All the ways to get to Machu Picchu

When we started planning a trip to the Inca City of Machu Picchu, we were faced with a key question... How to get to the citadel?.

In the search for that answer, things like the Inca Trail, Salkantay trek, Camino Alternativo, Km 82, Aguas Calientes, walking on the train tracks, etc. appear.

First thing's first

Cusco

Before starting to describe each of the alternatives, the first thing you should know is that they all start in the city of Inca City of Cusco.

Your first stop if or if, should be the navel of the world ... Cusco, the Inca capital..

Aguas Calientes

Most of the paths that we are going to name end in Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo.

This town is located at the foot of the Machu Picchu mountain where the Sanctuary and Inca city is located.

From Aguas Calientes you can go up to the citadel on foot or by bus.

Train

This is the option most used by travelers, however, it is not the cheapest, but it is the fastest alternative, its great advantage is saving time since in just three hours you go from Cusco to Aguas Calientes town.

Its starting point is the Poroy station, 25 minutes from the Plaza de Armas in Cusco. For 40 soles a taxi can take you to the station.

The final station will be Machu Picchu, in Aguas Calientes.

You also have the option of getting on the train at the station in the town of Ollantaytambo You also have the option of getting on the train at the station in the town of .

Many travelers prefer to know Ollantaytambo before going to Machu Picchu. Then it is more convenient to get on the train in said town.

Inca trail

This is the second most popular option. But also the most expensive since it is above $ 600, since you can get to Machu Picchu almost like in the old days, through the roads used by the Inca Empire. However, although in ancient times the roads allowed the Inca Empire to move from Cusco throughout the Sacred Valley, to Machu Picchu. Currently, for a tourist theme, the famous Inca Trail sold by agencies and authorized by the Peruvian government, begins at km 82, near Ollantaytambo. It takes about two hours to travel from Cusco by train.

So what we call the Inca Trail is only part of those ancient trails.

The classic tour is the one that lasts 4 days and 3 nights. Day 4 is not part of the path itself, it is the day you visit Machu Picchu.

There is another option, which would be to do the Inca Trail in 5 days, instead of doing it in 4 days, since doing it in a longer time helps to decrease the physical demand because it is a path through the mountains, which reaches up to 4,200 meters above the sea level, with lack of oxygen. So definitely not for anyone. But you don't have to prepare for a year either, going for a run two or three months before is enough. Also, arrive a few days before to Cusco to acclimatize to the altitude. Of course, the better prepared you are, the less difficult it will be for you, and the more you will enjoy it.

The great advantage of the Inca Trail, although a bit folkloric, is that Machu Picchu is accessed through the Puerta del Sol, the original entrance to the Inca City, and not the one currently used in the rest of the options, the gate tourist to put it in some way.

In case you want to book this way, you must do it several months in advance, we would say approximately 6 months before. Since the demand is high and only 500 people are allowed per day, also counting the cooks, guides, etc.

Alternative Path

This is the cheapest option, so its great advantage is cost.

This route consists of going by bus from Cusco to Santa María (8 hours). Then from Santa María to Santa Teresa by taxi (1 hour). Then 15 more minutes from Santa Teresa to the hydroelectric. And finally walk 10 km along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes, about 3 hours going slow.

Currently there are agencies in Cusco that take you and bring you down this road at a cost of about $ 80.

The great disadvantage of this path is the slowness. It takes a day to go, and a day to return. Although you could return by train if you wish.

Salkantay Trail

This is another that became very fashionable because the quotas for the Inca Trail are completed quickly..

The Salkantay trek, although many agencies sell it as the Inca Trail, it is not.

It is an alternative route, not regulated by the Peruvian government, so it has no quota limit.

It is a journey of 5 days and 4 nights. Some agencies offer the option to do it in 6 days.

One of the main advantages is that it reaches a higher altitude than the Inca Trail, up to 4,500 meters above sea level and the snow-capped mountains that are seen are impressive.

Also, the requirement of this path is a little higher than that of the Inca trail.

The end of the path is in Aguas Calientes, and not through Puerta del Sol like the Inca Trail.

The Salkantay Trail ends in Santa Teresa, and from there you will walk along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes, just like the Alternative Trail.

Its price ranges from usd 520 to usd 900, depending on how many people they are.

Kilometer 82

The train that goes from Cusco to Aguas Calientes makes a stop in Ollantaytambo and another one at kilometer 82, which is where the Inca Trail begins. So those who are going to walk the path, get off there. However, there are others who are not going to do the road, but in any case they descend in that kilometer and from there they walk along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes. Others even do it from Ollantaytambo.

Perhaps it is the least attractive option. But the cheapest..

Lares Way

This path has become very popular in recent years, and to do it you must start from the town of Lares, near Cusco.

It covers several points of the Sacred Valley in 4 days and 3 nights (option to do it in 5 days) and ends in the town of Ollantaytambo, from where the train is boarded to continue to Aguas Calientes.

Choquequeirao

Choequequeirao is another Inca city, similar to Machu Picchu that was discovered some years ago and is only now beginning to be exploited for tourism, so they are still in the stage of investigation, excavations, and cleaning of the undergrowth.

This path is not for anyone. It is the most difficult of all and in the world of trekking it is classified as a Difficult Level since it requires a lot of physical demand, so you have to prepare very well. The path lasts 8 days and 7 nights.

After visiting Choquequeirao, the road to Machu Picchu begins, where at the end, you will reach Santa Teresa, and like Salkantay and El Alternative way , you must walk along the tracks of the train to Aguas Calientes.

Inca Jungle

This is another fairly recent alternative with a lot of adventure. The road begins in Ollantaytambo, and from there are 4 days of adventure.

You will have downhill by bike, rafting, zipline, and of course, trekking.

With this option you will also reach Santa Teresa to walk along the tracks to Aguas Calientes.

A different option and one that is emerging as a good alternative to the Camino Alternativo or Km 82.