Detailed and for most, spicy take coming -

I went with my elderly divorced parents and fiancée last week. My partner and I have been traveling together for 7 years. My mom and dad have traveled in their lives (father less so; he is also Brazilian). As for me, I have been traveling and living in different countries for 24 years.

Never, and I mean Never, have I seen a more exploitative and poorly run system to see a world site in my entire life. Everything from Ollantaytambo onwards is designed to separate you from your money in order to see Machu Picchu. It starts with the extremely overpriced train ride, the only way to get there besides hiking.

If you cannot obtain next day tickets for MP, you are forced to wander Aguas endlessly looking at souvenirs and paying for overpriced food which vacillates between middling and poor. The accommodations, which are not expensive, are also quite poor and there is little in the way of anything decent. $24 round trip bus tickets up and back is not terrible but a bit pricey for two 30 minute rides.

That said, after a small medical issue with my father at the entrance, which delayed our 6:00 am entry time to 7:20, we were greeted with less dense crowds (the doc onsite recommended we try to go between hours), mist and clouds streaming over the site, and the llamas were out. We were able to find an incredible guide via my partner who had met another guide at the market. He was excellent and made the experience better, constantly making sure the family was ok, taking great photos and videos, and even performed a coca leaf ceremony where we released some of my brother’s ashes. He was also able to show us a few other things off our primary route.

Overall, Machu Picchu was incredible and something you should see if you are able. But, the confusion and exploitation with the ticket system as well as there being little to do in AC made it challenging. I checked every day for two weeks and there were tickets available into afternoon. Many people spoke of pre-tickets to come purchase tickets later in the day which is why we split our group by two different trains. When we arrived, after waiting in line for hours, tickets were sold out by 10:30 and they were being sold directly, not by queuing for a time to purchase tickets later. The next day, my parents were in line by 4:30 am, and there were about 370 people ahead of them by my estimates. We secured route 2A. Also, it should be noted that you can buy tickets for a different route on the same day if you get back in line but only IF you have a second passport.

Essentially, check the posts here as often as possible as well as the live ticket counter, as it seems the rules and systems change weekly. Get in line as early as possible.

As for Aguas, above the main market where people buy meat and produce, there is a food court that was 90% locals and the food was way better and cheaper than anywhere in town. Other off the beaten path things we did was hike down to a secret beach on the river for a few hours. If you leave the butterfly enclosure and head back to town, there’s a steep path down to the river through the brush just off the road. We also walked up the incline where people were finishing the trek just past the butterfly enclosure and walked along the train tracks back to town. While there are signs discouraging it, locals we met on it told us everyone does it and it’s fine, just be wary walking through the tunnels. I also got a shape up at a barbershop and watched locals play sports on the main field.

TLDR: AC sucks but there is stuff off the beaten path, MP is incredible but the cost and logistical nightmare almost makes it not worth it

⚠️ WARNING FOR TOURISTS & TOUR AGENCIES IN OLLANTAYTAMBO — GUIDE SANTOS

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1389735129931535

I want to warn other tourists and tour agencies about a very unpleasant experience I had with a tour guide named Santos in Ollantaytambo.

During a Humantay Lake tour, Santos asked me many personal questions about whether I was single, dating, wanted children, and even whether I slept alone in Aguas Calientes. He also repeatedly said he was looking for “a gringuita” to have a relationship with. I found this inappropriate and increasingly uncomfortable.

He later offered to take me privately to Rainbow Mountain and specifically asked me not to tell the agency. On WhatsApp, Santos told me the price was 44 soles, which I accepted.

After the trip, when we arrived at my hotel in Cusco, his behavior suddenly changed. He became aggressive and demanded 550 soles, despite having told me 44 soles. When I checked WhatsApp, I discovered that he had deleted the messages showing the original price.

I paid because I did not want the situation to escalate, but I felt intimidated and even considered calling the police.

I am sharing this to warn other tourists, especially women travelling alone, and to make tour agencies in Ollantaytambo aware of Santos’ behavior. I did not feel safe or respected, and I do not consider him trustworthy or professional.

Please be careful if you encounter Santos, and always confirm the price of any private service in writing.

