Getting to Machu Picchu by Train or Treks

No first-time visitor to Peru wants to end their trip without having visited famous Lost City of Machu Picchu, and the most sought-after route to the ruins is the storied Inca Trail, which operates under daily visitors limits and thus has a waiting list that often stretches out to three to six months. Despite its popularity, the Inca Trail may not be an option for you due to high demand or physical or time requirements. There’s more than one way to get to Machu Picchu, however…

Trains

The Peru Rail trains leave daily from Poroy Station in Cusco or Ollantaytambo Station in the Sacred Valley. The Backpacker Train is the budget option, while the Vistadome Train costs more but offers snacks and refreshments and boasts panoramic windows to take advantage of the stunning landscape along the route. You can set off in the early hours of the morning and do it all in one day, although many prefer to take an afternoon or evening train, spend the night in Aguas Calientes and then visit the ruins before the first train arrives at 11am the following day.

Treks

Alternative treks are not as well-known nor do they have the cachet of the Inca Trail and its manner of entering Machu Picchu by descending from the Sun Gate, but they are steadily gaining popularity because they can be booked a couple of days in advance, are more affordable, and less frequented and therefore more unspoiled. On some of treks, you are much more likely to run across locals than other groups of

The Lares Valley Trek approaches Machu Picchu from the east,passing snowy peaks, pristine mountain lakes, traditional Andean villages to the ruins of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Many locals and guides actually preferr this trek to the the Inca Trail due to its superior views.

The Choquequirao to Machu Picchu Trek takes you through the Apurímac Canyon along en route to Choquequirao (Aymara for Cradle of Gold), located high on a ridge overlooking glacial Apurímac River. It is the only Inca site which comes close to rivaling Machu Picchu, and is often referred to as its sacred sister. As it is an astonishing site which is still being excavated, but as its remote and can presently only be reached on foot, and by a  longer and harder trek than the others, it remains unspoiled.From there, the trek continues to Machu Picchu, approaching from the southwest.

For the Incas, the snowy peak Salkantay was an apu mountain deity whose glacial waters brought fertile life into the valley below. It still inspires awe today. Salkantay Treks pass around the mountain and approach Machu Picchu from the south, they do not actually scale the peak.

Pirwa Hostels boasts its own agency department, Pirwa Travel Service, which is not only a licensed Inca Trail operator but also offers a variety of alternative treks. For information about these or other excursions, you can contact our travel specialists at pirwatravel@gmail.com.