Machu Picchu

Visiting Machu Picchu had been a dream of mine since I started planning my Year Abroad back in 2016 - I initially intended to spend a few months volunteering in Peru, and hoped to include a trip to the iconic Inca citadel during that time. But then my plans changed, and I ended up spending a crazy, eventful and ultimately incredible semester in Chile instead.

Four years later, I've found myself living in South America for the second time in my life, and I knew that this time, I couldn't let the opportunity pass to visit this archaeological site, which is considered to be one of the most incredible sights to see in the entire world. In fact, it was voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007, which made me want to visit it even more, as I'd never been to any of the 7 Wonders before!

So, as you can imagine, I was extremely excited to finally go to Machu Picchu last month. But I was also very nervous that something could go wrong - I'd had a couple of problems with the information on my ticket, and although I'd been assured via email that everything was okay, I was still worried that somehow I'd be denied entry. How awful would it have been to have gone all the way to Peru and spent a week there, and then to be unable to visit the place I'd wanted to see most! 

For this reason, I barely slept the night before my visit to the citadel, and I got up in the morning not feeling too great. I'd planned to hike to the site rather than taking the bus, both to save money and because I wanted to feel like I'd earned my visit to Machu Picchu, but I started to wonder if the bus might be a better idea, given how I was feeling.

However, once I got out into the main street of Aguas Calientes and saw the huge queue for the bus, I changed my mind again and decided to hike after all! 

The first part of the hike is just an easy walk along the river, which took me about twenty minutes, walking reasonably fast. Once you reach a checkpoint next to a bridge, you have to show your ticket and passport, and then you begin the hiking trail itself, which is basically just lots and lots of steep and uneven steps cutting through the zigzag road that the buses take up to the site. It's considered a moderately challenging hike that's meant to take around 60 minutes on average. I was a little daunted by it but very motivated!

I entered the trail, and was instantly surrounded by sweltering jungle, with exotic butterflies and swarms of mosquitos flying around. After putting on some sunblock and insect repellent, I was ready to begin climbing.

The hike was certainly challenging - walking up hundreds upon hundreds of steps is an exhausting task, so much so that I took the longer route around the zigzag road a couple of times, just to have a bit of a breather. Although I enjoy exercise and consider myself reasonably fit, I usually do more varied workouts of around 30 minutes or less, and rarely do exercise as long and relentless as this. 

However, the hike is enjoyable too, because the views you get of both jungle and mountains are so spectacular; this is truly a unique area of nature.

Two people passed me on my way up the trek, and maybe around ten passed on their way down, but the trail was surprisingly quiet. I had expected more people would want to do the hike (it's free, unlike the 12 dollar bus ticket!), but it seems that the bus is overwhelmingly the more popular option. The quietness of the trail made me feel even more adventurous and intrepid!

When I finally reached the top, I was dripping with sweat and panting with exhaustion, but feeling very proud of myself for completing this challenge! Despite having taken the longer route around the road for parts of the hike, I'd still managed to do it in around 60 minutes as expected, so I was really happy.

And at last it was finally time for me to enter Machu Picchu!

The first thing you see when you enter isn't the iconic view we've all seen on social media and travel guides, but it's still pretty amazing!

After walking up some steps (I was very tired of steps by this point!), you finally get to see the citadel laid out in front of you.

And a little bit further along, you get that absolutely iconic view that really takes your breath away. To tell the truth, I had been a little worried that Machu Picchu wouldn't live up to my expectations - after all, I'd already seen it countless times in pictures and videos. But to actually be there, seeing it with my own eyes, was an incredible experience that I'll never forget. It had taken two flights, an Uber ride, a train journey and a challenging hike to get there, but it was so worth all the time, money and effort to finally just be there, take in the spectacular views, and soak up all the atmosphere and history of the place.

The tour of the site lasted around two hours, but it felt like 10 minutes! Being at Machu Picchu was like being in a dream, and I couldn't quite believe it was really happening. But I tried my best to retain at least some of the information from the tour, which was very interesting.

People have various theories about the purpose of the site, but the most likely one is that it was a spiritual retreat, which makes sense, as it has several temples. It's amazing to see how well the buildings have been preserved since the site was built around 600 years ago. 

It was nice to see some cute llamas at Machu Picchu. But the guide explained that, unfortunately, the llamas have been taken out of their natural habitat, which is the dryer areas of the mountains, and that this jungle environment isn't good for them.