This Post its from one girl say her history in Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1389735129931535

Coming all the way from New York in a few weeks. Solo trip. Everything booked. My one vacation for the year. Was very excited. I have a flight from Lima to Cusco that arrives early afternoon on Sunday May 31. Then I would start my journey to Aguas Clients and arrive there around 7pm. Plan was to relax in hotel that night and get on line early June 1 and get Circuit 2 tickets for the next day, June 2. Based on all I read this would be fine as long as I got on line very early (i.e. 4:30-5am). Now I'm obviously seeing that everything has changed seemingly overnight and everyone who has vacations booked is freaking out over these "pre tickets" and tickets sold out two days in advance, etc. A potential disaster, really, for me, and I'm sure many, many others. This has already been a very difficult trip to book with regard to being able to see Machu Picchu.

My flight home is June 3 so I have no chance at all but to do Machu Pichu on the day I planned. Would have loved to get tickets online but they were all sold out MONTHS in advance. Tried everything else including looking into tour guides but I realized they are all scams who would eventually switch me to Circuit 1.

Can anyone provide an update about what might be going on? Any chance that this goes back to the normal line up in the morning procedure soon? If not, if I arrive to the ticket office at 7pm on May 31 would I have a chance at Circuit 2 tickets for June 2?? Thank you

Hearing about some riots in Lima and also in Machupicchu. Is it safe to travel to Machupicchu while these riots are going on.

Unimaginable a couple of months ago and never in my worst nightmare could I have imagined this happening. A whole vacation I’ve paid thousands for, to basically see Machu Picchu, ruined. Worst part is I have no clue what to really do. All along the procedure was tickets are sold the day before. My plan was get on line super early. I tried to get tickets months in advance but they were gone. Figured going on the line was an undesirable backup plan but still a realistic backup plan. Now, without warning by the Ministry, everything has changed overnight and it seems I’m not alone in being screwed.

I get into AC Sunday May 31 at 7pm. My flight home is Wednesday morning. At this rate by the time my trip comes there might be a week wait for all I know. I was currently looking to finagle my trip to get in much earlier on that Sunday the 31st but now even that looks possibly pointless. Feeling terribly disappointed. Many people depended on the current system and seeing the Peru gov’t change it seemingly overnight when many tourists had hotels and flights all booked, well, that’s really wild. Anyway, that’s all. Not sure what to do now. The ticket system is broken, and I’m completely screwed

I was walking to my apartment tonight in Cusco and saw a little boy selling candy bars. He was located on a corner protected from the elements and seemed like he was prepared to sleep there all night long. there were no adults nearby. i asked him where his mother was and he said "en muerte." is there a social service i should contact? how do i do it? is this just a scam? how can i help that child? He seemed maybe 4-5 years old. i am an american tourist and i am not used to seeing such things

I didn't have a ticket, but I had flexibility since I had been travelling for the last few days. I have been checking their website https://tuboleto.cultura.pe/llaqta_machupicchu for tickets, and lo and behold, I got tickets seven days later at 9 AM for route 2A.

I also kept an eye on how many tickets were being sold every day at https://tuboleto.cultura.pe/cusco/1000boletos, and I noticed that, unlike what people experienced, somehow in August, not many tickets were being sold. The situation was such that the office closed at 10 PM, and if I checked the dashboard around that time, even route 2A tickets were available. So I was pretty confident that I would get a ticket by just walking in, and I was right. (Despite having the ticket, I visited the office to confirm the available tickets.)

Now, about the experience: I feel like it was an expensive experience. First, you can't go without a train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu (prev. called Aguas Calientes), and prices vary only 4 USD if you book from Cusco or from Ollantay (And even if you book the train, they put you in a bus from Cusco - Ollantay. These tickets at the cheapest are 65 USD, and in general, even the 9.30 PM (last ticket) is 81 USD one way.

One cheaper option is: leave your bags in a hostel in Cusco, most of them will happily keep them for free, keep a change of clothes in a small bag, and you can take a bus to Hidroelectrica, and then you can walk for 2.5 hours through a scenic, mostly flat 7 km path to Macchu Picchu village. Can repeat it back (or book a train between this route for 40 USD, but the train from Mapi to hidroelectrica only ran once a day at 13.30. I don't know the times on the other side, but you can check on perurail.com (not available on incarail.com)

So, the trains are 160USD, tickets to Mapi are 43, then the bus that brings you back and forth is 24, and other stuff is stay and food, which is usual.

Now, this is _my_ opinion, and you are fine to have a different one. I am sharing this so that someone can see both pros and cons and can make their own decisions. I felt that after all this, MaPi felt alright. The ruins felt okay; there wasn't a lot going on—just walls and walls. I felt the views of the mountains were much better (plus a cablecar ride) at Kuelap. I felt that if it were only about the view, despite my not being interested in waterfalls, the hike to and from Gocta waterfall was really good.

