Machu Picchu

If you're going to Peru you will most definitely want to see Machu Picchu. While of course, it is quite the tourist destination which can be a bit of turn off for some people (me included) it is absolutely worth it. Also, the place is so big that the mass of humans is fairly well distributed.

There are many different ways of making the trip, depending on your fitness and also perhaps how much time you've had so far to acclimatise since hiking at an altitude of 3000m is quite something different to your usual hike. You can go full adventure and do the Incatrail which involves about 3-4 days of hiking and camping (in any weather of course) or go full luxury and take the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (the village at the bottom of the mountain) and catch the bus up. Or you can choose an in-between one of which I did and will describe further here. You will have to choose between two Machu Picchu tickets whichever option you decide on: either the 6am - 12pm ticket or the 12pm - 6pm ticket. We were recommended to take the early one and although I can't compare it with the later one I would still thoroughly add my recommendation for the early one even though I am anything but an early bird.

Unless you've got your journey already booked from home the best way is to find a local travel agency which will probably also save you money. Usually, you'll be able to pay buy card since it's still not the cheapest (travelling expenses, the entry tickets for Machu Picchu, hotel/hostel and perhaps a guided tour do add up) but just in case it makes sense to have cash at the ready or look up the nearest and hopefully cheapest ATM.
Be prepared to wake up early and be exhausted from a full but rewarding day!

Our trip started in Cusco the day before at the main square, the Plaza de Armas. We were picked up at 8am and were driven in a van for roughly six hours to Hidroelectrica, lunch and bathroom brakes included. Then it was a three-hour walk (which is not to be underestimated at that altitude - we were blithered!) to Aguas Calientes along the Urubamba river and the train tracks. We arrived in the evening at a hostel that was included in our travel package (which had cost about 60$ if I remember correctly) and had just enough time to have a bite to eat for dinner and a quick shower before we fell into our beds absolutely exhausted.

My alarm was set for 4am the next morning. At 4.30 we were queuing up to enter. At 5 the queue finally started moving and we made our way up the hundreds of steps to the top, beginning in pitch blackness and being rewarded with a beautiful sunrise once we made it to the top. We had a two-hour tour on site which I think was informative but wouldn't deem as essential. With the ticket, you are allowed to leave the site once to go for a bathroom and/or lunch break and be readmitted.

The hike back down was incredibly exhausting but we were quicker going back down than we were coming up naturally but even the three-hour walk took us less time so we had a nice break for another bite to eat and to relax before we spent another 6 hours in the van.

A small landslide provided a little hiccup on our way back but as cliched as it sounds that is what I have learned and keep learning: to keep an open mind, not stress and make the best out of any situation (sometimes more or less successfully).

So all that is left for me to say is that Peru really belongs as high as possible on the next adventure list!