Machu Picchu by Train

Machu Picchu by train, is the main route that most national and foreign tourists choose. To make this route you must first buy your tourist train ticket. Later you must go to the Sacred Valley of the Incas and be able to board the train in Ollantaytambo towards the town of Aguas Calientes.

The tourist train ticket can be purchased online, from the Peru Rail website.

Types of Trains PeruRail:

• Expedition train
• Vistadome train
• Hiram Bingham Train

In Aguas Calientes you can spend the night, and very early in the morning take the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (24USD foreign adult), round trip.

You can also climb from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu walking, approximate round trip time (3 hours).

The entrance to Machu Picchu is S /. 152 for foreigners. Keep in mind that if you want to buy tickets to Machu Picchu you can buy them on the Machupicchu.gob.pe page, and you have the option to choose whether you want to enter the first round or the second round. Also if you want to make the entrance + mountain, ie Machu Picchu + mountain or Machu Picchu + Huayna Picchu.

Machu Picchu by Car

Machu Picchu by Car is an alternate and perfect route for those who want to do some trekking, usually this route is 2 Days / 1 Night.

Itinerary Machu Picchu by Car:
Day 1:
• Cusco – Hydroelectric “En Carro”.
• Hidroeléctrica – Aguas Calientes “Walk approximately 3 hours”.
• Overnight in Aguas Calientes.
Day 2
• Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu “Hike, 1 hour and a half”.
• Visit to the citadel of Machu Picchu.
• Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes (Return walking 1 hour and a half).
• Aguas Calientes – Hydroelectric (Return walking 3 hours).
• Hidroeléctrica – Cusco “Return in Car”.

This route is made by several travel agencies in Cusco and you can check their prices and choose the one that interests you the most.

Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

This is the favorite route of every traveler, the famous Inca trail or also known as Camino Inca or Chemin de l’Inca, to make this route you must book months in advance because it has limited spaces. So if you want to make the famous Inca Trail you must do it only with a travel agency, since it can not be done on your own.

The Inca Trail has two options: the traditional Inca Trail 4D / 3N (Best Selling) and the Inca Trail 2D / 1N, both have limited spaces. If you want to book the Inca Trail, contact a travel agency and check if there are still quotas for the date you request.

Salkantay to Machu Picchu

Other alternatives to visit Machu Picchu is the Salkantay trekking route to Machu Picchu. This trekking is 5D / 4N and where you can also visit the Humantay Lagoon, which is located during the route of this route.

Itinerary Salkantay to Machu Picchu

Day 1: Challacancha – Soraypampa – Humantay → 16 km Cusco →
Day 2: Soraypampa – Abra Salkantay – Chaullay → 22 km of walk
Day 3: Chaullay – Santa Teresa → 14 km walk
Day 4: Santa Teresa – Aguas Calientes → 16 km of walk
Day 5: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco

The trekking from Salkantay to Machu Picchu is recognized as one of the best trails in the world by National Geographic.

Now if you have purchased a travel package of 7D / 6N, 6D / 5N, 5D / 4N they are usually included, but it is always advisable to ask.

The Tourist Ticket of Cusco

With the tourist ticket you can access 16 sites in the City of Cusco and its surroundings. The good thing about the tourist ticket is that if you want to visit only some sites you can buy the partial ticket, or if you want to visit all the sites you can opt for the general tourist ticket, and here we detail which are:

1. Tourist Ticket of the General Cusco
2. Partial ticket – Tourist Circuit 1
3. Partial ticket – Tourist Circuit 2
4. Partial ticket – Tourist Circuit 3

General Tourist Ticket

With the general tourist ticket you can visit all the main places of Cusco and its surroundings. It has a valid validity of 10 days and the places included to visit are:
1. Sacsayhuaman
2. Q’enqo
3. Puca Pucara
4. Tambomachay
5. Museum of Contemporary Art
6. Regional Historical Museum
7. Museum of Popular Art
8. Qoricancha Site Museum
9. Qosqo Native Art Center
10. Monument to the Inca Pachacuteq
11. Pikillaqta
12. Tipon
13. Pisac
14. Ollantaytambo
15. Chinchero
16. Moray

Partial Tourist Ticket – Circuit 1

With this tourist ticket you can visit the main archaeological sites of Cusco: Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay (4 attractions only). And usually this tour does the Tour City Cusco. Validity of the ticket only 1 day.

