I had no idea where to start or how to plan everything. almost gave up and tried to buy a pre-planned package. This video probably saved me a few thousands USD :D
That’s awesome to hear!! Thanks for checking out the video, glad it helped you with your planning! Definitely one of the more complicated trips we had to book as well 😂
Peru es elegante soy peruano de lima si llegas a peru lo primero primero tu ceviche peruano original k sea picante en un mercadito ai si te venden asu rico elegante ceviche peruano si no pica no es ceviche te recomiendo amigaaaaaaaá 😊
Hi! I booked machu picchu tickets from the spanish website for June 2, 2024 but only got confirmation for payment. Im wondering if I did not do it right because I never got the actual tickets online. Im freaking out now coz all tickets for this day are sold out😢 Did you get the tickets after you paid online?
Hi there, so after you checkout, you shouldhave received an email from noreply@culturacusco.gob.pe, with a confirmation and also a link to pay for your ticket at the bottom of the email. After you pay, you should have received another email from that address confirming your reservation/ with your tickets. If the first email you received has a confirmation code, you can try putting it into this site: reservas.machupicchu.gob.pe/buscar Also double check that it didn’t get sent to your spam inbox. You can also search your email for “Reserva confirmada”, “ Reserva de Boleto Electrónico”, or “machupicchu” (with no space) to hopefully find it.
So happy that I came across your videos! I’ve been doing a lot of research for my upcoming trip to Peru and was overwhelmed by the amount of information on Machu Picchu. Your video gave me all the information I needed! Thank you! Thank you!
Incredible place and your video has helped us out so much , we live in London uk and I was thinking how difficult this would be in planning . But after viewing your guide it actually seems pretty straightforward. Thankyou
I’m glad you liked it! We’re actually in London right now as well. Sadly, our trip through Europe ends tomorrow! So stay tuned as I’ll eventually post a video covering your home city 😄
Rain can sometimes be unfortunate, so it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared. I would probably bring a very light one to avoid packing heavy. You could also find a rain poncho which takes up virtually no space. In terms of supermarkets and street food, depends on where you’re referring to. In Cusco there are plenty of shops, grocery stores, and the occasional street vendor. However, I would probably stay away from any food on the street to avoid getting sick.. assuming your stomach isn’t already acclimated to eating food in South America. In Aguas Calientes, it seems that there are places to eat every 100 feet, so you shouldn’t have any issues 😅
@@BackpackGringo made it on September 24? It's so complicated and over rated, because the journey to the actual machu Picchu site is just too much trouble for too much money. Compared to other UNESCO heritage sites, eg. Petra Jordan or Angkor Watt Cambodia, this is too much effort and money for just one site .
This is by far the best visual introduction to Machu Picchu. BTW, I heard no videotaping is allowed. Is it true? Or to which point where videotaping is allowed. Thanks.
Thank you very much!! Too kind :) You can film with your phone and small cameras, just no tri pods. But I believe if you have larger professional equipment, you’ll need to get permission / a permit to bring it in the park.
Peru rail has a link on their website which covers the luggage. On the site, it says you can take 1 bag or 1 backpack weighing up to 17.64lbs. I dont recall anyone checking the weight of anyone’s bags. I don’t believe you can bring a suitcase with you. We ended up just leaving our bags in Cusco at our airbnb (which we rented for a few days extra) to account for the time we were away visiting Machu Picchu.
It’s not just for Peruvians. Any foreign person wanting to visit Machu Picchu can also buy from this site, the only downside is that it’s in Spanish. The English only site is merely just to make it easier for non-Spanish speakers who are looking to visit
Hi. Greetings from Indonesia. Such a good video. I have a question, why did you take train from Poroy instead of San Pedro (which is closer to the city center of Cusco)?
