Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan city in Peru. It was built back in the 15th century. When you see the place you’ll be amazed, because it is built on top of a mountain. It is very hard to get there but when you get there you’ll say “that is worth it”. The city was lost and it was only discovered in 1911 in the Andean forest. 

The city is shaped in triangles, I know you think about the Pyramids in Egypt and you are right. The city is one of the wonders of the world. My Macchu Picchu visit was great because my primary goal was the hike to the mountain and I didn’t think much about Peru but believe me the country is great and I recommend you to create a route not for the ancient Incan city but the country Peru itself. 

What You Need to Know To Visit Machu Picchu in 2021

I recommend you to get your ticket in advance because it is a popular site and a lot of people visit the place. When you get your tickets you need to select a time slot. If you get earlier tickets you can avoid the crowd, the place opens at 6 am. I was there at that time to catch the sunrise. Keep in mind that you will need up to 6 hours of exploring with the climb. And it is best to visit during the winter, the weather will be nice and you will avoid the crowd.  

The ticket types are as follows: 

Machu Picchu Ruins only

Huayna Picchu Mountain + Ruins

Machu Picchu Mountain + Ruins

And how did I get there? I had to set off as early as possible because I wanted to see the sun rising behind the mountain, so I spent the night in Aguas Calientes. It is a very small but a beautiful town. I took a shuttle to Machu Picchu, the earliest one. The trip takes around 30 minutes. But I recommend you to get the shuttle bus stop earlier because the line can be very very long.  As a note, it will be useful to know that you can’t take food, tripods, selfie sticks, and drones with you to the mountain. If you have time and the stamina for it, you can hike to the entrance, it takes about an hour to climb up. 

When I saw the sun rising, I started walking around to explore the Inca ruins. It is a city with big terraces, and huge walls. Then I hiked to Huayna Picchu, because my ticket included that part.  

CUSCO 

After Huayna Picchu, I went to Cusco which is the gateway to Machu Picchu. I recommend you take the train Ollantaytambo to Agues Calientes that has a see-through roof on every wagon. There are no roads on the mountain, the two only options are hiking and train. Aguas Calientes in Cusco is also called Machu Picchu Pueblo. There are good restaurants to eat, but it is a small village with a couple of hotels.  You can stay here a couple of days to balance the altitude sickness that can happen to you. Machu Picchu is located at 2450 meters, so if you are uncertain to climb up or climb down that altitude at once, you can stay in Agues Calientes.