To Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu
The journey from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu is about an hour and a half by train. The narrow guage train passes by sections of the Inca Trail and along the Urubamba River.
Arriving in Aguas Calientes, disembarking passengers are immediately deposited into a marketplace very similar to ones we saw in other towns. Colorful blankets, rugs, backpacks and other woven goods are hanging everywhere. Jewelry, t-shirts, and postcards cover every wall. Seems like the only purpose of the town is to sell stuff to Machu Picchu-bound tourists.
Busses leave about every 30 minutes for Machu Picchu, a 25 minute ride up a steep switchback road. We enjoyed the views as we climbed up the mountain, except when we met another bus coming in the opposite direction. One bus (usually the downward-travelling one) backs up to the very edge of the road, allowing the upward moving bus space to pass but giving passengers a scary view straight down to the valley below.
Here is the steep, winding road up to Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu is hard to adequately describe. Overwhelming, breathtaking, stunning…these words don´t come close to doing the job. It´s impossible to take a bad photo. And impossible to comprehend how (and why) the place was built in such a remote and inaccessible spot. At the top of jagged Andean peaks, the stone terraces and buildings give few clues about their original purpose but draw you in to explore every stone path, building and stairway. I will never forget the experience of just sitting on a stone bench and gazing across the acres of this marvelous Incan gem.
The llamas seem to enjoy the view too.
You don’t stroll through Machu Picchu. Everything is a hike. My legs were killing me after exploring for two days.
Tags: Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, Travel
alisonad
Hello, My husband and I are going to the Sacred Valley, MP and Cuzco this June. Looks like you had good weather. Did you just bring long zip off pants or did you need something warmer? Did you need a lot of fleece or did you need warmer wool? We plan on doing a lot of day hikes. Do you think we’ll need a guide? If so, do you have contact info for the local Peruvian guide you used? Also, we are looking at staying at Hostal Sauce in Ollanta and at the Machupicchu Hostal in Aguas Calientes. Was the Machupicchu Hostal really noisy? It sounds like you would recommend both places. We are thinking of staying in the San Blas area in Cuzco, as we don’t mind doing the steps and it sounds like it might have better views then down towards the Plaza de Armes.nrnrThanks:). I look forward to hearing from you. Jennifer in California