Partial Tourist Ticket – Circuit 2

With the tourist ticket circuit 2, you can visit different museums: The Museum of Contemporary Art, Regional Historical Museum, Popular Art Museum, Qoricancha Site Museum, Qosqo Native Art Center and Monument to the Inca Pachacuteq. You can also visit the ruins of Tipon and Pikillaqta. These last two are the tour of the Valle Sur Cusco Tour. Validity of the ticket only 2 days.

Partial Tourist Ticket – Circuit 3

With the tourist ticket circuit 3, you can visit only the ruins of Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and the Andenes de Moray (4 attractions only). This tour is usually from the Sacred Valley Tour of the Incas. And the ticket is valid for 2 days.

Price of the Tourist Ticket Cusco

The price of the tourist ticket Cusco, varies depending on whether you are foreign or national. It also depends if you want the general or only the partial circuits.

Where to buy the Tourist Ticket

• Counter Central (Avenida El Sol 103 Tourist Galleries)
Monday to Sunday 08:00 – 18:00 Hrs.
• Tourist Information Office – DIRCETUR (Mantas Street)
Monday to Saturday 08:00 – 12:00 Hrs. / 14:00 – 18:00 Hrs.

It can also be purchased at tourist sites (except for the Museum of Contemporary Art and Pachacutec Monument).

Recommendations: The tourist ticket only gives right of temporary entrance to the archaeological sites mentioned above, remember that it does NOT include: Guide, Mobility, nor the entrance to the citadel of Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu with Mountain

The entrance hours to Machu Picchu Mountain:
• Machu Picchu (Archaeological Zone) from 6:00 and Mountain from 7:00 to 8:00 am

• Machu Picchu (Archaeological Zone) from 7:00 and Mountain from 7:00 to 8:00 am

• Machu Picchu (Archaeological Zone) from 8:00 and Mountain from 9:00 to 10:00 am

Mountain Machu Picchu 2021

Entry price: 75 Dollars
Book 1 month in advance
Delivery: The ticket will be delivered printed at your Hotel and / or Cusco International Airport.
Payment Methods: Via Wester Union or PayPal
Attach and Send: Date of visit and Passport Photo
WhatsApp: +51936286411

The Machu Picchu Mountain ticket includes:
• Entrance to the Inca city of Machu Picchu (Archaeological Zone).
• Entrance to the Machu Picchu mountain.

Tour Machu Picchu with Mountain

Our travel agency DONPeruTours also offers the Machupicchu mountain tour in 1 day or 2 days with an overnight stay in Aguas Calientes. We have different travel options to Machu Picchu. You can opt for a private tour to Machu Picchu or shared. Request your information on our whatsapp and we will gladly put together a travel package to Cusco and Machu Picchu complying with all security protocols and with very personalized attention.

The visits to Cusco and Machu Picchu are going to change in a radical way and this will involve many drawbacks, one of them will be the limited visit and it will only be for a short time, due to the number of people waiting to enter.

Due to health and safety issues, visits to tourist destinations will be made while maintaining distance between tourists and a small group will be chosen, which may mean that prices will rise in some cases.

Important things you should know before traveling to Peru

You should consider these recommendations before traveling to Peru.

• Be aware of restrictions imposed by the Peruvian government for the entry of foreigners. It is not yet known whether the foreign tourist will quarantine arriving in Peru, or a simple rapid or molecular test will suffice to rule out COVID-19.

• Take advantage of the travel offers that will be on sale, you must make sure that they have the flexibility to change the date, so you can postpone it to the date that suits you best.

• If you are going to buy your Airplane ticket do it directly from the Airline, do not use platforms. So you can change your flight date quickly and you will not have many problems.

Visit Cusco and Machu Picchu after COVID-19

After complying with all the protocols that the Peruvian state gave your visit to Cusco and Machu Picchu, we assume that it will be something like this:

• Cusco and its main tourist attractions (Sacred Valley of the Incas, Andenes de Moray, Salinera de Maras, Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, PucaPucara, Tambomachay, Lake Humantay, Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca, Tipon, Mountain Palccoyo, Rio Rojo). The visit to these tourist destinations was generally made in a group of 15 to 20 people, and the mobility that was used was in a Sprinter or Renault, with the arrival of the COVID-19 the group visit will be half in order to save a little distance in mobility. The entrance to tourist destinations will also have a limited number and insurance will open different entry times.