Hi there 👋 Good question, we decided to use the Poroy train station based on the reviews + from talking to locals. Apparently the San Pedro train actually takes a lot longer due to “switchbacks” while leaving and arriving back to the station. Additionally, people as of 5 months ago on Google Maps reviews were complaining about the train from San Pedro actually being a bimodal service (which isn’t mentioned on their website) where they force people to take a bus for some of the distance + a train for the rest. Sounds like a headache 😅 It’s really up to you, but from reading some other people’s thoughts online, the taxi to the Peroy train station + the train ride is wellll worth it and will be much much shorter of a journey than from San Pedro.
I try to use a gimbal when I film to avoid unwanted movement and keep the shot stable. That’s good to know, I’ll try to bring the horizontal panning down to a slower speed for future filming. My new gimbal + camera that I’m filming future videos with actually does a great job at doing this. Cheers!
We ended up booking an Airbnb in Cusco and used that as our "home base". We booked it for the whole trip, and left our luggage there so we could travel light up to Aguas Calientes. We ended up staying there for a night just to be on the safe side. You could technically book an early train up to Aguas Calientes, and immediately go catch the bus there to Machu Picchu that morning. From there, you would have to catch the bus down back to Cusco, but you will arrive after dark. It's definitely possible, and many people do opt for that. It will be exhausting, but it's certainly doable. The only downside to that approach is that if you miss a train or some unexpected delay occurs, you could miss your ticket into the park / ruin your trip. I would play it safe and stay a little in Cusco to adjust to the altitude, and just stay the night in Aguas Calientes. That way, you can wake up early, eat breakfast, visit Machu Picchu, and train back down to Cusco. This way, you won't have to rush / rely on everything going according to plan. It's your call. Wishing you safe and fun travels!
such clear views! what time of day did you arrive at Machu picchu? also, would you recommend taking the train back to cusco after finishing at Machu picchu? or was that too much to do in one day for you?
I believe we went in at 8am. Seemed like a great time to arrive! Time of day/year factor into the chances of having a clear day. It really depends on how easy you want to take it. Making it back in one day is definitely a journey. We ended up doing this. The pros of staying an extra night after Machu Picchu is that you can relax in town and get a massage (which was about $11 an hour) or go to the hot springs in town :)
You’re very welcome! In Peru as a whole? Or at Machu Picchu? At Machu Picchu, no drones are allowed. In Peru, you’ll have to check the specific regulations per drone flying. Usually, a drone over 500 grams will require permit + you have to follow certain country wide rules.
@@BackpackGringo Yeah I know Machu Picchu is off limit, I'd like to fly everywher else, I have a Mini 4 under 250g but I havn't find any reliable source!
You’re welcome! I’m glad it helped! I believe on Peru Rail, you’re only allowed 1 bag. I know it does mention it on the website somewhere. Because some people in our group had extra suitcases and stuff, we ended up just booking our Airbnb extra days and left our baggage there at it so we could travel light to Aguas Calientes. I hope this helps and wishing you an amazing trip 🥳
Thank you! Regarding climbing stairs, we did a senior member in our group (70s), who didn’t have any issues handling the 2nd circuit. The hardest part is basically from the parking lot up to the first vantage point, which has a little incline with some stairs, but nothing too insanely hard. I rank this circuit like a 2-3/10 difficulty. Now regarding being scared of heights. Really all the above vantage point parts have large, more than adequate flat ground to walk around, so you won’t be feeling claustrophobic or like you’re peering over a cliff or anything. There are some parts during the descent into the ruins where you’ll have to walk down stairs that are about 3 people wide. These stairs sometimes have ropes on both sides, but some parts are a tad steep and don’t have any railings to hold onto. It’s tough to say, but I think circuit 2 is well worth it, especially if you have someone to hold onto 😂 a guide would probably be more than willing to go slowly down. Thinking about it, I actually recall one of the people in our party also being scared of heights and had 1 or 2 parts where they were nervous but managed by going slowly with the help of their husband. But if you’re not looking to risk it, you can take circuit 1 just for the above views (no exploring the actual ruins below), or circuit 3/4 (no above vantage points, you enter from the parking lot and it’s basically flat the whole way). Whatever makes you feel the most comfortable. Sorry for the wordy response. Please ignore any typos as this is from my phone. I hope this helps! Feel free to leave any more questions or concerns.
