The Best Machu Picchu Vacation
James Bustamante is Native to New York but born to Peruvian parents. He has been traveling throughout Latin America since early 2003 and finally made his home in Peru. James has made his way by eating and traveling through almost every country in Central and South America.
Last Updated on July 24, 2020 by James Bustamante
So you plan on coming to Peru and want to make sure you are definitely going to take the Best Machu Picchu Vacation possible.
Most travelers coming to Peru on a trip will usually only do so once in their life so they would like to make sure the Machu Picchu vacation is the best one you can plan.
There are several itineraries that include a Hike to Machu Picchu as well as several other great places to visit. As long as you are in the country you might as well visit some of the other amazing locations the country has to offer.
Below we’ve provided one of the Peru tour packages for travelers looking to experience as much as possible during their vacation in Peru.
This guide to daily activities in 7 days is by far one of the most popular Machu Picchu vacation routes chosen by travelers. Let’s go over what these activities would entail.
Table of Contents
Begin Your Machu Picchu Vacation in Lima, Peru
Lima is one of the oldest cities in Latin America. There is also a large variance from the culturally focused city of Lima and the more jovial restaurant, bar side within each of the main districts.
You can see a big change in scenery and places of interest between Lima city center in comparison to Miraflores or Barranco, the latter two are where you’ll most likely be staying during your vacation in the capital.
Lima should take at least 2 days to go through during your Machu Picchu vacation. There is plenty to see and experience within or near the capital.
While in Lima you might want to check out the Plaza Mayor or Plaza de Armas of Lima (Basically the Main Square in the city),This place is said to be the birthplace of Lima, as well as the center of the city.
Located in the Historic Centre of Lima, it is surrounded by the Government Palace, Cathedral of Lima.
Information on the Plaza Mayor in Lima:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_Mayor,_Lima
Peruvian Gastronomy & Machu Picchu Vacation
Lima is also known for its culinary expertise. Peru has been awarded top culinary destination in the world several years running and for good reason.
Peruvian food involves delicious spices, local techniques and only the freshest produce in order to prepare its always delicious signature dishes.
Peruvian Signature Dishes
- How to Make Lomo Saltado
- Peruvian Ceviche Recipe
Machu Picchu Vacation Into Cusco
The second day start’s rather early with a drive to the Jorge Chavez Lima airport to then hop onto a plane and fly to the city of Cusco.
This city located in the Andes mountain range is over 10,000 feet (3,400 meters) above sea level so it is required to take it easy upin arrival.
This part of the Machu Picchu vacation will require you to be well acclimated to the elevation so make sure to follow the protocol we put into place so that you don’t suffer from altitude sickness during your stay.
The Cusco city tour will take you through some of the most enigmatic locations in this very old city. From Koricancha to the Sacsayhuamaman fortress, known to be the capital of the Inca empire, his city tour is sure to fascinate all travelers.
The Cusco city tour is not a short one, you will be picked up at 9:00 am at your hotel, after going through a full of visiting locations throughout the city and the outskirts, we’ll make a return by 7:00 pm.
Machu Picchu Vacation Into The Sacred Valley
Up next in your Machu Picchu vacations, we take a full day to visit the Urubamba Valley, also known as The Sacred Valley of the Inca.
During this portion of the package you’ll get to see Inca fortresses in Ollantaytambo, Andean street markets (Pisac) and have a Peruvian style buffet lunch overlooking the Urubamba river.
The tour into the Sacred Valley begins with our driver picking you and your group up at the hotel by 8:30 am.
The tour ends in similar fashion to the Cusco city tour by returning to Cusco at 7:00 pm.
After a long day of hiking through Urubamba make sure to rest as much as you can since the following morning we begin our journey to Machu Picchu.
The Train to Aguas Calientes
The train to the town of Aguas Calientes will leave at around 10:00 am, this means we have the entire morning to travel to Ollantaytambo and make our way on board.
The pick up at your hotel in Cusco is scheduled for 6:00 am and from there the ride will take around 1 hour to reach Ollantaytambo train station.
Remember to pack light for the next two days, only take the essentials in a backpack or a small piece of luggage. The majority of your luggage will stay behind in a deposit located within the hotel in Cusco.
Once you check back in after the Machu Picchu tour portion of the trip your luggage will be waiting for you in your room.
Once we arrive at the small town of Aguas Calientes we’ll check into your hotel and relax for the rest of the afternoon. Take advantage and walk around this tiny town, you’ll immediately notice the difference from the highland city of Cusco.
Aguas Calientes is located in what we call “cloud forest”, this is in reference to the town being situated between the Andean highland and the rainforest.
The air is more humid than in Cusco and you might notice how much greener it is as well.
An activity your group can do on it’s own would be to visit the hot spring. The name Aguas Calientes means “hot water” which refers to the thermal waters in this region.
