Machu Picchu Checkpoint | Checkpoint

April 23rd, 2024 by thickpupil73

problem with the bus tickers sales persons, they lie about the price and time of departure. The bus to hidroelectrica is 50soles and to ollantaytambo is 40 (thats the lowest we got).
Dont trust someone called yuri

December 26th, 2023 by ATeamOnTheRoad

The guard was lovely and allowed us to drive to the train tracks and park for the two nights.

August 22nd, 2019 by Adriaan&Isabelle

We were asked to enter our details (names, passport numbers, ages etc) in a logbook, but we were not asked to show tickets.

From here, you can take the train (tickets sold at the station, payment cards accepted, passport needed) or hike along the tracks. After 9 kilometers of mainly slight climbing (and passing many (tent only) campgrounds, restaurants and vendors), you will reach the bridge to the ruins where you can steeply (!) climb to the park entrance (mainly on well maintained stairs), but ONLY if you already have park tickets (get them on machupicchu.gob.pe, pay with credit card, and show the e-mailed PDF on your phone along with your passport).

For the bus, and/or park tickets (bus tickets: credit cards accepted; park: cash (not sure of cards)), continue another 3 kilometers (somewhat steeper) to the town of Aguas Calientes (where the train stops as well). There will be hourly lines according to the start-visiting time of your park ticket (11:00 in our case). Allow ample time.

The wait for the bus (in even longer lines) to return to Aguas Calientes after your visit can be a lot more than one hour (at 14:00). We gave our return tickets away and walked down, saving time (and 3 kilometers of walking from Aguas Calientes back to the bridge, although guides tell us that the bus drivers will let you off at the bridge if you let them know you're hiking back to Hidroélectrica).

Next time in Peru, we'll skip this overly expensive Machu Picchu tourist trap. Instead, go see the ruins in Ollantaytambo with a guide and climb up to the quarry the next day (if you want/need similar excercise as this one). Use the money you saved on tickets for a nice hotel (we chose "Inka Tierra Sacred Valley" in Ollanga).

May 24th, 2018 by weltenstromer

No one wanted to see our tickets here. We walked up the rails in two hours fifteen to Aguas Caliente. First ticket check was at the bridge to the stairs to Machu Pichu.

January 15th, 2018 by Rota América do Sul

Checkpoint for those who are going to visit Machu Picchu ruins from Santa Teresa hydroelectric. Here, you have to register yourself with the guard before enter the Amazonic Access to Machu Picchu. From this point, there are two options to get to Machu Picchu village (Machu Picchu pueblo / Aguas Calientes): by train (prices and schedule at perurail.com) or by walking (11 km).
My wife, sons and I took the trail by walking and saved U$D 124. People uses to spend 2,5h to get to the pueblo. We spent 3,5h, making stops to take a rest every 50 minutes.