Machu Picchu | Travel Guide

3 months late is better than never, right?  I’m so excited to recap what was one of the most incredible parts of my travel journeys EVER: Machu Picchu.  Visiting Machu Picchu was a dream come true for me… the beauty of Peru is like nothing I expected, however the prized gem is Machu Picchu, the intriguing site of Incan ruins.  My girlfriends Laura, Jen and I spent about 10 days in Peru this summer, splitting our time between coastal Lima and the mountained Cusco area.  If you’re thinking “hey this sounds like the premise of The Emperor’s New Groove”, well you’re exactly right.  Except thankfully none of us turned into a llama.

After eating our weight in ceviche in Lima and spending a few days to acclimate to the altitude in Cusco (the altitude is no joke, but we were actually ok; other than climbing stairs or doing anything strenuous, we were able to breathe fine), we set off on our journey to Machu Picchu. There are only two ways to get to the city of Aguas Calientes, which sits at the base of Machu Picchu- take a slow but scenic train, or walk (the famed Inca Trail).  I think you can assume which one we did.  Those train operators sure do have a monopoly on the region, but I’m not mad about the hustle.  The train ride takes about 4 hours from Cusco, and what we found to be hilarious is how slow it goes.  The train barely moves 20 mph.  The path through the mountains is very untouched, and there’s a lot of twists and turns along the way, so it ultimately became a quiet, scenic journey.

Now besides booking multiple spa visits, the best thing we did the entire trip was agree to spend the night before our big Machu Picchu day at a hotel in Aguas Calientes.  The alternative is taking a really f*cking early train ride from Cusco, or starting at Machu Picchu later in the day.  The obvious downside of waking up at 2am to take the first train from Cusco is that you’ll be exhausted the entire day at Machu Picchu, and probably miss out on some of the moments because you’re trying not to die.  For people who love themselves and like to sleep, and don’t mind shelling out for a hotel, I would definitely recommend spending the night before.  Give yourself as much time at Machu Picchu as possible.  A place that special you won’t regret.  So we arrived about midday on a Tuesday, and had plenty of time to relax and explore before waking up at 4am the next day to hike.   We even took a preview of the remix and took the bus up the mountain to the entrance of Machu Picchu to poke around and check out the luxury hotel up there.  

So when you scroll Instagram or read Travel & Leisure and see all the famous shots of Machu Picchu, there’s a mountain in the background called Huayna Picchu (see below).

That mountain is what we hiked.

No, I am not joking.  No, we did not die.  What we accomplished was a feat that made enjoying the experience of Machu Picchu even more rewarding.  Because the hike is so hard, the paths are non-existent in parts, and they don’t want overcrowding on the mountain, the Peruvian government limits this number of people that can do this hike to 400 per day.  Note to anyone considering this– book your tickets early.  These hikes can sell out months in advance, especially during busy times of year.  We bought our hike tickets in April for our August hike.  We purchased them for the 7am time-slot rather than the later 10am one.  The early bird catches the worm, right?

The night before the hike we laid around in our hotel room, relaxing and psyching ourselves up.  In true Alexa fashion, I think I did 3 face masks.  The morning of, I felt the excitement and adrenaline similar to the day I ran my marathon.  I knew this hike was going to be one of the most physically taxing things I’d ever do, but I was insanely excited.  This hike in particular has a portion where you have no handrails and essentially hike straight up, aptly titled “The Stairs of Death”.   I knew the view from the top would be worth it.  We woke around 4am and ate breakfast, prepared our backpacks and got in line for the bus.  From the base of Aguas Calientes you take either a 30-minute bus or a nice little 2+ hour walk up.  We bused.  The line for the bus was SO LONG we felt like we were at Disneyland.  I will say the line for the bus was really the only main part it felt like a tourist location.  Our personal journeys became shared journeys in that 400+ person bus line.

Thankfully the buses are a plenty, and we finally boarded one and headed up.  We had to show our Huayna Picchu hike ticket (which also included our general Machu Picchu ticket) and a passport to get in.  Also– for those who have to pee every hour like myself, have a ton of change on hand, as it costs soles (Peruvian currency) to use the restrooms there.  In true runner fashion, I nervous-peed and then we were off!  We walked to the entrance of Huayna Picchu, where they make you sign a log when you enter.  You sign in, and if you don’t sign out by the end of the day, well, I think they just assume you’re dead.  I would LOL, but people actually do die on this hike.  So there’s that.

I won’t lie to you, the hike was really tough.  I don’t really hike or work with inclines too much, so it was hard on the sections where you are going straight up.  It didn’t help that the stairs are huge (even though Incans were short ass people historically, they had the largest stairs.  Perplexing).  My friend Laura even had a broken FOOT.  But we kept going.  We discussed as a group that it didn’t matter how fast we went, we just had to keep going.  Slow and steady always does win the race.  So we trekked, for about 90 minutes, maybe a bit shy of it.  From our scientific internet research it seemed that if you were really being fast, you could make it up in about 45 minutes- 1 hr.  We obviously stopped for a bunch of photos along the way, but it wasn’t until the last 20 minutes or so when the views really become apparent.

What was most noteworthy was how quiet everything was at the top of the mountain.  The loudest thing were my own lungs, panting from the hike.  But when they say the view is worth it, they were not joking.  I know I sound like an asshole, but the photos really don’t even do it justice.  In a world that sometimes feels like it’s collapsing in on itself, it feels unreal that places like this exist.  The sheer beauty of nature in its purest form is a gift.  For me, nature is the closest I ever feel to a higher power.  It’s a smack-in-the-face reminder that there is something so much bigger than all of us.  Maybe it was the literal ascension in meters, or the silence at the top, but at the peak of Huayna Picchu on that Wednesday in August, it sure felt like heaven.

All in all, if you’re taking a trip to Peru, Huayna Picchu has got to be on your list.  Machu Picchu is incredible and interesting and historic in its own right, but this hike is another level.  If I can do it, you can do it.  If Laura with a broken foot can do it, you can do it.  The feeling you’ll get at the top is worth every ounce of blood, sweat, or tears (thankfully no blood for me, just the other two).  After our moment at the top, we descended to take a break, eat, relax, and get ready for some history.  It’s not required, but we hired a tour guide at the entrance of Machu Picchu to give us background on the site.  It’s basically a person who knows all the history on the site who will walk around with you, teach you things, and take photos for you.  I think it’s a worthy investment considering there are no signs with information or anywhere you can really learn about what the ruins were.  If you’re on a tour group already, this won’t be necessary, but if you book this part of the trip on your own I’d definitely recommend it.  After a few hours at the ruins, we were maxed out.  Not only was I physically exhausted, but I was emotionally exhausted.  Travel always challenges me in new ways and this day humbled me.  Not humbled in the sense that it brought down my confidence levels (those are sky-high, I’m amazing and I own it), but it humbled me as a human.  Beautiful, destructive, all-consuming nature has a way of reminding you how insignificant you are when it comes to the scope of the universe.  Being at the top of the mountain, taking it all in and having a moment with God reminded me how sacred my existence is.  And I vowed to never take for granted the privilege I have to travel.  Every new place I visit and each new experience is a gift.  Machu Picchu was the ultimate gift.