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May 30, 2014March 28, 2017

Salkantay to Machu Picchu Day 7: Machu Picchu

This post is part of a series called Peru 2014
Show More Posts
  • Fighting Fatigue on First Day in Lima, Peru
  • The Desert Oasis of Huacachina, Peru
  • Flying over the Nazca Lines in Peru
  • Altitude Sickness in Cuzco
  • Machu Picchu, 9 Years Later
  • Salkantay Trek To Machu Picchu Journal
  • Salkantay to Machu Picchu Day 1: Mollepata to Soraypampa
  • Salkantay to Machu Picchu Day 2: Soraypampa to Salkantay Pass to Huayracpunko
  • Salkantay to Machu Picchu Day 3: Huayracpunko to Colpapampa
  • Salkantay to Machu Picchu Day 4: Colpapampa to La Playa
  • Salkantay to Machu Picchu Day 5: La Playa to Llactapata
  • Salkantay to Machu Picchu Day 6: Llactapata to Aguas Calientes
  • Salkantay to Machu Picchu Day 7: Machu Picchu
  • In Review: 18 Days of Backpacking in Peru

Previous entry: Day 6 – Llactapata to Aguas Calientes

Gerald and I got up at 4am to get breakfast at the hostel and try to be one of the first ones to enter Machu Picchu.

There are 2 ways to go up the steep hill to the entrance for the ruins: by bus or by foot. The gates outside Machu Picchu open at 6am, but there’s another gate right before Puente Ruinas at the bottom of the mountain that opens at 5am. When we got to Puente Ruinas at 5am there were already 200 people in front of us. Pretty impressive to see so many fellow hikers choosing to do it the hard way. Nine years ago we hiked up in 1 hour 15 minutes and that felt like a big accomplishment. This time I did it in 46 minutes. Gerald got there a few minutes before me. The climb is through a relentless uphill trail made of stoned steps.

When we got to Machu Picchu a few minutes before they opened the gates, the first few buses had already arrived. It really pisses me off that the buses get there before most hikers. I really think that if you are willing to get up at 4am and hike up a very steep hill in less than 1 hour, you should be able to get in before the bus riders. There’s no reason why they can’t open the gate at Puente Ruinas at 4:30am for example.

In the end, all the effort was worth it to see Machu Picchu in the early sunrise light. Like everything else on this trek, it looked more beautiful than I remembered. Seeing how rainy and foggy the ruins were the previous day, we were very lucky to have the first dry and warm day in almost a week.

Machu Picchu, Peru
Machu Picchu. Same spot, 9 years later.
Machu Picchu. Same spot, 9 years later.

After snapping a few pictures. We headed to the gate for the hike up to Huana Picchu. This is the very steep mountain that appears in most pictures of Machu. We had a timed ticket for entry between 7am and 8am. Only 400 are allowed to hike up there per day. Gerald and I got the tickets 1 month in advance. When Rich tried to buy them a few days later, they were already sold out. Half of the 400 people go up in the first group, the second group starts going up at 10am. They organize this so that when you go up, you don’t encounter people coming down, and viceversa.

I had read online articles on how dangerous this hike was, but I felt that while steep, it would take a really big mistake and bad luck to fall off the cliff. I had very high expectations and I must say that I was a little underwhelmed by the views from the top. It is still worth the hike though.

Hike up to Huayna Picchu
Hike up to Huayna Picchu
Views of Machu Picchu from Huayna Picchu

The way down was even more exciting.

Steep steps down Huayna Picchu
Steep steps down Huayna Picchu

Gerald and I headed to the restaurant by the entrance to get some food. You are allowed to leave and come back in as long as you have your ticket and passport. Right by the entrance you can also stamp your passport with a Machu Picchu stamp.