The most recommended thing today is to hire a private service for these tourist destinations, and thus be able to travel more calmly and comfortably.

• Machu Picchu (Archaeological Zone). One question is what the visit to Machu Picchu will be like after COVID-19. Right now, the protocol used to receive the large number of foreign and national tourists is unknown. Machu Picchu already has different entry times, but the safest thing is that now it will be mandatory to enter with a guide and with a minimum group of people. In other words, your visit to Machu Picchu started and ended with your guide, which means that you will not have time to visit Machu Picchu on your own, which was previously allowed.

Security protocols

• The use of masks and gloves.
• Keep the distance of 1 meter.
• You should not share personal hygiene or food items with other tourists.
• Perform frequent hand hygiene (washing with soap and water, or using alcohol solution).
• Use disposable tissues and dispose of them properly in a trash can with a lid.
• In case of sneezing or coughing, cover the nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or the forearm.
• Maintain clean and ventilated environments.
• Body temperature control every 12 hours.

Machu Picchu from Cusco Via Train

One of the ways to get to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town) from Cusco is by train, this route is generally very beautiful since on the way you can see beautiful landscapes of the sacred valley of the Incas.

To opt for this option you must purchase your train ticket from the San Pedro train station or buy directly from the pages of Peru Rail or Inca Rail, both companies offer the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town). This service is available from April to December, in other months the route is closed.

How to get to the San Pedro station?

• From the Cusco Airport, you can choose to take a taxi, the approximate cost is 10 Soles and the estimated time is 30 minutes, it all depends on the city traffic.
• From the center of Cusco and surroundings, you can take a taxi, cost 5 soles and the approximate time is 15 minutes, it all depends on the traffic of the city.
• From the Plaza de Armas of Cusco or very close to it you can choose to walk. The San Pedro train station is 10 minutes from the Plaza de Armas of Cusco. You can walk with ease but always take care of your belongings.

Machu Picchu from Ollantaytambo Via Tren

Another option to get to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town) is by Ollantaytambo via train, this route is very beautiful and many travelers prefer to opt for it, since they first want to visit the archaeological center of Ollantaytambo or want to visit the town of Ollantaytambo, it is optional which visits you want.

How to get to the Ollantaytambo train station?

• From Cusco Airport you can ask and board a taxi, the price they will offer you will be from 70 soles to 130 soles, it all depends on the number of passengers and how you negotiate the price. The trip will take approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes. You can also hire a private transfer service online.

• From the city of Cusco to Ollantaytambo, here you have two options: you can hire a private or shared service. If you want a private service you can search the internet, here we leave you a contact: www.cuscoairporttransport.com, if you want a shared transfer you can go to calle pavitos and take a VAN / H1 or Sprinter, the cost is from 8 soles to 12 suns, keep in mind that when being shared you must wait until the mobility is full so that it can go out.

• Through a Tour: Another option is through a tour, currently there are two tours that go along that route, the Sacred Valley of the Incas tour or the Chinchero Maras Moray tour with the Sacred Valley, both tours are very feasible since you have the option of staying in Ollantaytambo without any problem. In general, both tours are around 15:00 in Ollantaytambo, that is, you would stay in Ollantaytambo and you would not return to Cusco.

Machu Picchu from Cusco by car or hydroelectric route

One of the cheapest options to get to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town) from Cusco is by car / on the route from Machu Picchu to Hidroeléctrica. This route is somewhat tired more than everything on the car trip, which is approximately 6 hours from Cusco to Hidroelectrica. Once at the Hydroelectric you must walk around 2 hours to 3 hours to reach Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town).

How to get to Aguas Calientes by auto route Hidroelectria?

• You can choose to hire the transfer service, several agencies offer this transfer service which is between 40 soles one way, if you want round trip the cost is 80 soles, but keep in mind that they have a fixed departure and return time They do not have several hours.

• You can also go to the Quillabamba terminal located in the Santiago district, here there are several cars / van / sprinter that leave from time to time for Quillabamba and can leave you very close to the hydroelectric plant. Always warn when you hire that you want to go to the hydroelectric and if they leave you near or go to the same destination.

