Traveling To Cusco, Peru

One of my goals is to go see every one of the 7 wonders of the world.

So far I’ve been to Rio, Brasil and saw the statue of Christ Redeemer, I visited Italy and saw the Roman Colosseum in Rome, and last month I visited Peru, and was mesmerized by Machu Picchu. Three down, four more to go!

When I visited Peru,I went to Arequipa, and Cusco – Aguas Calientes (on the way up to Machu Picchu) and of course, Machu Picchu itself. I chose to leave out the footage from Arequipa because this post would just be way too long! If anyone is stopping by Arequipa though, please let me know if you would like a separate post on what to do and where to go! I’d be happy to put one together.

The journey to Machu Picchu

My travels through Peru were accompanied by my boyfriends family, his dad being from Peru, I felt I was getting the local experience and I loved every minute. A few things you guys should know when making your way into Machu Picchu.

First of all, we took a 6 hour van from the city of Cusco into Aguas Calientes. This was not the usually 6 hour ride, it was a ride that no one on that van with me will forget because we all thought we may not make it! Why? first, the local roads are extremely narrow going up the mountain, not only that, but there are no fences protecting cars from falling over! To make matters worse, these extremely narrow dirt roads are two-way roads, and when driving through curves that hide oncoming traffic, the only thing the driver can do is beep a few times to warn the other side we were coming. I am not sure if this makes sense, but my Vlog is attached at the bottom of this blog post and you can see for yourself.
High altitude combined with intense curves on the road for 6 hours can cause sickness. Many tourists become sick from the altitude alone of Peru, but choosing to take a van up to Machu Picchu means you have to travel across a mountain which I believe the highest point you could go (higher than Machu Picchu). At one point we were 4260 meters high in altitude! If you think you may be one to get sick, make sure to go to your doctor prior to the trip and ask for altitude and nausea medications. Being prepared is best! We were literally driving in the clouds! It is such an amazing sight to see but it also messes with your intestines! I myself did not get bothered by the altitude, but I did get bothered by the narrow and curvy slopes from the ride. I was feeling sick and could not wait for the ride to be over!
There are options to hike, or bike-ride a portion of the way into Machu Picchu as well as to do so going back down.
4. There is also an option to take a train, the Peru Rail . This is still a long 5 hour trip if I am not mistaken, but there is wi-fi, there is comfort, and there is no stress from curvy non-fenced narrow roads! It is more costly, of course, but I would definitely recommend spending the money!

Machu Picchu

Arriving in Machu Picchu is the most magical feeling and the most mesmerizing view! No photo in the internet can portray the beauty of the place itself. You want to make sure to arrive the earliest you can, book the earliest tour! Why? first of all, to make it before the sun is directly on top of you, Peru is super weird, it is so hot in the day, but so cold at night! Secondly, you want to be there before there are too many tourists inside! It is much more enjoyable when it’s not crowded to roam around the place and makes for better photos! We arrived there at 8:30AM.

Having a tour guide is awesome in Machu Picchu, because you learn so much history and they take you through the entire place. The tour guides are so passionate about the history attached to Machu Picchu, it’s very refreshing and interesting! The tours are about 2 hours long, so enjoy every second, take as many photos as you can, and take it in! IT IS AMAZING!!!