The food outside is overpriced but at least the portions are big. At 11am we met with Rich, who had hiked up Machu Picchu mountain, on the opposite side of Huayna Picchu. I took a quick nap since I was pretty tired. Rich had also met a cool British guy named Jay, who joined us for the rest of the day. After avoiding the midday sun, the 4 of us, along with another couple from Florida, hired a guide to walk us through the different sections of Machu Picchu. It cost us 25 soles each, and I would say that the 2 hour tour was well worth it. Our guide Lucio was knowledgable and entertaining at times.

We snapped a few more pics after the guided tour. As we were leaving the ruins, I had a hard time taking my eyes off it. Who knows when I will see this beautiful site again. Maybe in another 9 years? What I do know is that when there’s a will, there’s a way.

Machu Picchu, Peru
Machu Picchu, Peru
Machu Picchu, Peru

The following day we took the Perurail Vistadome train (the only tickets we could find) back to Cuzco. While expensive (about $100 for a 4.5 hour ride), the seats are comfortable and they do serve snacks and drinks. The sights were nice but it got dark halfway through the journey.

Riding Vistadome train back to Cuzco

Being the second time for me doing the Salkantay Trek and visiting Machu Picchu, I must say that it exceeded all my expectations. Everything was more beautiful than I remembered. I really hope that they don’t make the Salkantay Trek a guide-only trail. I would love to go back again in the future.

Posted in Travel, Hiking, Photography, Train Rides, Round The World Trip, Americas, Peru, Salkantay To Machu Picchu
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   Salkantay to Machu Picchu Day 6: Llactapata to Aguas Calientes
In Review: 18 Days of Backpacking in Peru   

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Comments (10)

  • Rebecca May 31, 2014 at 4:28 am Reply

    It’s incredibly green. Looks like you had wonderful weather.

    • Kevin May 31, 2014 at 2:28 pm

      Yes Rebecca, we were very lucky to get a nice warm sunny day after so much rain.

  • Ted August 3, 2014 at 2:47 pm Reply

    Hi –

    Thanks for the great blog! Did you have any problems getting your packs on the train back to Cusco? Peru Rail lists baggage restrictions on their website but you must have been able to.

    Thanks!
    Ted

    • Kevin August 3, 2014 at 3:20 pm

      I don’t know if this is the norm, but they didn’t make us check in our big backpacks. We walked onto the train with them, and put them on a big rack next to the door.

  • Kendra S August 12, 2015 at 9:56 am Reply

    Hey Kevin

    I stumbled across your blog as I’m planning to do this trek next end of April/early May. This was fun to read and is making me really excited for it – fantastic photos as well! Thanks for a great read!

    Kendra

    • Kevin August 15, 2015 at 5:21 am

      Hi Kendra, glad you enjoyed my posts. Enjoy the trip!

  • Kate February 18, 2018 at 8:55 am Reply

    Thanks for sharing your experience and your tips- very helpful with planning my trip.
    Hopefully the trail is still available for independent hikers! Have to investigate. Kathy

    • Kevin March 2, 2018 at 3:39 am

      Hi Kate. I hope it’s still open for independent hikers. If you end up doing it, please let me know how it goes.

  • Todd McGregor March 2, 2018 at 9:35 pm Reply

    Hi Kevin – I thoroughly enjoyed your great photos and notes on your Salkantay trek to MP. My wife and I are making the hike in October this year and so looking forward to it. A tip for wet weather camping with a down bag is invest in a good Gore-Tex bivy bag and keep it all in a small dry bag. Wet and cold is not fun. Keep on hiking! Best regards, Todd

    • Kevin May 22, 2018 at 12:13 pm

      Thanks for the tip! I hope you enjoy the hike and get good weather in October.

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kevinstravel

Rough race and not the result I was looking for. W Rough race and not the result I was looking for. Was targeting a sub 2:55 but finished in 3:31. It felt hard from the start and had stomach issues later on. Still proud of the effort and finish.
2 more days 2 more days
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Tiruchirappalli, India. January 2018. Tiruchirappalli, India. January 2018.
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