Visiting this bucket list spot takes a chunk of time, but costs less than you might think.
It ’s been a lifelong dream of mine to visitMachu Picchu . I recollect hearing about a schoolfellow ’s trip to Machu Picchu when I was in gamy school and had never left the res publica before , finding myself enraptured by every detail of their journey . Fast ahead a turn of class and I ’m now an experient traveler and full - fourth dimension digital nomad — but until of late , I still had n’t made it to the ancient Inca ruins . I had planned to hold out inPerufor a few months in 2023 , but had to cancel . So in 2024 , I hump I had to make my aspiration of call Peru — and Machu Picchu — a reality .
This year , I finally spend April and May hold out in Lima , Peru . I book my April trip to Machu Picchu all the agency back in January , knowing how speedily the limited turn of tickets can get sell out . The most expensive part of the trip was reaching the Citadel — the other monetary value of my trip were very reasonable , especially since I traveled with a friend and was able-bodied to split up the cost of rideshares , lodging , and meals .
Here ’s a partitioning of what I spent on a trip to Machu Picchu and Cusco as a travel author .
Design by Maitane Romagosa
About the traveler
Job : Freelance writerAnnual salary:$61,000-$80,000 per yearLocation of mansion : WorldwideAge:25
About the vacation
Where : Machu Picchu and Cusco , PeruHow long : Four daysPlanned Budget:$750
Upfront costs
Flights:$67.93 . We flew orotund - tripper from Lima to Cusco . Hotels / Lodging:$81.60 . We stayed at the Flowers House Hotel in Aguas Calientes for one night and an Airbnb in Cusco for two nights . Relevant anterior purchases:$435 . I booked a circuit for $ 435 , which includes a cab from the Cusco Airport to the gearing place , the pear-shaped - misstep train to Aguas Calientes , the circular - slip motorbus ticket from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu , entree tickets to Machu Picchu for the first circuit , and a private circuit guide .
Day by day
Day 1 - Monday
Total cost : $ 30.50Getting to Machu Picchu is a very long journey , even if you ’re already in Peru . Because it takes so long , our spell templet commend that we fly as too soon as possible . We book a escape that departed from Lima at 4:55 am and arrived in Cusco at 6:18 am .
Our early flight meant we had to call an Uber at around 2 am to take us to the airport from my Airbnb in Miraflores , a vicinity in Lima . It cost 28 sole ( $ 7.50 ) and only took 30 minutes . dealings in Lima is famously direful , but there was passably much no one on the road since we were traveling in the middle of the night . The lounge at the airport did n’t open until 3:30 am , so we grabbed a umber at Starbucks after wee it through security , spend 15 soles ( $ 4 ) . Once the waiting room opened up , we grab a bite to consume before boarding at 4:15 am .
When we landed in Cusco , a cab gadget driver was waiting to take us to the train post . This cost was let in in our package with the tour guide , so we did n’t have to pay anything extra . We got to theInca Railoffice around 6:50 am , give us sentence to saddle our phones and balance before start at 8:30 am . In April , there are n’t any direct trains from Cusco to Aguas Calientes , the town at the infrastructure of Machu Picchu . As a result , we had to take a bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo , and then the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes . The bus take about two hours , with a short pause in the middle to stretch out our leg and go to the bathroom .
When we got to Ollantaytambo , we had the alternative to purchase snacks , but chose not to , since we had packed some bite the Nox before . The train left the post at 11:15 am and took about an hour and a half . We each bought a pisco sourness on board to lionize our journey , which be 30 sole ( $ 8) per soul .
After we contain into our hotel , we had lunch atKusi Paya , a nearby restaurant . This was one of our preferred meals of the entire trip . It consisted of soup , an entree , dessert , and chicha morada and be just 19 soles ( $ 5 ) , which was a wild great deal for the timber . You understand that correctly : Our total lunch cost less than one pisco sour on the string .
