Peru25
TODO before we go
See if the airport hotel will let us store bags there.
weather
Cusco: daylight 5:49AM-6:10PM temp: 44F-62F % days with rain 45%
Lima: March 80°/68° 0 days rain
docs
itinerary
TUE 2/25 Boston > Lima
fly:AA DVCIDG $1056.44 bos > 12:30PM > mia > 4:12pm AA 2708 25D,25E mia > 5:40PM > lima > 11:25pm $1056.44 AA 917 30D,30E stay: Casa delSol conf# 4666742560 pin: 5854 135+13.5=$148.50
WED 2/26 Lima > Cuscos > Aguas Caliente Store luggage at Lima Airport
fly 7:55AM > 9:15AM 13D 13E Latam LA2007 $337rt order# LA0454333MPAI WCGCNX mytrips perurail 10:30AM > 2:25PM Estación Ferroviaria Wanchaq $327 tim A11 ticket B216-00610054 peri B216-00610055 stay Inti Punku Machupicchu Hotel & Suites Booking No. 1658100792576183 PIN 1728 $79 map
THU 2/27 Machu Piccu
bus bus ticketsbuy bus tickets online 1 week in advance S hike: Booking code: TMP-PQ7XB3U Number Order: 241243 $119.70 Visit date: 27 Feb 2025 Ticket type: Ticket Machu Picchu Classic Circuit 08:00 - circuit 2 perurail: Aguas Caliente > Cuscos 2:25 > 7:30 tim B216-00610056 stay AntiguaCusco $135 Reservation Code 8AV7HK Pin 1254218
FRI 2/28 Cusco > Lima
fly 4:25PM > 5:55PM 11D 11E Latam LA2064 order# LA0454333MPAI WCGCNX
TUE 3/11 Lima > Boston DVCIDG
lima 10:00PM > mia > 5:05AM 3/12 AA 918 23D,23E mia 8:25AM >bos > 11:41AM AA 2247 20B,20C
you can’t bring a suitcase!
This was another one I googled several times before booking tickets - can you really not take your luggage? Well as it turns out neither train company that run services to Aguas Calientes allow you to bring more than a carry on bag
4:20 for $60-$111
Cusco to Aguas Calientes
region recommendations and map
Cusco is at 3500m (11482 ft). Machu Picchu sits at a much lower elevation than Cusco at 2400m (7874 ft) elevation. Aguas Calientes is even lower.
This seems like a very tight schedule, and, most worrysome is the ticket to Machu Picchu. They usually sell out months in advance. If you haven't purchased the ticket yet, I highly recommend prioritizing this
It is advised to arrive in Aguas Calientes one day before you're going to MP. MP has two entry periods: morning and afternoon. If you arrive in Aguas Calientes in the afternoon (which you probably will), you will miss out. I'm not sure what is the latest time you can enter MP with an afternoon ticket, so it's better to check their official website. (Also it's been a few years since I've been thwre and idk if they changed something due to covid. Definitely check their website)
google map aguas calientes Once in Aguas Calientes, there are two ways to get to the entrance of MP:
- a bus from the village to the site. Long lines and need to get up early. I woke up at 4 am in the village to get the bus.
- you can hike there. It's a bit challenging, but I wouldn't call it very difficult. I didn't hike up, but I hiked down on my way back to the village. Upwards is a lot tougher, imo, though.
I did the morning visit and was back in Aguas Calientes by late afternoon. There I took a train in the evening to Cusco and the next day I got a flight to Lima.
I definitely recommend 3 days for the whole thing: first day in Cusco and Valle Sagrado + travel to Aguas Calientes; second day Machu Picchu and travel bacj to Cusco; third day Cusco and travel to Lima.
I’d highly recommend an overnight stay at Machu Picchu or Aguas Calientes if you want to get up to experience the ruins early the next morning.
Aguas Calientes has a good range of hotels. The buses start to roll out of town up to Machu Picchu early enough for you to arrive just after the gates open, and well ahead of visitors coming by train. Staying locally also is helpful if you want to visit the site more than once. Mist clinging to the peaks can be completely bewitching, but visibility can be changeable 2,450 m above sea level. A second visit can give you a completely different set of conditions to enjoy as you explore the architecture, and time to climb Huayna Picchu.
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ministry of culture
tickets
Aguas Calientes
Aguas Calientes has a plentiful selection of restaurants to suit your tastes and wallet. One of our current favorites is Indio Feliz, an award-winning restaurant serving Peruvian dishes with a French twist tucked away in a side street.
You can also try Peruvian street food if you time it right. Every Sunday, slow cooked chicharrones (hog roast) is sold until it’s all gone. I tried it on a recent trip and the meat was amazingly succulent, with the best crackling I’ve ever tasted.
It should be noted that the Inca Trail is closed to walkers during the month of February so restoration work can take place.
Machu Pichu
- To protect yourself from the rains, rain ponchos should be used.
- It is recommended to opt for a reusable water bottle.
- Backpacks or bags larger than 16x14x8 inches or weighing more than 10.4 lbs are prohibited.
- Older adults can carry a rubber-tipped cane but not hiking poles.
- When 0n circuit 2 you need to be careful. You must pick the ‘superior platforma’ when you see the sign or you will end up missing the classic views and you guessed it,
- you can’t backtrack.
- no toilets inside the site, I thought it might be a mistake. Turns out it’s not, so you’ll definitely want to use the bathroom at the entry gate (bring small change) before heading in.
- once you exit you can’t re-enter
- You can’t take any food into Machu Picchu
- You need to book the bus ticket to get up the mountain from the little ticket office in town, you can’t buy tickets on the bus.
- The bus has long lines and you need to get up early.
- bus tickets buy bus tickets online 1 week in advance
Description:
Reservation code: TMP-PQ7XB3U Ticket type Ticket Machu Picchu Classic Circuit 08:00 - circuit 2 Visit date 27 Feb 2025
ministerios culturas tickets
https://www.machupicchureservations.org
Cusco
Lima
Most tourists stay in the hip district of Barranco or centrally located Miraflores – and for good reason. But less-visited districts such as Pueblo Libre or Magdalena del Mar
For example, it's a good idea to pair gallery visits in Barranco with lunch or dinner in a Miraflores restaurant, or a trip to Pueblo Libre’s incredibly thorough and informative Museo Larco with a drink at the same district’s famed Queirolo pisco bar.
musee larca barranco
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/top-things-to-do-in-lima
