White linen tablecloths, glasses of wine, and comfy seats were not anything I ever imagined when I thought of a journey to the famed Machu Picchu. It’s more like beads of sweat falling down the faces of khaki-clad explorers hiking in muddy boots through the jungle, most likely eating granola bars washed down with water straight out of a metal canteen. Am I right? Machu Picchu is the ancient Incan site rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Some say that Hiram was the inspiration for Indiana Jones, which explains the khaki-clad adventurer image I had in mind.
On our Machu Picchu travels we found ourselves quite comfortably riding in the First Class Machu Picchu Train, which I had never even heard of before this trip. Beautiful views, white linen tablecloths, good food and wine, friendly servers and even live onboard musical entertainment were all part of our travel experience. I would later find out that there are only two ways to get to Machu Picchu. You can hike the famous Inca Trail, which is a four-day journey, or take the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. If you decide to hike the Inca Trail, be sure to secure your permits well in advance as it is very popular.
If your time is limited or your trip is part of a larger excursion like ours was, the train offers a convenient way to see the main attraction without eating up too much of your time and effort. Which train you choose will determine whether you dine on white linen, enjoy a simple snack, or simply enjoy the view through oversized windows. There are several options. It is a pretty spectacular train ride along the Urubamba River and the First Class train even features a small outdoor balcony that you can stand on which puts you essentially on the outside of the train, wind in your hair, and taking photos with no barriers.
The train arrives in Aguas Calientes, a town built entirely to provide for the tourist industry that has risen up around Machu Picchu. Every convenience is available from hotels, restaurants, and shops. It should be noted that there is only one motorized way in and out of Aguas Calientes and that is by train. There are no roads to Aguas Calientes. So, it’s by foot or rail, and as we found out, that can leave you spending a little extra time in town if the wrong thing happens.
Once in Aguas Calientes, there are buses that transport you to the top of the mountain and the entrance to Machu Picchu. You can also hike, but the buses seem the safer option even if they do snake their way back and forth the entire way up the mountain. We saw people on foot crossing the road right in front of the buses. This is a narrow, winding mountain road and you’re on a bus. Although these bus drivers go up and down all day, it seems like a fairly perilous task. Perilous but definitely worth the reward when you get to the top.
The climb to the top brought us our first glimpse of the amazing peaks of the Andes Mountains surrounding us. I was not prepared for the beauty and vastness of the mountains on all sides of Machu Picchu. Even if Machu Picchu didn’t exist, these mountains alone would be worth the journey.
Once off the bus, you go through a ticket gate and begin the short hike up some stairs to your first glimpse of Machu Picchu. Walking through the ruins is now more restricted and there are routes that you are supposed to take based on your ticket. It is not allowed to simply wander through the ruins freely.
I had spent a fair amount of time investigating Machu Picchu, visiting it virtually via Google Earth, VR videos and the like, but none of those things prepared me for my first sight of one of the New Seven Wonders of the World – Machu Picchu. It was a gorgeous, clear day and the view was truly breathtaking. To think that we were finally standing in front of this ancient site gave me pause. We stood, staring, taking photos, soaking in the moments before we eventually descended into the complex itself with our guide, Carlos. We followed him, he told us many interesting facts, and we had the classic encounter with the Machu Picchu llamas that roam freely around the site. Yes, there were many tourists at Machu Picchu, but we didn’t care. It was a fantastic day filled with fantastic moments.
If you managed to stick around and read this entire article, you might be wondering why we ended up spending a little extra time in Aguas Calientes after seeing Machu Picchu. Remember that there is only one way in and out? Once we were back down the mountain, our guide informed us that the train behind us coming in that morning had been hit by a small avalanche of rocks and been derailed all day, which also meant no trains had departed since then. It would take until well into the night for the trains to start leaving Aguas Calientes. Once back on the train, they fixed any frustrations passengers had by offering free drinks and music for the entire ride back. And in classic Peruvian style, our guides enjoyed with us. It was a fun night to end an amazing day.
Take a look at our 3-Day Peru Itinerary.