After lunch , we bought collation to pack in our bags to bring to Machu Picchu the following morning , spending 22.50 colloidal solution ( $ 6 ) . After that , we remove a nap , see with our tour guide to go over the next morning ’s plans , and then went to slumber early .
Photos by Harrison Pierce
Day 2 - Tuesday
Total cost : $ 23Our entrance clip to Machu Picchu was at 6 am , and we want the prospect to see the sunset , so we start up at 4:45 . Our hotel offered breakfast starting at 5 , so we grabbed a morsel to eat before satisfy our tour of duty guide at 5:30 in the hotel anteroom . We take a spry walk to the busbar stopover , where we board the bus to the top of the raft and the entering to Machu Picchu . The drive take aim about 30 second and was very scenic .
There are four circuits you may take once you reach the entrance , depending on what you need to see . We choose Circuit 1 , which offered the most iconic view of Machu Picchu . The first part of the tour involved a draw of whole step , so we establish ourselves huffing and puffing . Between the altitude and the high humidness , it was easy to get out of breathing space !
During the tour of duty , I found myself sense thankful that I ’d booked a individual pathfinder in advance . You are n’t allowed to embark Machu Picchu without a tour usher , so if you do n’t come with one , you are assign one when you go far . This means the tour groups can get large and slow you down , as everyone is snapping hundreds of photos . Having a private spell pathfinder meant I could ask as many question as I wanted about Machu Picchu and the surrounding area , which gave me so much invaluable noesis , and that I could congeal my desire pace .
Photos by Harrison Pierce
The tour endure about three hour , and then we read the jalopy back down to Aguas Calientes . We grabbed a second breakfast at a cafe on the walk back to the hotel , spend 37 sol ( $ 10 ) . We had to check out of our hotel before the duty tour , so we hang out in the hotel hall until we boarded the train back to Ollantaytambo at 2:30 premier . I still had plenty of leftover snacks , so I did n’t have to bribe anything on the wagon train . The busbar from Ollantaytambo to Cusco departed at 4:20 post-mortem and dropped us in Cusco around 6:15 .
Even though it was a shortsighted walk from the bus post to our Airbnb , we were exhausted , so we conduct an Uber for 3.90 soles ( $ 1 ) . Then , we ordered some dinner for delivery , spending 44.22 soles ( $ 12 ) each on a repast and some piss . We get going to bed early on after this exhausting daylight .
Day 3 - Wednesday
Total price : $ 32.50Cusco is a beautiful metropolis with so much to do . Thanks to some altitude nausea and lingering exhaustion from visiting Machu Picchu , we were n’t able to take full advantage of the area during our one full day there . We snaffle coffee tree atCercaníafor 11 Sol ( $ 3 ) and walked around the city center , visit a few churches , plazas , and flea market place . Then , we encircle back for a late breakfast / other luncheon at the same cafe for 40.50 sole ( $ 10.50 ) . At this point , I was out of breath and had a head ache , so we returned to the Airbnb for a Napoleon .
After rest and getting some work done , we rent an Uber for 3.90 so ( $ 1 ) each toLimbus Restobar , a rooftop eating place with unobstructed city panorama . We were there during happy 60 minutes and get two - for - one pisco sourness while watching the sunset . We then divide a large pasta and seafood dish for dinner party , spending 63 soles ( $ 17 ) each in aggregate . We took an Uber back to the Airbnb for 3.90 soles ( $ 1 ) and had another early night .
Day 4 - Thursday
Total toll : $ 12.50Our escape digress the Cusco airport at 9:01 am , so we took a 7 am Uber for 10 soles ( $ 2.50 ) . After certificate , we got a quick bite in the lounge before boarding at 8:30 . The flying was fast , so we arrived back in Lima at 10:35 and capture an Uber back to my apartment in Miraflores for 37 soles ( $ 10 ) .
How it all broke down
Upfront and travel costs:$584.53Costs from the week:$98.50Final total:$683.03How I did against my original budget:$66.97 under budget
Photos by Harrison Pierce
Photos by Harrison Pierce
