hello,
i remember a post about going by road (to avoid the nice but expensive train and the touristic trails) from cusco to machu pichu and can t find it any more (i searched it here in vain).
i m now in bolivia in sucre, met Gert from joyride who can be helpfull here (http://www.joyridebol.com).
can anyone help me with info or find the post ?
i ll be back in france beginning of march and will be able to give some feedback in details about north of chile, bolivia and peru.
cheers, happy trails

nb : bikes rentals are possible in cusco, a friend emailed me from there.
ps : couldn t buy a bike as wanted in santiago chile because of lack of time (only one month travelling in chile bolivia peru) and kind of long and complicated paperwork in chile + taxes to be paid in peru to sell it.



[This message has been edited by vincent danna (edited 13 February 2006).]

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Hi Vincent,

Just come from there....

There is a road but I don't know if your allowed to use it upto the town.

I travelled by train and could see it running along the valley - I must admit I thought about doing the same but the train is pretty good. The roads paved to about half way after that is gravel and dirt, but dut to the weather is will be in very poor shape, very wet.

Wont I can't say is that the road runs right up to town...?

Bike nire in Cusco is everywhere, cheap and the bikes seems to be in very good condition with decent tires.

Good luck

Nik

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Vince,
when I was there last November, I got the information that there is no road after Ollantaytambo station. A couple of travellers go by bus to Ollantaytambo, get on the train there and do the last part to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu). I have seen no road after Ollantaytambo. The entire train trip from Cusco is some tiring 4 hours, from Ollantaytambo it's maybe half an hour to an hour.
Best regards
Winfried

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Vincent,

I can't remember when it was originally posted, but thanks to James and Kerry there is indeed info on how to get there by bike:

Ollaytatambo was at mile 50 from Cusco. Drive through the Plaza over a small bridge heading towards the ruins. At the ruins turn left for the route to Quillabamba, there is a small dirt road section then onto paved road for 13miles of switchbacks.
Then there are some road works and the road alternates between paved and dirt but no bad sections although you are still climbing. There is a possible camp spot about 19miles from Ollay but it is at 4000m so better to carry on.
After 24miles from Ollay of climbing you make the pass at 4350m and begin the descent, the orad is now entirely dirt but in pretty good condition. About 59miles from Ollay you come to a run of villages where there couls be camping on fields, this now being at 1600m. Otherwise continue on to Santa Maria where there are hostals etc.
There is a left turn in Santa Maria to take you across the bridge towards Santa Teresa. lat -13,00705 long -72,63372 the journey from here is about 2 hours on winding dirt roads. There is a sharp turn to the right on route that is easily missed - coords are lat -13,02963 long -72,62611
There is safe, enclosed parking at the Medico centre, the whole town is very friendly. We were not asked for any money but we gave a token 20soles to Senora Rosa for their hospitality and security.
From here to get to Machu Picchu we walked about 15mins to catch a camion to HydroElectrika. Ask any locals and they will point you in the right direction. The trip is only 20mins and costs 4soles per person but it beats a not very interesting walk. From the Hydro train station we decided to walk the tracks as there is only one train a day around 3:30. The walk is easy and beautiful and takes about 2.5hrs to get to Puentos Ruinas where we camped in the campsite for 15soles per tent. Aguas Calientas is a further 2km. The campsite is ideal for the early morning trek up to the entrance - whish took us about 1hr. Gates opened dead on 6am.
Hope this helps anyone else. Keep well, safe journey and keep in touch.
James and Kerry.


Hope this is what you were after.

What was the major problem with buying a bike in Santiago? What sort of time are we talking about when you say 'takes too long'? Very interested in this because I now got my tickets for 13th May and still want to buy in Santiago, if possible.

Enjoy your trip and stay safe.

Jens

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here goes the original post.

HI, we were in Cusco last week and were very annoyed finding that the train ride to MP is minimum 40 US Dollars and then no money is going to the locals but to Orient Express!
There is a way around it, where u can stay in local communities who appreciate some tourism. Read below the description from our friends James and Kerry, Landrover drivers.:

Ollaytatambo was at mile 50 from Cusco. Drive through the Plaza over a small bridge heading towards the ruins. At the ruins turn left for the route to Quillabamba, there is a small dirt road section then onto paved road for 13miles of switchbacks.

Then there are some road works and the road alternates between paved and dirt but no bad sections although you are still climbing. There is a possible camp spot about 19miles from Ollay but it is at 4000m so better to carry on.

After 24miles from Ollay of climbing you make the pass at 4350m and begin the descent, the orad is now entirely dirt but in pretty good condition. About 59miles from Ollay you come to a run of villages where there couls be camping on fields, this now being at 1600m. Otherwise continue on to Santa Maria where there are hostals etc.

