© 2018 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
For the past few years, I have enviously swiped through my friend’s Facebook posts about their sojourns to Machu Picchu. Spying them perched on the mountainside with the picturesque citadel spread out below them…and the occasional llama or two…I envisioned myself there one day.
The destination has been on my bucket list for some time, yet I hadn’t quite made it a priority…the planning, alone, seemed extremely overwhelming!
And it was.
Sure, you can call up a tour company and have it all done for you. Thing was, I wasn’t interested in doing one of the multi-day Inca trail treks that many people envision to be the sole way to navigate their way to the 15th century citadel. Mainly, I think I am smart enough to realize that:
a) I am not 25 anymore.
b) I had a back injury last year.
c) Who knows how I will react to the altitude once I am there.
d) There are easier ways to reach the destination that do not involve not having a shower for four days.
After reading up on many ways to experience the country and the journey, I decided, “I can do this on my own.”
Well…the planning anyway…my husband was coming along!
Making a list, I prioritized what needed to be done and there were SO MANY options! I was, indeed, overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start. Finally, approaching the task with the mindset of booking things in the order that made the most sense, I created a folder…no, not on my computer…the old fashioned way.
I grabbed a manila folder and wrote Machu Picchu on the front.
Now I had a place where, I could place printed confirmations, tickets and additional information. Believe me, this worked best as later in the trip, I would have to pull out many of the hard-copies for various reasons.
After choosing our total length of stay and booking our flight to Lima, we had some important decisions to make.
With a flight arriving at almost midnight, should we hang out in the airport for a few hours and catch the one of the first flights to Cusco the next morning? Spend time in Lima on the way home? Spend the first two nights in Lima, with sightseeing and then head to Cusco? No time in Lima?
After going back and forth, I decided that my husband needed to see some sights in Lima and of course, have some of the famous churros at Manolo’s.
Booking two nights in Lima was first on the list. Having been to Lima before, I knew that we wanted to stay in the Miraflores area. My husband is also a status member of a major hotel chain, so that choice was easy.
Next, came the booking of our Cusco flight. There are quite a few airlines that fly from Lima to Peru and not having any inside information on any of them, I decided that price and time of day would be the deciding factors.
LATAM? Avianca? Star Peru? Peruvian? LC Peru? Viva Air Peru?
Having finally decided on Star Peru, it was disheartening to discover difficult that their booking sight would not charge my credit card. I am not sure if it was user error or the fact that I was trying to book from outside of the country, but I had to figure out another option…Kayak showed me many options and although the price was slightly higher, I was able to book LC Peru. After spending a day in Lima, we would leave fairly early for the short, one hour flight to Cusco. Arriving mid-morning, we just hoped that our hotel would allow for an early check-in. Additionally, our flight from Lima, back to the states, was around the midnight hour, so we decided on a flight from Cusco later in the afternoon, allowing us to sleep in, ask for a later check-out and grab some lunch before heading to the airport.
Our next major decision was how to split up the time in Cusco upon our arrival. What should we see and do? When should we head to Machu Picchu?
Scheduled to arrive in Cusco on Saturday morning, we decided to see a bit of the city that afternoon and possibly the next, allowing for acclimatization. We were anxious to get to Machu Picchu, but didn’t want to rush the process.
After some debate on whether or not to book a tour to the Sacred Valley which incorporated travel to Machu Picchu and back, I decided that I wanted to experience everything on my own time. This option required a full day of sightseeing, arriving in Aguas Calientes at night and having to rise early the next morning. Though one of my friends described the small gateway city to Machu Picchu as a “dump” and “an armpit”, I was convinced that it offered some charm and I wanted ample time to see it.
Deciding that we would see the Sacred Valley on Sunday, travel to Aguas Calientes on Monday and visit Machu Picchu on Tuesday, I now had to make sure that this timeline was possible.
Since capacity restrictions dictate whether or not I could purchase tickets to Machu Picchu, checking the Ministry of Culture website for availability was my first order of business. I had heard that the website was a bit confusing, but I had no problems, other than deciding if we wanted to climb Huayna Picchu. After following the directions offered, our tickets for the morning entrance were secured and printed.
Second order of business…getting to Aguas Calientes. The Peru Rail website was pretty straightforward and we decided that we would travel from Cusco Poroy station to Aguas Calientes, instead of from Ollantaytambo, which required a lengthy taxi or bus ride. Pricing wasn’t much different and we would leave early, arriving around 11:00 am. After selecting our options, the website made a reservation and charged my credit card, however, it did not generate tickets. I knew something was off but not sure what the problem was. After two phone calls to Peru, I finally found someone at Peru Rail who could help. Six hours later, many emails back and forth, plus the submittal of information requested, we finally had tickets. A refund for the first charges was processed about a week later.
