Combination I
Route Dep Arr
Ollantaytambo - Machu Picchu 07:20 08:48
Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo 16:12 17:50
Enjoy more time at Macchupicchu - less crowds and queues due to early arrival - Facilitates programs with overnight in the Sacred Valley. Breakfast on board
Combination II
Route Dep Arr
Ollantaytambo - Machu Picchu 11:30 13:06
Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo 19:15 20:43
This frequency is ideal for programs with overnight in the Sacred Valley - will be our differentiated service frequency and better quality - Lunch and Dinner on board.
Combination III
Route Dep Arr
Ollantaytambo - Machu Picchu 12:36 14:00
Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo 10:32 12:09
Thanks to this frecuency you can visit Machupicchu after arriving from Lima on the same day - ideal for programs with overnight in Aguas Calientes - allows you visit the Sacred Valley before boarding the train. Lunch on board
Stay
Try and give yourself an extra day or two. You will have come a long way and there is enough for days, weeks of one of the most interesting, dramatic and peaceful parts of the Americas. There are plenty of easy one-day walks, especially in and around the Urubamba (Sacred) Valley. There is little or no barbed wire, Keep Out signs and with a bit of preparation you do not need a guide: a better investment is to learn a few words of Spanish. Locals, many of the Quechua-speaking descendents of the Incas, are helpful and do not generally expect a tip. Take some candy for the kids and a few five-sol coins for any special occasion.
Best bet
Go to the top of the Pisac ruins and walk down to the mid-area, the Intihuatana. After Machu Picchu, this is as good as it gets, wonderful ruins, super views and few tourists. Total time: around three hours.
Computers
There are lots of on-line cafes in Cuzco and even in Urubamba and Aguas Calientes. Skype, here as elsewhere, is the best way of keeping in touch with home. The hotels and hostales, here as elsewhere, are not usually keen on lending their computers to guests, almost 100% of them wi-fied.
Clothing and equipment
Cuzco, at 11,500 ft a.s.l. is hot in the tropic sun, cool in the shade a few yards away and crisp-to-cold at night. Don't worry too much about bringing sweaters, gloves and so on. You can and should buy some of the alpaca wollen-ware here, cheaper and better than anywhere.
Machu Picchu itself is warm. It is best always to use long sleeved shirts against the sun, but always have a sweater handy for the crisp cold of the early morning and the night at Ollantaytambo and, even more, Cuzco itself.
Shorts are OK for Machu Picchu itself but a pair of light slacks may be better. Always wear a cap or sombrero. You can't go wrong with a bandana round your neck. For your feet, a pair of good Reeboks or Nikes is best. Always packs a pair of light sandals for apres-walking.
A pair of woolen mittens, socks, a plastic anti-rain poncho can best be bought on the spot in Cuzco or Aguas Calientes.
Climate
June, and especially July and August and on into September is the dry, cool-to-cold, season. That means, in Cuzco, that it can freeze at night.
The rainy season begins in November and December and is at its height January, February and March tapering off into April. The rains are not incessant, and usually come on in the late afternoon and into the night. Many people prefer this time of the year but people on a tight schedule can be set back by delayed flights from Lima. Just as likely, too, are train delays from small landslides blocking the track. If you are not pressed for time, this is a good time to visit as there are considerably fewer other travellers and it's easier to get lower prices at the hotels and restaurants. April and May especially, and November, are likely to be good.
Always, repeat always, have a bundle of low-denomination (S/.10 and S/.20, S/. 50) notes and a collection of S/.1, S/.2 and S/.5 coins. No one ever has change and credit cards are accepted only at the more expensive hotels and restaurants. Dollars are, for sure, acceptable and accepted. But soles are better. Aquire them in Cuzco at one of the banks in the center of town where, in any case, it is best to change money rather than out in the street.
Be as careful about pick-pockets as you might be in New York. A leg money/document pouch or a money belt is a good investment. Small denomination notes and change are of course for your pockets.
Health
Most travellers are understandably concerned about Cuzco's considerable height. However young and tough you are, take it easy for the first day. This is not something to be macho about as headaches and stomach aches can hit even keep-fitters. Do not eat a lot: skip steak. Before boarding the plane in Lima, take a couple of digestive pills, and another couple once you're in Cuzco and repeat every time you remember: the altitude hits the stomach as quickly as the lower oxygen can hit the head. Keep a few aspirin or paracetemol at the ready. Above all, do not carry heavy luggage, rucksacks and such on Day One. Get a young porter to do it for you: this is not Third World exploitation, just common sense. They always advise, and rightly, coca tea. Ask, also, for some muña grass to sniff or with which to make some herb tea. It is a high-altitude plant that is specific for head and stomach.
Drink a lot of bottled water, repeat: a lot. This is a very dry climate. You will never be higher or drier.
Use high-octane sunblock. Put it on before going out in the morning and then again at lunchtime. This area is as UV-prone as anywhere in the world. Best to bring it from home in case you don’t have time to go to a drugstore and a supermarket in Lima or Cuzco.
