My dream finally came true when I got to visit Machu Picchu, which is the New Seven Wonders of the World. Known as the “Lost City of the Incas,” Machu Picchu was built around 1450 and stands 7,972 feet above sea-level in the middle of a tropical mountain forest. The Incas did an amazing job at building the Inca Empire with its giant walls, terraces and ramps.
Our driver picked us up at 7:30 A.M. and took us to the Poroy train station. Since we were going to spend the night in Aguas Calientes, we left our big luggage at the hotel storage and took only 1 carry-on luggage with us. Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the station and boarded the Vistadome Train to head to Machu Picchu. The train had large panoramic windows on both sides of it, which provided us with wonderful views of Peru’s Sacred Valley as we made our way towards Machu Picchu. Our seats were on the left side of the train as I heard it is more scenic than the right side.
We passed by small, rural villages that are still inhabited by largely Quechua-speaking descendants of indigenous Andeans. Traveling by train is a unique way to travel to Machu Picchu to experience the magnificent landscape. The Vistadome had large leather seats arranging in rows for two people. During the trip, we were entertained with music. Snack service and hot or cold non-alcoholic drinks were provided on board (one hot drink and one cold drink per person). The journey to it took just over three hours.
The final stop was in Aguas Calientes, which is the closest town to Machu Picchu. We arrived at Aguas Calientes around noon. Right after we got out of the train station, we made a left turn and headed towards the bridge. We crossed the bridge to Chullpi restaurant to have lunch.
The food at Chullpi restaurant was delicious, but the service was really slow. It took 30 minutes for the food to come out and we were the only ones in the restaurant. We barely had time to eat our food since we had to take a 25 minutes bus ride to Machu Picchu to enter it by 2 P.M. based on our tickets.
We literally had 15 minutes to eat before we rushed to the bus station to catch the bus ride. There was a line of people waiting for the next bus to come. The bus departed when it was filled and the next bus came.
The bus was clean, but the ride was bumpy at time. While going up the mountain, I was amazed and wondered how the Incas built an empire up high in the mountain with their own hands.
Luckily, we made it to Machu Picchu about 5 minutes before our ticket time. Before entering it, we had to show our passport and ticket. For a significant place such as Machu Picchu, we hired a private tour guide to give us the history of the site. The tour guide was very informative and we learned so much about this magnificent city. In addition, the tour guide helped to take our family pictures.
To get to the picture perfect view, head towards the direction of the Sun Gate after the entrance gate. It was hard to climb the steps, but it was worth it once we got to the top.
After spending about 2 hours exploring Machu Picchu, we came back to Aguas Calientes to check into our hotel, Sumaq. The luxury hotel is located at the foot of Machu Picchu with a beautiful view of the Vilcanota River. I used my Chase points to book this luxury hotel via the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
We had dinner at Qunuq restaurant, which was inside Sumaq hotel. The food was delicious and the service was excellent.
The next morning, we woke up and had buffet breakfast. The hotel staff surprised us by making these special fruit plates for our kids. When we first checked into the hotel, the front desk asked my kids to list their favorite fruits. We did not know the reason behind it until we saw these special fruit plates. Aren’t they cute?
After breakfast, we checked-out our room and left our luggage at the Bell Desk so that we could visit Machu Picchu again. The staff told us that they would drop off our luggage an hour before our train departure, which was great. We did not have to worry about going back to the hotel to pick up our luggage.
We got to the entrance at 9 A.M. and hiked to the Inca Bridge. It was a 30 minutes hiked to get there and it was worth seeing. The Inca Bridge is often referred to as the “secret entrance” to Machu Picchu. The stone path was built into the cliffs with 20 foot gap and a 1,900 foot drop. The plank of wood that spans the 20 foot gap was raised when the Incas did not want any attackers to cross it. This made it extremely harder for the attackers to attempt crossing the gap.
After our Inca Bridge hike, we went back to the main plaza to hang out and took more pictures before we returned to Aguas Calientes for lunch.
On the return trip from the Machu Picchu Station to the Poroy (Cusco) Station, we watched the Saqra Dances and Fashion Show featuring the exclusive baby alpaca wool collection with the latest trends in alpaca apparel from Sol Alpaca.
Machu Picchu was truly extraordinary. Words cannot describe how incredible it was to walk around on the sacred site. It’s definitely a must on your bucket to list. How many Wonders of the World have you visited?
Machu Picchu Train Ticket
There are two companies operating trains to Aguas Calientes, which is the town on the bottom of Machu Picchu: Peru Rail (http://www.perurail.com/) and Inca Rail (http://incarail.com/). I got my train tickets via Peru Rail and selected the Vistadome train over the Expedition train due to the overall service on board rating and larger panoramic windows to enjoy the scenery. The Vistadome has a more complete service than the Expedition. It provides more comfort, better snacks, a live dance show and a fashion show with alpaca garments. Also, the Vistadome Train is the best option for those who love to be in touch with nature. However, the price for Vistadome is more expensive than the Expedition.
Machu Picchu Entrance Ticket:
Machu Picchu tickets can be purchased on Machu Picchu , which is the only official site that sells them. Beware of other websites selling or claiming to sell Machu Picchu tickets. It is best to buy tickets directly from the official site. Before purchasing the tickets, you will need to have your passport and credit card ready. From the website, select the date of your visit and the number of tickets requesting. A few options return including the available spots for that day and price: Machu Picchu only (limit of 2500 people per day), Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu MontaΓ±a (limit of 400 per day), and Machu Picchu and Machu Picchu MontaΓ±a (limit of 400 per day).
Since we traveled with kids, we bought tickets for Machu Picchu instead of Wayna Picchu MontaΓ±a and Machu Picchu MontaΓ±a. We are definitely not fit to hike the other two trails since they are steep and narrow. Once you select the time, enter your information and continue to make payment. Remember to bring your tickets and passport and the credit card that was used to purchase the tickets on your trip. You can get a passport stamp at the table next to the exit gate.