On a happier note, we also saw a viscacha (like a big rabbit), which is native to the area. He or she was sitting in the window of a temple and looked very cute!

Overall, visiting Machu Picchu was a real dream come true. I remember sitting in my parent's house last year, unable to go anywhere and not knowing when I would next see my boyfriend. During that year in which I didn't travel abroad at all, I daydreamed a lot about the places I'd visit around Latin America when I finally managed to move to Chile, and Machu Picchu (along with a few more of the places we've already been to this year) was definitely one of the ones I thought about most! 

Although this year has had its challenges, I feel incredibly happy that I have at last managed to move to Chile, that Claudio and I now live in our little apartment together, and that I've had the opportunity to visit amazing places such as this. 😊

After the tour, it was time to hike back down the way I'd come up. This time the trail was a little busier than before, but there were still huge lines of people waiting to take the bus back to Aguas Calientes. To be honest, I would encourage anyone able-bodied who's visiting Machu Picchu to at least hike down afterwards - yes, the way up is challenging and you need to be reasonably fit to do it, but the way down is much easier, and you get to enjoy walking through the jungle, and you save yourself 12 dollars! It's a no-brainer really!

When I crossed over the bridge at the end of the trail, I felt super happy to have experienced this amazing morning of hiking and exploring one of my bucket list destinations. I also realised that from the bridge, you can see another archaeological site, which made me even happier!

All in all, it had been a real once-in-a-lifetime trip, and I'm so happy that I was finally able to realise my travel dream of 6 years! But to be honest, even though seeing Machu Picchu was the reason I took this trip, the entire week I had in Peru was incredible, and I'll always have great memories of my travels in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Maras and Moray, and Aguas Calientes.

And although for many people, Machu Picchu and the surrounding area are Peru, I've read a lot more about the country while planning this trip and our trip to Tacna in June, and I now have so much Wanderlust to explore other Peruvian destinations in the future! Most of all, I'd really like to go to Lima, the Ballestas Islands and Máncora, but Arequipa, Iquitos and Trujillo also interest me. As I'll have to leave Chile at least for a short while next February for visa reasons, perhaps I'll end up returning to Peru then, but otherwise, I hope to return at some point in the future! This country has so much to offer, and I'm glad to have experienced one beautiful corner of it during this unforgettable week. 😊

Aguas Calientes (Machupicchu Pueblo)

Many people dream of visiting the incredible Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, but it's a little complicated to actually get there compared with other famous destinations around the world. You can't just take a direct bus from Cusco or any other city - but the good news is that you have several different transportation options, most of which involve a stop in the village of Aguas Calientes. (Once you're in Aguas Calientes, you then have a choice of taking the bus or hiking up to Machu Picchu - I'll be writing more about that in my next post!) 

The most famous way of getting to Machu Picchu is to do a multi-day hike, such as the one known as the "Inca Trail", but this is a very expensive option and has limited availability. Personally, I was never interested in doing any of these hikes, as I only like shorter hikes and don't like camping at all. Plus, I wanted to use my week in Peru seeing as many sights as possible, rather than spending the whole time walking.

There's also a lengthy but cheap option which involves taking a 5 hour bus ride and a taxi to Hidroeléctrica station, and then doing a long walk to Aguas Calientes.

But by far the most convenient option is to take the train either from Cusco or Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, and this is the option I chose, not just because of its convenience but also because it was a real dream of mine. I'd seen videos of this train journey before I even started planning my trip, and thought it looked incredible. I've always loved train travel, so this was actually one of the parts of my trip I was most looking forward to. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the most disappointing part of the trip, and I'll explain why in a moment.

When it comes to taking the train to Aguas Calientes, there are yet more options. You have a choice of two providers (PeruRail and Inca Rail) and each offer a range of services, from a nicely-decorated but fairly standard tourist train, to a full-blown luxury experience. I opted for the PeruRail Expedition train, which was the cheapest choice, but which still came to 127 dollars for a return, despite the fact that the return leg included a replacement bus service between Ollantaytambo and Cusco. Aside from the flights to and from Peru and a 4 night hotel stay in Cusco, this was the most expensive thing I bought for the entire trip.