@BackpackGringo: fantastic video, which is a great help for planning our Machu Picchu visit. One note though: the "English Gov. Website" is almost certainly not an official government site, but a private organization.
To go into Machu Picchu, you can bring a small backpack with you with a water and essentials. You can’t bring in food, selfie sticks, professional filming equipment (without proper permits)…etc. They have a full list posted online which I’d recommend on reviewing. Vegetarian options shouldn’t be a problem anywhere you go! They have plenty of options.
Ahh good to know they changed the process a little. I would reference this videos “circuit” section to get a better feel for which one you want to do. I would recommend circuit 2 as it’s the most complete!
It would definitely be wise to book one in Cusco at a minimum. The elevation is very high, so it’s best to relax and adjust to that altitude. You don’t necessarily need to book in Aguas Calientes, as you could train in, arrive and go to Machu Picchu, and train back. But that would be unnecessarily exhausting, and too many variables that could potentially cause you to miss something, and ruin your trip. A 1 night stay in Aguas Calientes is a great idea, and allows you to relax and enjoy the experience better.
hello. not sure if youll see this, but can i ask do you think a whole tour (with all the trains, buses, entrance included) for someone travelling solo? or you would recommend doing the same as you did, which is buying all the stuff separately by yourself and then get a tour guide once youre there? im a backpacker so i have no problem doing things like this, but i certainly think getting a tour guide is needed for this amazing site and im afraid i couldnt get one. The whole package of tour will cover anything though i assume. Also, ill be going there in late may but i still havent booked anything. Do you think ill be able to do so in a couple of days? as i heard that you will need to book the entrace months in advance. Thank you so much
Hi there! Getting a complete tour package with everything included most certainly removes all the headaches of trying to plan everything and making sure the timing is lined up. This definitely isn’t a bad option if the price is right :) I believe I put a few tour packages in the video description! So make sure to check those out and compare to anything else you find. Now with your guides, I think you’ll 100% be able to find a guide for Machu Picchu. I don’t think there is ever a shortage as we saw sooo many in Aguas Calientes and outside the Machu Picchu entrance. For the park entrance ticket, I would recommend looking into availability as soon as possible. Last thing you want is tickets to be sold out :,)
@@BackpackGringo hi there! Thanks for your swift reply! I immediately looked it up last night and found out there’s only one desired time slot which is 9am left within my travel days! I made the booking right off the bat and paid the exact same price that you did 152. I haven’t bought any transportation ticket yet but I’ll get to it in no time! Thanks a lot!
Best time (dry season) = April, May, September, October. The rainy season is November to March, with Jan and Feb being the worst. The Incan trail is usually closed in Feb due to weather. If you decide on going around Christmas, you’d need to prepare for the rain and the possibility of it being too foggy to see any thing. We went in June, and had great weather. Cheers!
I’d recommend the second circuit. We took this one as well! This covers everything at Machu Picchu, minus the other mountains you can hike up (which we couldn’t do, as we had an elderly person in our group).
That would depend on where you’re starting from! If you’re in Cusco, I would just start at the Poroy Train Station, because Ollantaytambo is about 61.5km away.
Very informative, will be visiting the last week in April. I have a much better understanding of how to go about traveling to Machu Picchu. Will share with my fellow travelers.
We really love your videos. You're so positive and knowledgeable and make us want to visit the places you've been to. Thanks mate and keep up the great work!
I greatly appreciate it :) Glad to hear I’ve inspired y’all to travel! There’s a lot of amazing places out there ☺️ Wishing you the best on your future adventures. Feel free to reach out if you need anything.
going there in January. is it easy to find a guide at the gate even during the early morning, like 6am? is 15usd pp the standard rate, or is there some haggling involved? thanks for this very informative vid.:)
I’m not sure as to an early time slot like 6am, however, to be sure, you can also get one in Aguas Calientes. In the line to get onto the bus, there were actually a lot of guides seeing if you would like their services. They will just board the bus with you and then you’re good to go. I believe we haggled the price to $15pp just a tad bit because we actually didn’t bring enough cash. But several guides seemed to have fixed rates. I would check the prices with the guides in Aguas Calientes, and if they offer a better price, I would take that just to ensure you get a guide :) Hope this helps, and wishing you a great visit in January!!!
