Peru Complete Travel Guide
When you think of Peru, you think of Machu Picchu. This Inka city is a UNESCO world heritage site and has the prestigious title of one of the seven wonders of the world.
Planning your visit to Machu Picchu
To visit Machu Picchu, make sure to have a ticket booked more than a month in advance, as the popular routes sell out fast! I was able to grab one of the last 2 tickets on the official website, when planning my trip only one month prior.
Visiting Machu Picchu, the only way to get there is by train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. In Aguas Calientes an overpriced bus (90 soles round trip) will take you up the mountain to the entrance. The bus ticket you buy in the town for a specific date (not time).
Exploring Machu Picchu
The first day I got the ticket for the popular route 2 at 15:00. I was one of the few people without a guide, which was perfect to explore the massive site at my own pace. Plus I personally don’t care much about the history and details anyways. What I loved about my solo exploration was that I apparently came into sections that I wasn’t supposed to be, but had a perfect view all to myself.
Breaking the rules
The second day of visiting Machu Picchu was June 21: my birthday! For this day I had the less popular ticket to visit Machu Picchu mountain, which is quite the climb to go up. At the entrance gate I ran into Carlos, a guide I met the other day when I asked him to take my photo. He invited me to join his tour. I told him my entrance was only for the mountain, Carlos said: not a problem, you’re with me 🙂 As I’m always a fan of bending some rules, I joined him.
Since it was my birthday it was especially nice to hang out with fun travellers. This time I even got all the background information about the city and the Inka people. Plus having lots of laughs with my new Indian friend Sylesh.
Happy birthday on the train back to Cusco
Travelling alone means you always meet and talk to new people. On the train I sat with a family from Colombia. I told them it was my birthday and they started singing, and shortly after the whole train cart joined it. This made me feel extra special!
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