Because of the price and the videos I'd seen online, I was expecting a very special experience, but what I got didn't really seem worth the money. The thing that bothered me the most was that they don't let you either choose or change your seat, which is a bit crazy, given the huge cost of the ticket. Now I'm a person who's a big fan of personal space, especially on public transport - if I'm sitting by myself on a train or bus journey, I like to watch the scenery go by and drift off into my own world of daydreams, which is something I find I'm unable to do when a stranger is in my personal space. But unfortunately, I got assigned a window seat next to a stranger, and couldn't put my arms down by my sides without touching him, so I had to be hunched up for the entire 3.5 hour journey. To make things even more frustrating, I could see other solo travellers in the same carriage had been lucky enough to get two seats to themselves!

Another disappointing thing was that there wasn't a special panoramic carriage like I'd seen in videos (it turns out you need to pay for an even pricier train to get that). But on the plus side, it was a very clean and nicely decorated train.

The scenery was also beautiful, as we passed through the Sacred Valley, seeing various archaeological sites. The train announcement system gave information in both English and Spanish about the different places along the journey.

There came a point later on in the journey, where the scenery suddenly changed and became much more green and tropical, as we had now entered the high jungle or "ceja de selva" ("jungle eyebrow"). This, to me, was very exciting, because the scenery around Cusco, although beautiful, is very similar to the mountain scenery in the centre of Chile, but this tropical jungle scenery was completely new to me.

After what felt like a very long time, it was a relief to arrive in Aguas Calientes at last. From what I'd read about the village, also known as Machupicchu Pueblo, most people didn't think of it as anything more than a necessary stop en route to Machu Picchu, so I was surprised to find myself enchanted by the place as soon as I left the train station. It's incredibly picturesque, featuring rushing rivers crossed by little bridges, and a backdrop of mountains covered in tropical rainforest.

I checked into my hotel, Machu Picchu Adventure House (a great name!), where my room had very pretty traditional Inca-style décor and a nice view of some exotic-looking buildings.

Then I went out to find some lunch and explore a little bit. In Aguas Calientes, there aren't any specifically vegan restaurants, but pretty much every place does at least one plant-based dish, so I didn't have any trouble finding food there. On that first day I ended up having lomo saltado de verduras, which was basically vegetables fried in a Chinese-style sauce, served with both chips and rice (the double carbs definitely reminded me of UK food!). It was so nice that I've actually had a go at recreating it back home in our little apartment in Santiago!

After lunch, I did a bit of exploring. First I visited the village's main square, Plaza Manco Cápac, which has a statue of an Inca king, and a little church. 

I also went to Parque Mirador Río Vilcanota, which is a very peaceful and tranquil little park next to the river, a little out of the way from the crowds. A really nice spot that a lot of tourists probably miss out on seeing!

Another picturesque spot is up on the other side of the village, where you can see some statues of Inca warriors.

After my sightseeing tour on foot, I went back to the hotel to unpack and get changed. The weather had been sweltering, but more or less as soon as I got into my room, the heavens opened and unleashed a tropical downpour for the following 30 minutes. I felt glad to have avoided it!

Once I'd got myself organised, it was time to visit Aguas Calientes' main attraction: the thermal baths. (This is where the name Aguas Calientes - "hot waters" - comes from.) They're located up some steep steps a bit of a distance from the centre of the village, but you get some beautiful views of little waterfalls on the walk there.

Entrance to the baths costs 20 soles (about 5 dollars), and there are several warm baths that are between 34 and 37 degrees, and a cold one that's 14 degrees (I only dipped my toe in that one!). The baths are quite busy, both with tourists and local people, including splashing kids, but once you find a little space for yourself, it's a really relaxing experience.

It was so nice to float in the warm water (which definitely helped ease my stiff muscles from the cramped train journey!) and enjoy the incredible rainforest scenery around me. I was reminded a bit of Termas Geométricas in the Patagonian Rainforest - a much colder but equally beautiful setting!

Finally, my day in Aguas Calientes was rounded off nicely by seeing a gorgeous orange cat on my way back to the hotel!

Overall, this was a day of two halves; the morning train trip was a let-down, but my afternoon and evening in Aguas Calientes more than made up for it. Although the village is mostly just known for being a gateway to Machu Picchu, it actually turned out to be one of my favourite places I visited during my week in Peru, and it definitely gave me Wanderlust to visit other jungle destinations in the future.

The following day, it was finally time for me to visit the place that was the main reason why I was taking this trip: Machu Picchu. Both my journey there and my visit to the citadel were really memorable experiences and I can't wait to write all about them!