I believe we paid in USD. But I would absolutely plan to bring Soles just to be 100% prepared. I cannot confirm if all the guides accept USD, or if it was just ours. Better safe than sorry!
I’ve seen videos online, where people just buy their tickets to Machu Picchu the day before in Aguas Calientes or Cusco with no issues around availability at all. Did you see anything like that when you were there? 😊
They sell VIP tickets online which are about $135 each that allow you to visit any time, even if everything’s booked. However, especially during the more popular seasons, it’s not uncommon for all time slots for the upcoming 30-60 days to sell out in advance. Imagine traveling all that way only to find out tickets aren’t available 🤣 While some people may get lucky, I think it’s best to always plan ahead :)
This is super helpful! Thanks for sharing! I purchased tickets through the government website, but it said that we have to pay in person. Is this normal?
I’m glad this video could prove helpful! When we purchased our tickets on the government website (the cheaper/Spanish one), they ended up sending us a reservation confirmation email. In this email, towards the bottom, they have a section for payment options. Under this section, you can navigate to the link where you can pay online. This is how we did it! Hope this helps!
Also, I would do a little search into best time of day to go, because it would be no fun to show up at 6am and it be fully covered in clouds 😂 Hope you have a great trip!
I did a motorcycle tour up to Machu Picchu back in April 2022. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The in Inca Valley is truly one of the gems of the planet.
@@BackpackGringo It was one of the most magical moments of my life. We traversed through and over Rivers, up into the mountains, through fog and rain, into the villages and by the lakes. All the sceneries that one can imagine. Amazing!
You’re welcome! I think you just have to start taking steps. Once you start planning, it becomes fun once all the pieces start falling together. Hopefully you can reference this guide to make it a bit easier ;)
We ended up paying $15 usd pp for an English speaker. But i know the price does vary depending on where you get your guide. For instance, in Aguas Calientes, I know I heard several prices from the guides offering services there. For more context, you can refer to a previous comment below from @junbyc In terms of tipping, in Peru it is good practice to tip at least 10%. The US dollar goes a long way in Peru, so the tips you provide really help out the locals. For the tour guide I think it’s best to tip 20%! Hope this helps :)
Thank you, I appreciate it! Prior to planning our trip, we watched a bunch of other YT videos as well, but couldn’t find the exact information we needed. So I’m glad this quick video has been helpful :)
I would recommend booking in advance online to be safe. Last minute tickets may only have the very expensive options left, so you ensure the cheapest price possible by doing so. However, you can purchase tickets at the office ahead of time. Especially if you’re spending some time in Cusco exploring.
@@BackpackGringo One thing I dont understand is that the machu picchu tickets should be paid months before in advance. But how can I be sure I will make it to the exact same date and time? What if the flight between Lima and Cusco gets cancelled, or if I cant get train or bus ticket on time? I find this very frustrating
@@aliaziz5261 That’s a good point and something that is good to take into account. My suggestions are that you can do the following: -Plan to spend several days in Cusco prior to going to Aguas Calientes. That way you can account for last minute plane delays, and also have extra time to acclimate to the altitude..a win win. -Also, something I didn’t mention in the video, is that if you purchase your tickets on the government site for machhu picchu, you are able to change around dates at the ticket office, but that needs to be in person. I haven’t looked further into this, so that’s a safety net you can research into. -Additionally, if you purchase on trip advisor, to my understanding, they are much more flexible with changing dates due to any travel delays, hence the more expensive ticket. If you plan everything in advance and give yourself some extra days in between, Im sure you won’t run into any issues and everything will go accordingly. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!