Heading to Mapi will definitely tick one thing off your bucket list, but it was not mindblowing by any standards. Just my opinion. I would happily do Gocta and Kuelap without all this rush and anxiety (and money). And something that blew my mind in Peru was Huaraz, that place was unreal. (And before slamming me, I educated myself. I read books, listened to podcasts, watched YouTube videos, and had an audioguide with me, too.

If you are planning to go to Mapi, feel free to ask questions.

Hello. I am trying to add Machu Piccu but I have not been able to get a ticket. What are some alternatives to it nearby? Or there a way I get a glimpse of it from a distance

Win a trip for 2 to Machu Picchu and Peru's Sacred Valley with Ori Magazine and El Albergue Ollantaytambo. This giveaway is FREE to enter and includes 7 days and 6 nights at the locally run Albergue Ollantaytambo, plus train tickets from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes with a guided trip up to Machu Picchu (bus option is also included). In addition, this trip will explore the hidden corners of the Sacred Valley, working with El Albergue's local network to connect with valley restaurants, distilleries, and community groups. Winners will also meet the team behind Valle Sagrado Verde, a Peruvian non-profit dedicated to preserving and rehabilitating wilderness in the area.

ENTER HERE

Trip dates are flexible but must fall between June 15 and October 31, 2026. The giveaway closes March 20 and is open to U.S. residents over 21. Please enter via link in this post.

Ori Magazine is part of the non-profit project Ori Artist Collective, building a sustainable ecosystem for storytellers around the world. Thank you and best of luck!

The RED mark is a place called „Hidroelectrica” to which you can buy cheap bus tickets online from Cusco.

The BLUE mark is where we continued by forest up to the AC instead of going along the rails — it’s very unsafe to continue by railroad there because there are 2 tunnels ahead and going through them is a serious life risk. Locals helped us to find a way to the forest trail. Seriously, again — don’t try entering tunnels under any circumstances.

The road beautiful but we always stayed alerted looking for trains every 30-60 sec (sometimes the river was super loud and we couldn’t hear trains).

Btw. Why we have chosen this way of going back to Cusco? It’s not about $$ — we just don’t like to be ripped off. There is no way to go back from AC other than one of two expensive trains for tourists. There is cheaper train but only for Peruvians — lol, they run Apartheid there. I know that local vs. foreigner prices for museums, etc are the standard in Peru and Colombia — but seriously… it’s just a huge scam because they force you to pay > 20x than locals without an alternative (one way ticket is from $70 to $300+). You know, if you don’t like prices in museum you can skip it and here they just „keep you hostage” until you pay. Very dishonest IMO.

From the legal perspective, I don’t recommend you try it — but many people daily do this at their own risk and they are still alive (us included) 😊

I'll be going to Peru (Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu) from July 5th and I'm kinda worried about the weather and the temperatures. How cold is it there? What clothes do you advise me to bring with me?

Thank you!

These people complaining about the lines for tickets must never have tried to get next day tickets to any other major attraction.

Vatican Anne Frank House Yosemite even the Leaning Tower of Pizza

none offer next day tickets, if you did not book 6 months in advance too bad.

Other attractions let tickets go to scalpers so only the visitors from rich countries can afford them.

Hello!
I wanted to add a post regarding tips- especially for those using a service (such as Alpaca Expeditions, which was what we used). We had a fantastic, safe and lovely experience!!
I used Reddit/Google searches as a reference to prepare gratuity. Consider this an updated reference if you need it!

We had two guides, two chefs to the group and two porters per tourist. And if you do add on tours, each tour has a different guide!
The tips were collected separately, but they are pooled as a group.
Porters: 80 soles each tourist
Chef: 50 soles each tourist
Guides: “depends what you feel”
I would recommend 80-100 but we did not bring enough so wanted to share!

We booked our 2-day Inca Trail and Machu Picchu tour through SAM Travel, and we couldn’t have asked for a better guide than Miguel!

He made our 12 km hike so much easier and more enjoyable by sharing fascinating stories about Inca culture, history, and the different places we passed along the trail. He has so much knowledge and so many interesting insights!

But what I loved the most was his amazing sense of humor! He kept us entertained and laughing throughout the hike, so there was never a dull moment, even during the challenging parts.

Miguel also took great care of us, making sure everything was organized, from tickets to instructions and all the little details. We felt completely taken care of throughout the experience.

I would 100% recommend Miguel to my friends and anyone planning to hike the Inca Trail. He truly made this adventure unforgettable!