The same, and more so, applies to lip salve.
The sunblock will probably do the job of a bug repellant but if you are specially sensitive a repellant spray may be comforting. This is only, in any case, needed for Machu Picchu itself. Higher up there are no bugs. There are no snakes, nice or nasty, anywhere near the main ruins in Machu Picchu.
Use sun-glasses.
Where to Stay
The internet has dozens of easy-to-find hostales and hotels in Cuzco, the Sacred Valley -Urubamba itself and Ollantaytambo, even Pisac.
It is a good idea to stay in the Sacred Valley -Urubamba, Ollantaytambo or Pisac- for the first night or two. Here it is a vital two thousand feet lower than Cuzco and you will sleep and feel better, and enjoy Cuzco itself even more once you are acclimatized.
There are plenty of buses for a dollar, two at most, a head. A taxi Cuzco-Urubamba is S/35, S/70 at most, whatever they tell you.
Eating
Cuzco now has a dozen first-class restaurants and pubs, with a score of second-tier places round the centre. Going to the market requires more knowledge and stronger stomachs. Like anywhere in the world, busy, crowded places tend to be best for all the usual obvious reasons.
Cuzco Night Life
Cuzco has been a party ever since the good old hippie days of the '70s. You will find lots of pubs, lounges, discos, etc with people from all over the world. Night time can end up until early in the morning. In any case, whichever plan you choose one thing is sure here: you will never get bored. However, don’t forget to be careful, especially at night time. We suggest that no one take a taxi at night alone. Best walk, unless it is a company car. This applies double-triple in spades to young women.
Books
*Kim MacQuarrie's "The Last Days of the Incas" is easily the most accessible account of the conquista, with the incredibly tough, ruthless Spaniards pitted against young Inca guerilla heroes like the 21-year-old Manco Inca and his wife-sister Kura Ocllo tied to a stake and tortured to death by no less than Francisco Pizarro himself in the main square of Ollantaytambo --departure point of The Machu Picchu Train.
*Hugh Thomson's The White Rock, and its follow-up Cochineal Red. Hugh Thomson is a BBC film director and consultant to The Machu Picchu Train. These two wonderfully evocative. easy-paced page-turners describe among a wealth of stories of exploration and explorers, the world of the Incas and their predecessors in the Inca Empire and up and down the Andes.
*Peter Frost's Exploring Cuzco is, also, well-written and is the standard field guide to all the ruins and other sites and sights in the area. It has easy maps and instructions. Good reading for all visitors, it is essential for anyone seeking to go off the beaten tourist tracks.
*Guide-books. The standard ones --Moon, Footprints, Lonely Planet-- are all very good. For hotels, hostals and above all restaurants, on-line versions are, of course, the most up-to-date.
*Ruth Wright. Machu Picchu. The best handly guide to the ruins themselves.
Try and give yourself an extra day or two. You will have come a long way and there is enough for days, weeks of one of the most interesting, dramatic and peaceful parts of the Americas. There are plenty of easy one-day walks, especially in and around the Urubamba (Sacred) Valley. There is little or no barbed wire, Keep Out signs and with a bit of preparation you do not need a guide: a better investment is to learn a few words of Spanish. Locals, many of the Quechua-speaking descendents of the Incas, are helpful and do not generally expect a tip. Take some candy for the kids and a few five-sol coins for any special occasion.
Best bet
Go to the top of the Pisac ruins and walk down to the mid-area, the Intihuatana. After Machu Picchu, this is as good as it gets, wonderful ruins, super views and few tourists. Total time: around three hours.
Computers
There are lots of on-line cafes in Cuzco and even in Urubamba and Aguas Calientes. Skype, here as elsewhere, is the best way of keeping in touch with home. The hotels and hostales, here as elsewhere, are not usually keen on lending their computers to guests, almost 100% of them wi-fied.
Clothing and equipment
Cuzco, at 11,500 ft a.s.l. is hot in the tropic sun, cool in the shade a few yards away and crisp-to-cold at night. Don't worry too much about bringing sweaters, gloves and so on. You can and should buy some of the alpaca wollen-ware here, cheaper and better than anywhere.
Machu Picchu itself is warm. It is best always to use long sleeved shirts against the sun, but always have a sweater handy for the crisp cold of the early morning and the night at Ollantaytambo and, even more, Cuzco itself.
Shorts are OK for Machu Picchu itself but a pair of light slacks may be better. Always wear a cap or sombrero. You can't go wrong with a bandana round your neck. For your feet, a pair of good Reeboks or Nikes is best. Always packs a pair of light sandals for apres-walking.
A pair of woolen mittens, socks, a plastic anti-rain poncho can best be bought on the spot in Cuzco or Aguas Calientes.
Climate
June, and especially July and August and on into September is the dry, cool-to-cold, season. That means, in Cuzco, that it can freeze at night.
