Our time in Peru coincided with the tail end of the rainy season, so we decided to hold off on visiting Machu Picchu until the week before we left. We decided to do it as an overnight trip and took the Inca Rail bus and train combo to Aguas Calientes, the town just below Machu Picchu. Inca Rail was kind enough to honor the tickets that we originally purchased to use in 2020 when our trip was canceled due to COVID. 

We took a taxi to their ticket office where the bus departed from on the Monday morning of our trip and were on our way. The bus part was nearly three hours but was uneventful. They made a stop about halfway at a scenic spot with the typical tourist vendors and restrooms. We had about half an hour or so waiting to board the train in Ollantaytambo. The train ride was shorter (90 minutes) but very beautiful. I had packed us a PBJ picnic lunch to enjoy on the train and we spent almost the entire time watching the views.

We arrived in Aguas Calientes in the early afternoon. Someone from our hotel (review below) met us at the train station and guided us and a small family up along the river to where we’d stay. We got checked in and then went out to explore the town a bit. It is small and mostly exists for the tourist trade these days, but with the rivers running through and buildings built along the hillside, we found it to be very charming. We bought our bus tickets to take us to Machu Picchu the next morning and wandered around for a while, enjoying the vibe of the town. In the last afternoon, we had a riverside beer and trout tartar snack at Mapacho Craft Beer and then pizza at Kala Tratoria for an early dinner, knowing we’d want to get up really early to get the bus.

I booked our Machu Picchu tickets pretty far in advance to ensure we’d get the earliest entry time at 6:30 a.m. Our hotel agreed to give us an earlier than normal breakfast so we could try to be on one of the first buses. We checked out before we left but they had a locked luggage storage room where we could leave our backpacks. 

By the time we got to the bus stop, the lines for the bus were already pretty long but once they started running they came quite frequently and we were on bus #2 or 3. It was a pretty winding bus ride up. We used the restroom (small fee required) before getting in line since I’d read there are none once you enter Machu Picchu. Probably about 50 people entered ahead of us, but the visit starts with a steep incline so we were able to get out ahead pretty quickly. By the time we reached the flat space overlooking Machu Picchu, we had time for a few selfies and then moved into the main part of the site before anyone else. 

It was lovely to walk alone through the doorway into the main part of the Machu Picchu ruin. One downside of Machu Picchu is that they are strict about following a certain path, but it is not very well marked, so I was constantly worried about taking a wrong turn and missing part of it. But we managed to walk through it all and even enjoyed some time with a group of alpacas on the side of the path.

It only took us about an hour to see all of the Machu Picchu site, which might have been a bit disappointing after all the time, planning, and expense it takes to get there. But it was so beautiful and peaceful to get to see so much of it without a crowd that we had a great experience. However, we decided we wouldn’t rate it any higher than other amazing ruins we’ve visited much more easily, including many sites in Mexico, Greece, and Turkey. Still, as I look back at all our wonderful photos, it is easy to see why Machu Picchu feels so special to people.

After another quick restroom stop we got on a nearly empty bus back down to Aguas Calientes. We spent the rest of the day walking along the river and visiting some of the adjacent sites. We enjoyed the Mariposario Butterfly Garden very much, where our ticket included a guided educational talk about the different butterflies and their study of them. It’s about a 15-minute walk from town. Then we walked another 15 minutes away from town to the Manuel Chávez Ballón Machu Picchu site museum. It was also worth a visit and not very crowded in the mid-morning. 

We walked back to Aguas Calientes and had a delightful lunch at a restaurant called Green House Organic Restaurant. We still had quite a lot of time before our 4 p.m. train to head back to Cusco, so we found a cute little place at the top of the river to nurse another bear. We were pretty exhausted by the time we boarded the train, but it was a comfortable ride again to Ollantaytambo and then the bus took us on to Cusco and we got a taxi back to our Airbnb. 

Visiting Machu Picchu took a great deal of time, effort, and expense (not even counting getting to Cusco!) but I’m so glad we did it. And like our African safari, it was great to finally reclaim a trip that COVID had canceled.

Review of Machupicchu Guesthouse – This hotel worked out great for us for the night before our Machu Picchu visit. We liked that it was a bit up the hill from the train station in a much quieter part of town. The pickup from the train station worked well and the person was very friendly and helpful. The staff was kind enough to serve our breakfast a bit early so we could be one of the first in line for the early bus to MP. This probably wasn’t actually necessary since the buses in the morning are so frequent. Minimarket across the street sells water, beer, snacks, etc., which was convenient. Really glad we chose this hotel!