How to Get to Machu Picchu from Cusco: Sacred Valley, Peru

If you think you can fly into Cusco and then easily get to Machu Picchu from there, you’re wrong. You have to take a bus and then a train to a small village at the base of Machu Picchu. This video shows you the journey from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, through the Sacred Valley to the basecamp for all visits to Machu Picchu.

**What's going on?**
I'm on a business trip with some friends from school. We're visiting a lot of companies and learning about business in Peru and all of Latin America. Between business visits, we're exploring and eating all the food. :)

Click here to watch all the videos in the Peru playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMNCzU91Iy4&list=PLqUGFHMGYjkfJ1yz6syHmBPCgnwSuUmOm

**How to get from Cusco to Machu Picchu**

For even more details, read our blog post: http://www.perfectlittleplanet.com/cusco-to-machu-picchu/

No matter how you go, you will travel through the Sacred Valley. It is gorgeous, so I highly recommend traveling during daylight hours so you can appreciate the beauty.

Option 1: Train only. $75-$115 USD, 3.5-4.5 hours
There is a train straight from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu), but it’s usually more expensive than the bus/train combo and less flexible, and the main train station they depart from is Poroy, a 30-minute taxi/uber ride from Cusco. Try to book a train from San Pedro station, which is only 8-minutes from Cusco.

Book your train ticket in advance: https://www.perurail.com/

Option 2: Bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu). $5 USD bus + $65 USD Train
Walk 10 minutes south from Plaza de Armas in Cusco to Pavitos street. On Google Maps, look for the “Estacion de colectivos.” It’s a yellow building that says “Real Inka” on it. The colectivos are minibuses and they leave as soon as they’re filled, which can be anywhere from 20-40 minutes between buses. Buses leave from 2:30am to 7pm and they’ll bring you straight to the train station in Ollantaytambo.

We recommend booking your train in advance and then planning backwards for when to get on the minibus in Cusco. The bus is always the same price, but the train tickets vary wildly, from $65 USD to $195 USD. Trains depart Ollantaytambo for Machu Picchu from 5:30am to 10pm.

Real Inka buses: http://www.realinkacar.com/realinka-cusco-ollanta-cusco_in.html
PeruRail: https://www.perurail.com/

Option 3: Private bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu). $140 USD (for 14 pax) for the bus + $65 USD train

This is what we did because we had a large group and we needed to stop at a few places to make the trip educational (hence the textile “factory” and the salt mines. You can book a private tour through Real Inka or any number of other tour companies.

Here are some time stamps:

Bus Trip (Cusco to Ollantaytambo)
0:23 – Chinchero textile stop
1:46 - Maras Salt Mines (Salineras de Maras)
3:08 - Ollantaytambo

Train (Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu)
4:01 – Train through Sacred Valley

Aguas Calientes
4:55 – Arrival and room tour
5:17 – Exploring Aguas Calientes
5:48 – Plaza de Armas, Virgen del Carmen church
6:38 – Market

Thanks for watching! If you have any questions about the trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu through the Sacred Valley, feel free to ask in the comments.

-Brian

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Music is royalty free, all from YouTube's Audio Library:
"Retro” by Wayne Jones
“Pisco Sour” by Gunnar Olsen
“Sunrise Drive” by South London HiFi

Filmed on January 17, 2019 on a Canon G7X Mark II.

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Видео How to Get to Machu Picchu from Cusco: Sacred Valley, Peru канала Perfect Little Planet