@@aliaziz5261 Not at all! You can buy them easily the day before, and busses leave every 10 minutes all morning. Also, if all else fails, a lot of people opt in for just hiking up to it. From what I read, it’s about a 1 hour walk up from town to the entrance of Machu Picchu, but definitely uphill 😂
Thank you for sharing your trip guide, tips and suggestions very helpful. I do have several questions. When arriving in Lima can you wait to purchase your airplane ticket when you land in Lima? Or do you have to spend a night at Lima? Then the next day purchase your airline ticket to Cuzco? Or can you purchase an airline ticket to Cuzco in advance hoping there are no delays or problems with your flight to Lima to catch a flight to Cuzco. Not sure if there can are plenty of flights flying out from Lima to Cuzco where you can wait and just purchase a flight out to Cuzco that same day you arrive at Lima?
Hello, glad you enjoyed the video! There are actually a lot of flights going from Lima to Cusco every day. So you could absolutely pre-book both flights ahead of time. I.e, fly into Lima and then hop onto the next flight to Cusco, same day. Of course, if you do so, just give yourself a nice safe time window in between flights to account for any unpredictable delays. While you don’t have to stay any nights in Lima, you definitely should spend at least 1 in Cusco to allow yourself to acclimate to the high altitude. Hope this helps!
You’re very welcome! I’m glad it could be of use. To answer your question, selfie sticks and tripods are absolutely allowed into the park. I was filming with a DJI Gimbal which also acts as a selfie stick/tripod all in one. Also I setup my GoPro + Tripod to take a time-lapse with no issues. However, drones are NOT allowed, similar to a majority of national parks.
Hi there, Would the lower level circuit 3 easier for those of us who have trouble climbing stairs to see and take the infamous photo and views? Also, what if I just want to see that portion and leave is that possible and not take the 1.5 trek? Thanks!
Hello! Great question. So getting those famous photos from above does require you to take circuit 1-2. Circuit 3 technically starts at the exit of circuit 1 and 2, which is in the main entrance area where the bus drops you off infront. If you take 3, you will not see the above views. Now, if you take 1 or 2 you will end up getting those awesome photos spot. There will be a few stairs at the beginning, and then some of it is just slightly inclined paths. Once you reach that, you’ll absolutely be able to turn and and exit at your own pace. I don’t see any issues with this. If you end up getting a guide, they can help navigate you to the first photo spot and then back down. In the group I went with, we had a person in their 70’s old, and they didn’t have any issues, I wouldn’t say it’s a very grueling hike up by any means. Hope this helps :)
@@BackpackGringo One more question. Which circuit 1 or 2 would you recommend for the best view, to get the photos views? I don’t want to do both circuits, I just don’t think I’m capable of the stairs and uneven pavement. I took a bad fall (first time in my life) I’m rehabbing an ankle and a knee. I don’t want to push myself to much and ruin my experience. Did you also do rainbow mountain? With all that you know about me lol is that manageable for me? Again thanks for being patient and taking the time to respond to my questions. You’re a gem!
Sorry to hear about your fall! Wishing you a speedy recovery :) Once you get to Machu Picchu, you’ll only be able to choose one circuit, so don’t worry, you won’t have to do multiple. So circuits 1 and 2 are identical in the sense that they take the same path up and visit all 3 of the above vantage points “photo spots”. The only difference is towards the bottom end of the trek as circuit 2 ends up exploring more of the ruins on the ground level. So with that regard, circuit 1 would be the best option for you. Also, the governments website mentions circuit 1 as being the best for people just going for the photos 🙂 I would absolutely ask a guide once you get there the easiest and fastest path to the first vantage point. One suggestion is that I would look into collapsable hiking poles as those could really help reduce the weight on your ankle and knee. Per the question about Rainbow Mountain… I would personally avoid this if you plan on hiking it (make sure to read through to my last point). While I didn’t have time to do it, I have friends that have and said it was extremely hard.. due to the 3-4 hour trek at ~15-16,000 ft elevation (about the same elevation as the Everest base camp). However, with that being said, they do have horses there that you can ride up and down, so that could be your saving grace 😀 Hope this helps! Don’t hesitate to reach out with any additional questions. Also, I do have another video on the different places to visit in Peru, so feel free to check it out if you need some inspiration!