• By Tour: Another option to reach Aguas Calientes via Hydroelectric is by tour, this tour starts from Cusco (7:00 hrs) and at the hydroelectric you will be (15:00 hrs) from there you must walk for approximately 3 hours to get to Aguas Calientes. Machu Picchu service by car includes: transfer, entrance to Machu Picchu, lunch, dinner, bilingual guide, snack and one night accommodation in Aguas Calientes. This service you will find from $ 100 to $ 130 depends on the travel agency where you hire. The route is the same but the service varies according to each agency. Each agency will give you information on how the tour will be so you will have it very clear.

Cusco Festival Calendar 2022

Month of January

January 6: Bajada de Reyes; Traditional Cuzco party that ends the traditional Cusco Christmas. It is a party where you can observe and learn more about the religious festival in Cusco.

Month of March

March 3: Cusqueño Carnival: The Cusco Carnival is undoubtedly one of the funniest parties in Cusco, where thousands of tourists and people from Cusco gather in the parade ground to celebrate and play carnivals. You can also see dances and comparsas celebrating carnivals, a traditional festival that you can not miss.

Month of April

April 18 and 19: Holy Week: Easter in Cusco is a traditional festival where you can appreciate the most important events in the Christian world, which commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Holy Week in Cusco has as central day Holy Monday (the day after Palm Sunday) date that leaves in procession the Patron Pattern of Cusco, the Lord of the Earthquakes.

Cusco the city of the Tahuantinsuyo Empire celebrates Holy Week by paying homage to the image of the Lord of the Earthquakes or Taitacha Temblores, in Quechua. A party where you can learn more about the customs of Cusco.

Month of May

May 3: Feast of the Cross or Cruz Velacuy; The celebration of the Cross in Cusco, begins on May 3 and is usually celebrated throughout Cusco and its surroundings. In this feast the cross is worshiped.

Month of June

June 16: Lord of Coyllority; One of the religious festivals in Cusco with a lot of tradition, the pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Mr. de Coylloritti takes place every year in the month of May or June, the date is not exact due to the Andean calendar. In this celebration thousands of devotees visit the sanctuary of the Lord of Coyllority. To visit the sanctuary you must go with a lot of faith.

June 20: Corpus Christi Cusqueño; The Corpus Christi Cusqueño is the most important religious festival of the city of Cusco and begins with the entrance of the saints to the cathedral of the city of Cusco, accompanied by mayordomos, faithful, bands of musicians and dances. On the central day there is a lavish procession of the fifteen images of saints and virgins from the same number of parishes in Cusco. This is the ideal month to visit the city of Cusco and know all its customs and also try typical dishes of the city.

June 23: Festivities of Cusco; The festivities of Cusco begin very early where all the institutions, schools and organizations present typical dances of Cusco as a tribute to the festivities of Cusco. The Plaza de Armas of Cusco is the main place for this event.

June 24: Inti Raymi: The Feast of the Sun; The famous Inti Raymi is the festival that is celebrated to the Sun God of the Incas, a festival where the Inca tradition is revived and celebrated since the time of the Incas. This celebration has as main point the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, located north of Cusco. If you want to see this show it is necessary to reserve a space and thus be able to appreciate the inti raymi 2022.

Month of July

July 15: Virgen del Carmen-Paucartambo; The feast of the Virgin of Paucartambo is a celebration that takes place in the province of the same name and where most foreign and national tourists travel to this beautiful city to appreciate this beautiful party as it attracts many parishioners and visitors of all parts of the world leading the way through the town and its 12 groups of dancers that radiate faith, charm, color and joy.

Month of August

August 1: Pachamama; The offering to the Pachamama is a tradition in Cusco, where you can observe different rituals for the Pachamama (Mother Earth). An Andean ceremony whose fundamental origin is the relationship between the Andean man, specifically the peasant, and the mother earth or Pachamama.

Month of September

September 8: Feast of the Virgin of the Nativity; This party is celebrated in the district of Santiago Cusco. The Cusco people and visitors pay tribute and honors to the Blessed Virgin.

September 14: Lord of Huanca; The festival of the Lord of Huanca, is celebrated every September 14th where thousands of Cusco visit the sanctuary to make their pilgrimage. It is characterized by having a massive pilgrimage of devotees from Cusco and part of South America.

Month of December

December 24: The Santurantikuy; The Santurantikuy is celebrated every December 24, a fair where you can find a lot of Cusco folk art. Also known as popular art fair, in which the Quechua word says it all: Santu (saints) and Ticuy (sale).

December 31: New Year: Receive the new year in the City of Cusco, Machu Picchu.