There is a left turn in Santa Maria to take you across the bridge towards Santa Teresa. lat -13,00705 long -72,63372 the journey from here is about 2 hours on winding dirt roads. There is a sharp turn to the right on route that is easily missed - coords are lat -13,02963 long -72,62611

There is safe, enclosed parking at the Medico centre, the whole town is very friendly. We were not asked for any money but we gave a token 20soles to Senora Rosa for their hospitality and security.

From here to get to Machu Picchu we walked about 15mins to catch a camion to HydroElectrika. Ask any locals and they will point you in the right direction. The trip is only 20mins and costs 4soles per person but it beats a not very interesting walk. From the Hydro train station we decided to walk the tracks as there is only one train a day around 3:30. The walk is easy and beautiful and takes about 2.5hrs to get to Puentos Ruinas where we camped in the campsite for 15soles per tent. Aguas Calientas is a further 2km. The campsite is ideal for the early morning trek up to the entrance - whish took us about 1hr. Gates opened dead on 6am.

thank for that info.
For me it is too late (i neither did know about that route, so we took that train). Very exepnsive for tourists.
Well, but when others want to visit Machu Picchu visit also the little mountain behind the "town" and walk from the absolute top down to the "templo de la luna". Nice route and very rarely used.
There is the posibility to leave your backpack at a guards house where you have to register right after the last house of the inca town. Well we did it and a multitool (Leatherman) was stolen out of the bagby the guard! So be careful what you leave in the bag.

thanx very much :-) i let you know if we succeed. according to a friend living in cusco, yes, there are some bikes for rent : for ex. xr400 for 40-50 usd/day.
cheers

ps : atwoke : the temporary docs take 7 days in chile, with the help of a notaria, if you have all the docs in your hands. you can apparently travel with the temporary docs. definite docs take a month. all is computer registered so you can t "play" with the docs. apparently, very few big bikes for sale (with all the docs in order), according to recent travellers experiences but some have managed ... see other posts on this forum for much more details and experiences. good luck.

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2002 - 2004 : Un tour du monde en moto.

Note that taking this back route, there are several streams to ford, and depending on rainfall in the mountains, they can be difficult.

I took a hard fall on slippery rocks coming out of one of them.

thanx, the info is perfectly right. this was confirmed by www.perumototours.com in Cusco (Peru). they are excellent : the best bike choice and the best experience in town. try to speak to Alex. we should have gone with Alex but my time was limited and our schedules were different. so, i didn t do it by bike.
cheers

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Vincent Danna

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* http://vincent.danna.free.fr/
2002 - 2004 : Un tour du monde en moto.

Ifthe roas are bad, and at this moment they are, rainy season at full... you can store your bike at Wendys Albergue, it is INSIDE the train station at Ollantaytambo, Wendy is a super cool 50 year old English woman who has lived there for more than 20 years. She will store your bike for free, after a little chat, and you'll board, and unboard, the train right at her door. Also the rooms are nice, and the wood fired sauna excelent.

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 (IN ANOTHER POST) 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

Quick update! We took a longer time driving to Santa Maria from Ollantaytambo (4 hours), as the pass is notorious for being very misty - we drove through very thick clouds with 20 km/h which was spectacular but nerve wrecking.

However, I would recommend driving to and from Hydro Electrika, as we found the scenery to be amazing and the road not all that bad We did the drive from Santa Theresa to Hydro Electrica (40min), walked to Aguas Calientes (2 hours), took the bus up to Machu Picchu (20min), saw Machu Picchu and went all the way back to Santa Theresa again Although probably spending a night in Aguas Calientes is better to have a bit more time there. However, I recommend seeing Machu Picchu in the afternoon, as going in the morning apparently is a tourist trap and in the afternoon it's near to empty! (really, got pics to prove it)

In Hydro Electrica it's indeed possible to put your bike at the police, but if you cross the bridge to the left (just before where you have to register), go past the industrial tunnel and then immediately take a right up a small hill, you'll find a father and son who live there and are more than happy to take care of your bike for the day We paid 10 soles for the one day, but I think you can give anything you want. They're nice and helpful!

I did the ride described in this thread in March 2013. Before riding up the back side of Macchu Piccu, consider the weather. If it has been raining or will it rain before you come down, there will be multiple water crossings, some easy, some not so easy. Between Ollantaytambo and Santa Maria there are a few "water run off" sections on the otherwise excellent road. Most of these are shallow streams. At least two were deep when I took the road in March. I dropped my bike in one, flooding the right pannier, etc.

On the road between Santa Maria and Santa Teresa there are several water crossings, at least two are challenging. These crossings are somewhat deep, fairly wide and the base is composed of various sizes of rock. Some people love this kind of adventure riding. Me, not so much. I was traveling alone and wasn't fully comfortable with the prospects dealing with a drown bike. That said, I would probably do it all again if given a chance.

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...do you still need to register with an "official" guide as I've read that the daily tours are limited to 500 people per day. No ticket=no access! Does anyone know if this is true and if so can you recommend a guide or link? Thank you for your help