The ticket to Machu Picchu you can buy in Cuzco in Ministerio de Cultura on Avenida de Cultura or in Aquas Calientes. The ticket is valid only on selected date. The basic cost 126 soles, with extra Machu Picchu Mountain cost 142soles or with extra WaynaPicchu 152 soles. Pay with cash or credit card extra charges apply.
There is a few ways to get to Machu Picchu. One is to buy the train ticket from Cuzco to Aquas Calientes (the village on the bottom of Machu Picchu). The cheapest return train ticket is about $85. Than from Aquas Calientes you can walk 1h up the hill to get to the entrance gate to MP or you can take a bus $18 return ticket.
The second option is to ride from Cuzco to Hydroelectrica (passing by Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, Santa Maria, Santa Teresa) where you can safely leave your bike with all the gear by a private house. In Hydroelectrica, just before the Machu Picchu Park barier there is a bridge to your left, pass it and 50m after on your right there are a few small houses. This is the right place. If there is no one there you can ask for the parking on the registation place, where the barier is.
After you follow the rail ways for 2-3h, that is a nice walk and if you look up you may see some ruins. There is no road to Aquas Calientes, only train.
The journey on the bike from Cuzco to Hydroelectrica takes about 5-6h plus 2h walk to Aquas Calientes and you can make it in one day.
If not there is plenty of hostels in Santa Teresa (40 soles for a couple for a night).
In Agusa Calientes there is lots of hostels so you don`t need to book in advance. Also lots of restaurant. Quite expensive though as everything else. There is a cash mashine there, and also most of the places accept USD.
To walk to the entrance to Machu Picchu it takes 1h, the best time is on the opening time 6:00am as there is not many people there, good for pictures. So you have to leave Aquas Calientes about 4:45am. Take some drinks and snacks with you as up on the hill everything is extremaly expensive. The park closes at 5pm but if you like to walk you can easly spent there all day.
You can take a guide up on the entrance, you can choose the language. It cost 120 soles and it splist for a number of people in your group. You can also read infos in your guidebook and safe on the guide.
Hope it helpes.

alicja&stefan
2wheels2people

Hi,

...and for Students half the price. Because they usuarly dont accept the national student card you have to get the international one on Cuzco for US$ 10.-. This also helps you in other places.

Motorcycle experience through Peru - Machu Picchu - part 3
Have fun, Tobi

We took the bikes up to Machu Picchu last week and by way of an update we though we would share with you our findings.

We stopped in hostell Estrallita in Cuzco which we found on the HUBB, great big courtyard for the bikes and there were a total of 9 bikes here during our stay.



Hostal Estrellita
Av. Tullumayo 445
13 31.112 S, 71 58 434 W (if you're using a GPS)

Before we arrived, we decided we wanted to ride to Machu Picchu (or as close as possible) but struggled to make sense of all the names being thrown around the HUBB. And its almost impossible to find a map with Santa MAria and Santa Theresa on it. Others in the hostel found the same problem so we have sketched out a little map so others can visualise the trip before they arrive in PERU / CUZCO.

A high res copy of the map above can be downloaded by clicking HERE



Brian and Marie posted an concise list of directions (above) following their visit, and I will update this given our recent experience;

From Cusco make you way to the village of Ollantaytambo (a 2 hour drive on paved roads) - West / Clockwise
OR
Leave Cuzco in an ANTI-CLOCKWISE direction for Pisac and tick off a few ruins on your way to Ollantaytambo (all paved). We did this and were still in Olly. for 3pm.

From Ollantaytambo go to the village of Santa Maria, a 2.5 hour drive that brings you up to over 4300 meters pass Abra Malaga, then drops you back down into a valley, this road is now paved other than small spots damaged by landslides.

From Santa Maria you make your way to Santa Theresa (a 45min ride on gravel)

We stopped in ST for the night and returned to ST for a night after MP. Leaving our bikes overnight in the same hostel while we were away.

In Santa Theresa find parking for your vehicle and/or a hostel (see map for our hostel

ps - there are fantastic thermal baths 5 mins outside ST, perfect to relax in after a days riding or walking MP!

From ST take a cab (we dont recommend walking its a very dusty track!) to the hydroelectric station (a 45 minute ride) There are mixed messages on the HUBB about places to leave your bike at Hydroelectrica and we weren't aware of anywhere when passing through.

From the hydrolectric station you walk along train tracks to the village of Aguas Calientes, (lots of accomodation) at the base of Machu Picchu (2 hour walk).

A high res copy of the map above can be downloaded by clicking HERE

We hope this all makes sense.

Chris & Chloe
BUENOS AIRES to VANCOUVER | Chris, Chloe & two motorbikes across South, Central & North America

By the way, we got the detailed map of the area from turist informacion.
Good luck

I confirm La Estrellita Av Tullumayo is good place to stay if you are on motorbike. But in high peak there is dificult to find place-book in advance (on, to days before is ok).

This is how we did Machu- Pichu:
1. We arrive in Cusco and stay in La Estrellita, we buy tickets in around Plaza de armas (depeatamento de turismo cale Gartzilaso next to chocolate museum) ticekts was not avalible in internet, but in office it was no problem. Price 128sol for person.
2. We drive (early) motorbikes to Santa Teresa, its couple hours of driving. Road is amazing, beatyfull views! Last 20 km is offroad, really beatyfull views, in my opinion better then "dead road" in Bolivia.
3. We arrive in Santa Teresa 15.30 we leve bikes inside hostel Yakumama (you se it when you enter city). Price 10 sol per bike. 200 meters from hostel is bus station. At 16.00 we take bus to hydroeletrical facylity. Ticket is 5 sol.
4. We miss a train, so we decide to walk to Aqua Calientes, we are happy that we didnt take a train. Walk is really nice! Its 10 km but you go in forest ect.its safe and not hard. We used 2 hours.
5. You need to book hostel- in high peak is hard to find place in Aquas Calientes. (we use Tombo Inn hostal)
6. We wake up at 5 in morning. Eat brekfast and go to Machu Pichu. We pass a line to bus- its over 2 hours for waiting for bus!! We take stairs.
7. To get to stairs you need to go back around 1 km in Santa Teresa direction. We use 1 hour to climb the stairs, but is hard. If you dont like to get sweet better get bus.
8. Its 30 min line to enter Machu Pichu. We use 3,5 hours to visit. You need to have ticket and Pasport to enter. After that we use stairs to go down, and we walk back to Santa Teresa.

If you like to take a bus insted of stairs , my sugestion is to take it around 10.00 then is no waiting for bus, and no waiting to enter Machu. Inside is a lot of pepole anyway.. It may be even less if you go later. Hope it helps.

Howdy Peeps!
I have written guide to getting to Machu Picchu the back way, with maps.
Please visit

dags VS the world Peru: Motorcycle the Incas (Machu Picchu) - dags VS the world

for everything you need!

dags