Travel hints to MACHU PICCHU

I had the chance to visit Machu Picchu in Peru, the lost majestic city from the 15th century. The "city" is built on top of the Andean mountain range about 7000 feet above sea level.  Its a mystery how the workers were able to bring those blocks of stone way up there.  It is no wonder one of the New Wonders of the World.

My mom and  I stayed in the Sacred Valley region days before so that we could gradually acclimize to the extreme elevation before heading up to Machu Picchu.  Most tour groups try to cover too much distance in a very short time so a lot of people complain about getting nauseas and headache because they had not acclimized at all. Also my hotel had complementary coco tea stations in the lobby, they say drink coco tea will help with altitude sickness.  The inkas would bite on the coco leaves between their teeth which numbs the jaw and you dont feel hungry or thirsty. The coco leaves are safe as its unprocessed.

From our hotel, we were able to take the Andean express train into Aguas Caliente, the town in 90 minutes.  From Aguas Caliente, you then catch a Machu Picchu shuttle bus that takes you up the mountain to Machu Picchu in 30 minutes.  We were able to get to the Machu Picchu before the tour groups arrive since our hotel base at Sacred Valley is closer to Aguas Caliente.  Its another 1.5 hours for the tour groups from Cusco to get into the Sacred Valley.  We were able to stay longer exploring Machu Picchu, not have to worry about getting dark, and too late for supper.  Another advantage was that my mom ordered from our hotel the Machu Picchu entrance tickets with meal plan months in advance.  You pay a $20 surcharge per ticket but its all worth it or you will need to get to the Cultural center in Cuscos and wait in line to get the tickets and you have to use them within three days.  That is valuable time that you could spend doing sightseeing.  Another reason to spend the extra $25 per person for lunch is that its a nice break to sit in the air conditioning restaurant at the Sanctuary Lodge, away from the heat and sun for a bit.  Its a nice spread for lunch and then refill your water bottle too before heading back out to the ruins.  We saw people who bagged their lunch, having to wait in line for the public bathroom, buy water and looking for a shady spot to eat lunch standing up.