Last Updated on August 13, 2021
When JC planned our trip to Machu Picchu in January, I really only had a vague idea of what the trek entailed. I had seen many smiling photos of friends in front of the Ciudel de Machu Picchu. But I did not realize that their photos were only the start of our adventure —before the real hiking even began. Read below to learn more about our experience hiking Montaña Machu Picchu.
The different hiking options when visiting Machu Picchu
When deciding to visit Machu Picchu, you have a choice between 4 types of entrance tickets: (1) Machu Picchu, (2) Machu Picchu + Montaña Machu Picchu, (3) Machu Picchu + Huayna Picchu, or (4) Machu Picchu + Musuem. Montaña Machu Picchu is the highest at over 3,000 meters above sea level. To hike Montaña Machu Picchu, you should plan on a 3 hour trek from the entrance of Machu Picchu to the summit. Beware that it is not an easy hike! It is not appropriate for young children or those with health concerns. Be sure to buy your entrance tickets well in advance here. There are only 400 spaces available per day for Huayna Picchu and 800 spaces per day for Montaña Machu Picchu. It is advisable to buy your tickets 3-4 months in advance for either of these treks.
Hiking Montaña Machu Picchu
Get to Aguas Calientes the Day Before Your Trek up Montaña Machu Picchu
We reached Aguas Calientes from Cusco by Inca Rail the day before our scheduled trek. You can read how to get to Aguas Calientes in our post here. We had purchased entrance tickets to Montaña Machu Picchu with a strict entrance time between 9 and 10 am, so we knew we had an early morning ahead of us the next day.
Related Post: How to Get to Machu Picchu: A Step-by-Step Guide
The Next Day: Trek or Bus to the Entrance of Machu Picchu
The day of our trek, we were awake at 6:00 am and out the door around 6:50 am. Most people take a 30 minute bus for the equivalent of $24 from Aguas Calientes to the entrance of Machu Picchu. We, however, are not most people. We decided to save some cash and hike our way to the entrance of Machu Picchu. If I were to do it again, I probably would still hike to the entrance rather than taking the bus. But keep in mind that what should only take 1 1/2 hours took us closer to 2 1/2 hours complete with rest and breakfast breaks.
Entering Machu Picchu
After a torturous 2 1/2 hour climb before the real climbing even began, we reached the entrance to Machu Picchu. We were just in time to make our 10 am entrance (we arrived to the gate at 9:50 am). But before beginning our hike up, we got a little distracted by some llamas and accidentally took the wrong path…
After spending some time taking llama selfies…
We got back on the correct path and continued on our way to Montaña Machu Picchu.
The Trek up Montaña Machu Picchu
The path was rocky, made up of steps after steps after steps. It was both the path for those going up and down, so one had to accommodate those coming down without falling off the edge of the mountain.
The further up we hiked, the smaller and smaller el Ciudel de Machu Picchu appeared……
We were so high, we actually could touch the sky — literally!
At the Summit of Montaña Machu Picchu
Finally, three hours later (the trek should have only taken two hours), we reached victory — 3,082 meters above sea level.
*Important Note: Keep in mind that you need to reach the summit of Montaña Machu Picchu by 12:30 pm at the latest. If you get there after that time, you may not be allowed by the rangers to go to the top! We almost were not allowed, as we arrived after 1 pm. It would have been a huge disappointment after all the time and effort involved. One reason not to take more than one breakfast break!
Our celebration at the summit was brief, but glorious…
Now we just had to get down……
Have you also trekked Montaña Machu Picchu? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Related Post: How to Get to Machu Picchu: A Step-by-Step Guide
