5 Things Shouldn't Be in Machu Picchu

Many roads lead to Machu Picchu. The old Inca city is a tourist magnet, but you can go wrong from getting there to climbing up. You should avoid these five mistakes.

1. Don't be ripped off

Up to 3,000 people climb through the old walls every day. It is understandable that many locals want to earn money from this inexhaustible source of income - but the motives and the sales pitches are not always well-intentioned. At every corner of Machu Picchu or in the surrounding cities in front of it, someone would want to sell you something - a guide, tickets, round trip, souvenirs.

The best thing to do is to make a plan for how to get to Aguas Calientes - the city below the mountain of Machu Picchu - and book your entrance ticket for Machu Picchu on the official website in advance. Many ticket providers usually add their commission to the sales price again.

Minibuses or taxis leave every major city in the area several times a day. The bus ride from Cusco, for example, usually costs around 10 dollars, taxis are around twice as expensive depending on your negotiating skills. Bus tickets can be booked in advance in many hostels or travel agencies - just ask.

The luxury variant, on the other hand, is a train ride with Inca Rail from Cusco to Aguas Calientes: Not only are you much faster by train, but you can also go straight through to Machu Picchu.

When you arrive in Aguas Calientes, numerous locals are probably already waiting to offer you accommodation or themselves as guides for Machu Picchu. As you should be aware, you're not doing the best business right at the entrance to the village. Therefore: Take a look around the picturesque village and decide on your accommodation on site.

2. Don't be late

In 2020, the Machu Picchu ticket was free for all foreign and Peruvian travellers. This was for the Coronavirus (COVID). Today Machu Picchu is closed during this pandemic. The Peruvian government published the new protocols for the lost city of the Incas and maybe Machu Picchu will reopen in March 2021.

Machu Picchu obtained the SAFE TRAVEL stamp in 2020.

Since 2020, ticket sales have been limited to 1,500 per day, including time, to protect the environment and the ruins. However, the demand for tickets is significantly higher, so that last-minute vacationers can end up empty-handed.

So book your ticket as early as possible - two weeks in advance is recommended - and then plan your journey. While you're lucky enough to come to Hidroelectrica very spontaneously by bus, the train tickets can be sold out quickly.

The next morning, however, your punctuality counts again: Depending on what time your ticket is valid, the day starts quite early. The buses leave from 5.30 a.m. - if you want to master the steps to the entrance yourself, you have to get up earlier. But it's worth it.

3. Don't misbehave

Machu Picchu is not an amusement park - you are of course aware of that. The basics of tourist etiquette are therefore a prerequisite:

• Don't touch what can't be touched.
• Do not leave the signposted paths. (Really not!)
• Respect the locals and the staff and follow the instructions.
• Dispose of your garbage properly.
• Being naked is explicitly forbidden. (And yes, Flitzer shouldn't have only existed once ...)
• In short: Machu Picchu is of great historical importance to the Peruvians - so act accordingly.

The hospitality that most Peruvians show you can easily be repaid by smiling, being open and having a few nice conversations. Unfortunately, many tourists do not show their best behavior, leave their empty plastic bottles by the wayside and ignore any information or prohibition signs - you can do better!

Oh, and don't be rude to the llamas. The four-legged friends sometimes run around freely between the ruins and are notorious for one thing: spit! So keep a safe distance.

4. Don't overrate yourself

You walk on four legs, have cozy fur and strangely protruding teeth? Well, if you identify yourself as a llama, you can skip this point. For everyone else, if you don't come from the Andes, don't overestimate yourself.

You will find the llamas at Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is at an altitude of 2,430 meters. Altitude sickness is not a fairy tale, but a bitter reality, as unprepared holidaymakers in the Andean highlands have to experience first-hand again and again.

In addition, the way up to the old Inca city is hard and arduous. Depending on how you get there, you have to walk around 14 kilometers from Hidroelectrica to Aguas Calientes, from where the ascent to the ruins begins. Hundreds of stone steps, which are carved into the steep mountain wall at cynically irregular intervals, lead to the top of the Machu Picchu mountain. So soft knees are inevitable.

And yes, many ambitious climbers abandon this mission prematurely. On the other hand, the view of the cloud-covered ruins and mountains is reward enough for the agonizing ascent.

If you are not sure whether your lungs and knees will participate, take the early morning bus to the entrance for the equivalent of around 10 dollars - especially if your ticket is also valid for Huayna Picchu mountain. Because: You can always take the stairs back.

5. Don't be a grouch

Machu Picchu ticket, round trip, accommodation and meals all add up to a lot of money - but that's no reason to save in the wrong place: The food in Aguas Calientes is a little more expensive than elsewhere in Peru. And that's no wonder either. Because they are only delivered by rail.

After all, the tourists bring a lot of money to the region, and the locals want a little piece of the cake up on the mountain. And you should allow them that.

A little tip for the guide, the much too expensive - in the end you won't be annoyed about the few dollars anymore. But they are worth a lot to Peruvians, especially given an average monthly wage of around 480 dollars.

Therefore: Even if, as mentioned at the beginning, you shouldn't let yourself be ripped off, be as generous with the locals as your wallet and your conscience allow.

When is the best time to visit Machu Picchu?

We can recommend to visit between to April to October, it is dry season. On November to January is starting the rain and February is rain season, everyday it is raining.

What is the best tour to Machu Picchu?

You can decide the best option for your holidays 

• 2 day machu picchu tour from lima
• 2 Day Inca Trail with Hotel
• 2 Day Inca Trail Camping
• 4 Day Inca Trail 2021
• Salkantay Trek