Next, we needed a hotel room in Aguas Calientes. There are many options from hostels to high-end spas. After perusing different choices on Agoda, I decided that with so little time at the hotel, it was not prudent to spend a great deal for one night. Deciding on a mid-grade room, this was booked and paid for.
With our plans for Machu Picchu now in place, we were able to make hotel reservations for Cusco. Choosing my husband’s preferred hotel chain, we booked two nights in Cusco and then another three for after our return from Machu Picchu.
Finally, the Sacred Valley beckoned. There are many options for organized tours to this amazing area available on the internet. Reaching out to a friend who had just been in Cusco, for advice, she put me in touch with a local contact. He, in turn, reached out to people he knew and found a tour that visited the sites we most wanted to see, Chincherra, Maras, Moray, Ollantaytambo and Pisac and lunch in Urubamba. The price, at first, seemed much cheaper than what I was seeing in my research and I was a little hesitant. What I learned, however, was that we had to pay for entrance to the sights once we arrived in Chincherra, making it about the same price in the end. When all was said and done, however, if I had to book this tour again, the first thing I would inquire about is how many other passengers are on the trip, something I usually do but failed this time.
So, the only things left on the booking agenda was how to fill our two remaining days in Cusco, once we returned from Machu Picchu. There were many tours on the internet and my friend let me know that many options were available throughout the city and in the Plaza de Armas. We decided that we would wait and see what we found once we arrived. We would also purchase our tickets for our bus ride to Machu Picchu once we arrived in Cusco, since they are only valid for three days after purchase. This would allow us to avoid the long lines that sometimes form in Aquas Calientes.
Now, the only things left to do was confirm our flights closer to our departure date and figure out what to wear.
Figuring out what to pack was much tougher than I expected and I spent many days, shopping and then returning items that I ultimately decided were not what the trip required. The weather seemed to change on a dime and everyone uttered those words I hate, “bring layers”. The weather forecast even gave the type of temperatures that I hate, “60s”! 60 in the sun, can be totally different than 60 in the shade!
Eventually, I decided on three pairs of quick-drying pants (so I could wash them in the room, if needed), a pair of jeans that I would wear on the plane and for dinner, one pair of exercise-type leggings, two flannel shirts, a couple of nicer blouses for dinner, a few quick-drying shirts and a short sleeve shirt. To top it all, I did indeed, bring layers. A Columbia zip-up fleece, a lighter weight jacket (that could be combined with the fleece), a Columbia rain jacket and my ScottEVest to carry many items securely and without taking up space in my carry on. I purchased inexpensive socks from a dollar store that I could leave behind. My shoe collection consisted of three pairs…a thick soled pair of “nicer” boots (good for walking on cobblestones), hiking boots and tennis shoes. A scarf, dollar store gloves, hat, bathing suit and sunglasses completed my list.
Besides our clothing, the other most important ingredient in our bags was acetazolamide. Having consulted our physicians long before our trip, we received prescriptions for the drug designed to combat altitude sickness. With an altitude of just over 11,000 feet, visits to Cusco are known to induce headaches, nausea and shortness of breath for those unaccustomed to the high elevation. Since neither of us had ever been to elevations this great, we were unsure how our bodies would react and wanted to be prepared.
Trying to figure out what to put everything in was also a bit confusing. Smaller airlines, usually restrict the size of luggage and what can be brought on board. Last year, I brought an Ebags backpack and a Longchamp carry-on to Africa, though I must admit, that was a bit hard on my back. Thinking about taking a train and having to take luggage was a factor when deciding how to pack. Finally, I opted to my Ebags rollerboard and a backpack. I also brought a foldable daypack. After reading up on the subject, I found that Peru Rail prefers smaller, carry-on sized luggage. Checking with our hotels in Cusco and in Aguas Calientes, I found that we could leave our luggage checked while at Machu Picchu. The most important factor at this point was not bringing many valuables and having good locks for our bags.
Though it took a great deal of effort and time, I finally could sit back and feel comfortable in knowing that everything was ready for our trip. It was finally time…time for me to head to Machu Picchu and get my shot with the citadel…and a llama or two…spread out beneath me!
For more pictures about Machu Picchu and other cities, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.