The rainy season begins in November and December and is at its height January, February and March tapering off into April. The rains are not incessant, and usually come on in the late afternoon and into the night. Many people prefer this time of the year but people on a tight schedule can be set back by delayed flights from Lima. Just as likely, too, are train delays from small landslides blocking the track. If you are not pressed for time, this is a good time to visit as there are considerably fewer other travellers and it's easier to get lower prices at the hotels and restaurants. April and May especially, and November, are likely to be good.
Always, repeat always, have a bundle of low-denomination (S/.10 and S/.20, S/. 50) notes and a collection of S/.1, S/.2 and S/.5 coins. No one ever has change and credit cards are accepted only at the more expensive hotels and restaurants. Dollars are, for sure, acceptable and accepted. But soles are better. Aquire them in Cuzco at one of the banks in the center of town where, in any case, it is best to change money rather than out in the street.
Be as careful about pick-pockets as you might be in New York. A leg money/document pouch or a money belt is a good investment. Small denomination notes and change are of course for your pockets.
Health
Most travellers are understandably concerned about Cuzco's considerable height. However young and tough you are, take it easy for the first day. This is not something to be macho about as headaches and stomach aches can hit even keep-fitters. Do not eat a lot: skip steak. Before boarding the plane in Lima, take a couple of digestive pills, and another couple once you're in Cuzco and repeat every time you remember: the altitude hits the stomach as quickly as the lower oxygen can hit the head. Keep a few aspirin or paracetemol at the ready. Above all, do not carry heavy luggage, rucksacks and such on Day One. Get a young porter to do it for you: this is not Third World exploitation, just common sense. They always advise, and rightly, coca tea. Ask, also, for some muña grass to sniff or with which to make some herb tea. It is a high-altitude plant that is specific for head and stomach.
Drink a lot of bottled water, repeat: a lot. This is a very dry climate. You will never be higher or drier.
Use high-octane sunblock. Put it on before going out in the morning and then again at lunchtime. This area is as UV-prone as anywhere in the world. Best to bring it from home in case you don’t have time to go to a drugstore and a supermarket in Lima or Cuzco.
The same, and more so, applies to lip salve.
The sunblock will probably do the job of a bug repellant but if you are specially sensitive a repellant spray may be comforting. This is only, in any case, needed for Machu Picchu itself. Higher up there are no bugs. There are no snakes, nice or nasty, anywhere near the main ruins in Machu Picchu.
Use sun-glasses.
Where to Stay
The internet has dozens of easy-to-find hostales and hotels in Cuzco, the Sacred Valley -Urubamba itself and Ollantaytambo, even Pisac.
It is a good idea to stay in the Sacred Valley -Urubamba, Ollantaytambo or Pisac- for the first night or two. Here it is a vital two thousand feet lower than Cuzco and you will sleep and feel better, and enjoy Cuzco itself even more once you are acclimatized.
There are plenty of buses for a dollar, two at most, a head. A taxi Cuzco-Urubamba is S/35, S/70 at most, whatever they tell you.
Eating
Cuzco now has a dozen first-class restaurants and pubs, with a score of second-tier places round the centre. Going to the market requires more knowledge and stronger stomachs. Like anywhere in the world, busy, crowded places tend to be best for all the usual obvious reasons.
Cuzco Night Life
Cuzco has been a party ever since the good old hippie days of the '70s. You will find lots of pubs, lounges, discos, etc with people from all over the world. Night time can end up until early in the morning. In any case, whichever plan you choose one thing is sure here: you will never get bored. However, don’t forget to be careful, especially at night time. We suggest that no one take a taxi at night alone. Best walk, unless it is a company car. This applies double-triple in spades to young women.
Books
*Kim MacQuarrie's "The Last Days of the Incas" is easily the most accessible account of the conquista, with the incredibly tough, ruthless Spaniards pitted against young Inca guerilla heroes like the 21-year-old Manco Inca and his wife-sister Kura Ocllo tied to a stake and tortured to death by no less than Francisco Pizarro himself in the main square of Ollantaytambo --departure point of The Machu Picchu Train.
*Hugh Thomson's The White Rock, and its follow-up Cochineal Red. Hugh Thomson is a BBC film director and consultant to The Machu Picchu Train. These two wonderfully evocative. easy-paced page-turners describe among a wealth of stories of exploration and explorers, the world of the Incas and their predecessors in the Inca Empire and up and down the Andes.
*Peter Frost's Exploring Cuzco is, also, well-written and is the standard field guide to all the ruins and other sites and sights in the area. It has easy maps and instructions. Good reading for all visitors, it is essential for anyone seeking to go off the beaten tourist tracks.
*Guide-books. The standard ones --Moon, Footprints, Lonely Planet-- are all very good. For hotels, hostals and above all restaurants, on-line versions are, of course, the most up-to-date.
*Ruth Wright. Machu Picchu. The best handly guide to the ruins themselves.
