipa.

schemingbohemia

You can fly pretty cheaply from Lima to Cusco, just make sure to give yourself a few days to acclimatise in Cusco before starting the trek, everyone is differently affected by the altitude and you won't really know until you get there. Starting in La Paz would take care of that though.

ProudDUB

Seaneh wrote: »

it takes 4 days and it's apparently pretty hard going even though it's only 25 miles in total.

Agreed. My sister (early 30's, insanely fit) went a few years ago and did the over land trek. She is a seasoned camper/trekker. She has roughed it in circumstances far rougher than we get here in Ireland (Alaska and the US Pacific North West mainly) but she regretted doing the trek to MP.

She found the terrain, the heat, the mosquitos (or what ever flying insects you get at that height) & the altitude too much. She also regretted arriving in MP, dirty, sore, dog tired and not really able to appreciate the wonders of MP itself when she got there. She wished that she got the train instead. So unless you have experience of doing that sort of thing, in those sort of circumstances, think twice about doing the over land trek.

Meathlass

ProudDUB wrote: »

She also regretted arriving in MP, dirty, sore, dog tired and not really able to appreciate the wonders of MP itself when she got there. She wished that she got the train instead. .

OP I took the train from Cusco, stopping in Ollantaytambo which also has amazing ruins. Spent the night in Agua Calientes and got the bus up the next morning. Spent the whole day up in MP, brought a little picnic, went on walks etc. It was fantasic. By about 1pm nearly everyone else was gone and it was just me, the llamas and the guards .

I overheard countless conversations from people who'd hiked the trail saying they were exhaused and just wanted to get back to have a shower and a proper sleep. They barely had the energy to look around MP itself. If it's wet, which it often is, you will see very little while you're hiking. I'm not trying to put you off, just to make you aware that doing the Inca trail and seeing MP can be done separately

rain on

I absolutely loved the trek, I'm pretty fit but I had zero camping or hiking experience. The first night camping in the mountains under the stars and seeing lightning crackle off on the horizon is one I'll never forget. The second day where you climb to 4000 metres was tough in parts but completely worth it, the third day is all downhill and we met llamas and washed ourselves in a waterfall! The fourth day we had enough energy to get up before everyone else and we jogged the last leg (5km) to come through the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu at 6am, it was unreal Spent a few hours in Machu Picchu and then went down for 11am pizza and beer in Aguas Calientes and got the train and bus back to Cusco. I flaked out early that night but the rest of the group were out partying with the guides till 3am. Mighty craic altogether.

My advice if you want to do it: take plenty of time to get acclimatised to the altitude (it took me a week to get over the headaches and shortness of breath), wear mosquito repellent every day (even on the second day when it gets cold), wear layered clothing and expect it to be hot, cold, wet, and dry.

edit: I second the Ollantaytambo recommendation, a lovely little town with incredible Inca ruins. We stayed the night there before starting the trail.

yourdeadwright

Thanks for all the hlep folks brilliant as usual
Oh one last hting around how much did the whole thing set you's back ?

funkey_monkey

I done the Inca Trail and it was odd - more like a pilgrimage than a trek due to the volume of people on the trail.

The 2nd day is by far the toughest and fitness is no real indication as to whether you will cope with the altitude. The first and third days a re a bit bland. However, the 4th day when you go through the sun gate and watch the morning mist rising over MP itself is a glorious sight and one of the most amazing things I've seen in my life.

However, you could take an early bus up to MP and get to the Sun Gate from Agua Calientes for the fourth day and avoid the trail itself.

If you have the head for it, try and get up Wayna Picchu. There are limited passes for it and I missed out.

So, if you want to do it go do the trail. However, if you are time limited and/or just doing because you think you should then reconsider 4 days is a long period out of your time for a hike.

Enjoy it. Fantastic place! If you want to know more ask or Pm

schemingbohemia

OP if you haven't booked your tickets yet you should check out your options on this bargain from holiday pirates

http://www.holidaypirates.com/uk-ireland/openjaw-flights-lima-205-232-roundtrip-incl-taxes

solerina

I did the Inca Trail (the classic one) in 2009 and loved every minute of it. The second day was definately the toughest...some long steep climbs but you can take them at your own pace so you dont every feel like you wont manage it...we were lucky that our guide went off each day early so we never actually met too many people except at the camp sites (and they were great fun)...I did my trek with G adventures and it was amazing in every respect I would thoroughly recommend them (i booked it through Trailfinders)...as others have mentioned there are a limited amount of passes per day on the classic trail so you need to book well in advance (and give your passport number, so it must be in date)....this is the only trek that you actully walk into MP and dont have to come up the hill by train etc and come in through the main gates...you arrive into MP via the Sun Gate above MP (not actually a gate, more of an arch) for sun rise..amazing !!