The walk should be no more than 15 minutes, below we have a map to the hot springs using the train station as a reference.
Map to Hot Springs in Aguas Calientes
Take a Tour of Machu Picchu
On day 5 of this Machu Picchu vacation package we finally get to go up to the Inca city. In order to travel to Machu Picchu we first need to take the Consettur shuttle.
We begin by walking to the shuttle station which is conveniently located 5 minutes from your hotel.
Boarding will be done very quickly, the bus ticket is included in your Machu Picchu reservations already, our guide will take care of all the paperwork and have your boarding ASAP.
The ride up to Machu Picchu will take anywhere from 20-25 minutes depending on the weather conditions. Take this time to look at your surroundings as we quickly drive up the road to the Inca citadel.
The view is quite spectacular as you gaze on the valleys below and the surrounding mountains. In just a few minutes you’ll begin to see Machu Picchu breaking down from above the clouds.
As we leave the shuttle and enter Machu Picchu the guide will take your tickets and have everyone go through the checkpoint. In just a few steps you’ll be able to look at the ancient stone city while the guide starts the guided tour.
The guided tour on your Machu Picchu vacation will take around 2 hours and the expert guide will go over the history of the city, it’s uses, the most relevant areas as well as why the Inca left it.
Some notable areas of Machu Picchu would be:
- Intihuatana.
- The temple of the Sun.
- Temple of the Condor.
- Temple of the 3 windows.
- The Moon Temple (Reserved with Huayna Picchu permit).
Additional Hikes in Machu Picchu Vacation
There are 2 additional hikes within the confines of the complex that are readily available during your Machu Picchu Vacation. These extra hikes are called Huayna Picchu and Mount Machu Picchu.
They both offer something quite different to travelers that want to book these hikes.
Mount Machu Picchu has winding paths around the mountainous terrain while Huayna Picchu is more of a vertical climb.
They both count with amazing views of the city, nearly all the postcard pictures you see of Machu Picchu have been taken from either of these peaks.
In order to take either path you’ll need to make sure they are booked as soon as you book your package, this ensures availability since each hike has a certain number of travelers allowed each day.
We end the day with a shuttle back down to the small town of Aguas Calientes. You’ll have ample time to have lunch before we embark on the return train to the station in Ollantaytambo.
The departure train will be scheduled to leave by 3:30 pm and will basically take the same route back.
We will be scheduled to arrive back at the Ollantaytambo train station by 5:30 pm, we will have appointed one of our drivers to pick you (and your group) up at the station and drive you back to your hotel in Cusco.
The scheduled time for arrival back to the city of Cusco will be 7:00 pm.
Machu Picchu Vacation Final Day
On the 7th day of the Machu Picchu focused vacation we can take a few hours out to visit the San Pedro market in Cusco or simply walk around the main square and get the last pieces of local alpaca, mementos and souvenirs we might need for our return.
The San Pedro market issues a perfect opportunity to do all that within the confines of one location. The very commercial market is focused on Andean products but also receives important shipments from the Amazon region of Peru.
Shop for souvenirs and get a hearty breakfast in one of the food stands scattered throughout the market. This might be your last chance to order a smoothie with some of the sweetest, most delicious fruit you’ve ever tried.
In the late morning or afternoon we will have our driver pick you up at your hotel. We then head over to the Velasco Astete Airport in Cusco for your domestic flight back to the city of Lima.
All international flights (except for some Bolivia flights) either arrive or depart from the airport in Lima so your final day during your Machu Picchu vacation will involve quite a bit of travel.
The flight back will be programmed according to your international departure schedule, we’ll make sure you are back in Lima hours before your flight back home.
Alternatively we can include some more time in Peru on your itinerary, some notable destinations would be the Nazca lines, Lake Titicaca or The mysterious Amazon rainforest.
Peru has many destinations worth visiting for your Machu Picchu vacation in all regions of the country.
Contact us today for one of our scheduled Machu Picchu vacation packages or receive a fully customizable one, tailor-made for you and your group!
Frequently Asked Questions About Machu Picchu Vacations
Machu Picchu permits go by shifts now so each permit will allocate 4-6 hours in the complex.
Yes. We can emit a permit for you to hike Huayna Picchu for your Machu Picchu vacation, this will extend your time in Machu Picchu by 2.5 hours.
Machu Picchu will only take a day to go through. We suggest making an itinerary of at least 5 days in Peru in order to take advantage of your trip as much as possible.
Correct. We include all required permits, tickets and passes once your book your Machu Picchu vacation with us.
Correct. Your appointed guide will be bilingual for the entirety of your vacation no matter what language you speak.
Yes you can have your passport stamped in Machu Picchu. Most travelers choose to get this stamp before they leave the complex. It isn’t an “official stamp” but nonetheless it’s a nice stamp to have on your passport.
The Machu Picchu vacation package includes domestic air travel but not international.