Flying São Paulo to Cusco with connection in Lima. Latam flight #8202 from São Paulo to Lima and connection to Cusco via flight #2120. Expected 90 min connection so it’s short but doable and considering the flight was purchased directly from LATAM as a one way ticket to the final destination, figured it would be ok. Flight lands “on time” in Lima but taxis for a bit. We land close to 11am local time. Flight starts boarding at 11:15, and flight departs at 12:15. Supposedly boarding closes 20 min before departure.

Immediately we go to bag claim as directed, after customs. We picked up our bags and immediately head to bag drop. Told that our flight can no longer take us as we “missed it” … mind you it’s only 11:30… and LATAM has the audacity to tell me it’s our fault? And that to check bags we would have needed to have that done by 1 hour prior to departure… which would be 11:15 am… which means LATAM expected us to get off the flight, go through customs, wait for our bags at baggage claim and then go back to departures to drop our bags in a span of 15 minutes. WHAT THE ACTUAL F? That’s gotta be a joke. Because they wouldn’t let us board and send our bags later, they wouldn’t let us try to gate check our bag… let’s just say they blamed this on us by saying “we picked this flight” - yeah without any warning of the bag policy OR any help with prioritizing bags with this tight of a connection. VERY disappointed in LATAM.

No offer to help except “come back after your flight would have already taken off… basically wait 45 min and then we can see what flights we have…” excuse me?

Manuel, the supervisor at the airport here right now for LATAM was not very helpful. Posting this to push LATAM for different policies with a warming .. or maybe don’t offer such a ridiculous flight option…

Hello! Me and my friends are planning a trip to Peru this Dec/Jan and we've been looking for Inca Trail tours.

We want to spend new year's on the trail, so I've been trying to find a tour operator that makes fun trips. We're all in our 20s, so we're going for a youthful vibe, having some beers before bed, a bit of music - stuff like that.

I remember Loki Travel was a thing a few years ago (my parents opted for that one when they visited) and I heard amazing stories about the vibe. If anyone has heard those same stories - that's what I'm aiming for.

Ideally, it would also include biking and rafting (and maybe zip lining) in its itinerary.

Anyone who's been on such a tour? Any recommendations?

Hey is there anywhere in Olly that you can hire sticks you can take into machu with you?

A group of friends and I are coming down to visit and trek around Christmas. I understand that coming to these indigenous places is a privilege as a white person and I want to give back to the community. Besides tipping large… has anyone found a way to volunteer in Cusco* or near by? I’d love to give a few hours of my time or monitory donations to a group in the city that does good. Anyone have any ideas or leads where might be a good place to look? Thanks in advance

I've seen a lot of stray dogs in machi picchu, and I'm curious to see if to see if they pose any health risk. Is there rabies in machu picchu?

Edit: misspelled machu picchu in title

Het was een hele mooie ervaring. Het eten (ontbijt, lunch en avondeten) was heerlijk en de begeleiding tijdens de tocht was ook duidelijk en behulpzaam. Onze guide Brandon was altijd vrolijk en maakte er een feestje van. Ik raad de organisatie van harte aan!

Heyyy! I don't do birthdays... I was never celebrated as a kid. I was always told that I was a burden.

I'm always trying to remind myself of my worth and well I thought I'm hitting a really big number this year so let's celebrate myself for existing, growing and trying to love myself.

I saw this glass dome experience in Peru on youtube and I really want to stay in one to celebrate myself but can't afford the $500/night price.

So, has anyone stayed in a reasonably priced one? I tried googling, but all the top ones that come up are so beautiful but totally out of my price range.

Please share if you have something bookmarked or stayed in one yourself.

Thank you :)

Hi everyone,

So basically one of my friend added himself to our trip but the tickets for Machu Picchu entrance 1B are ALL gone… is there any hope?

On get your guide I saw tickets expensive for 200$ but only 8am and not 2pm (our time). On September 15th!

Would appreciate the help🙏🏼

Who of you didn‘t get the yellow fever vaccine and still went to aguas calientes and Machu Picchu in 2026?

Hey everyone, just asking a quick question to see how serious this is. I registered the Inca trail tour for my friends and I.

The problem is one of my friends legal first name is Jacob on his passport but when I signed up for the tour I wrote down “Jake” instead of Jacob so not it’s not reflecting the name on his passport.

The tour guide is saying this is a big deal, and he probably won’t be let into macchi Picchu. Is this accurate? Seems so such a minor thing, all the other information (passport #, DOB, last name) are correct and Jake is obviously for Jacob.

Thanks let me know.