Peru and Machu Picchu -- Post 3 (Tips)

Machu Picchu is inspiring. Some random tips:

1) It is high altitude, so see your doctor before leaving about getting prescription medicine to help you not get any altitude sickness. My drug was Acetazolamide (250 mg, took 3 times a day). It helps the blood flow.

2) There is only one bus company that runs from Machu Picchu to Agua Caliente (village that’s at the foot of the mountain). Once you are up at Machu Picchu, there’s only one really expensive restaurant to eat for lunch and supposedly you cannot take food in (there’s a storage locker). But if you don’t want to spend gobs of money on food or waste time by coming down from Machu Picchu by bus for lunch at Agua Caliente, then you should pack your lunch so you can spend as much time in Machu Picchu. When i was standing in line at 5:00 am for the first bus to go up to Machu Picchu, there were ladies selling bottled water and sandwiches (4 soles… that’s like $1.33). Buy those. I planned ahead and bought sandwiches the night before… but they got all soggy. If I knew there would be folks selling stuff as we were waiting for the bus, I wouldn’t have bought anything for lunch.

3) Take anything and everything you take into Machu Picchu out with you. It needs to be preserved, not wasted.

4) Right outside the “condor room,” there are little cracks where rabbits live… it’s kinda cool to see. This is the picture...

5) If you get into Agua Caliente early and spend a night there, then you could probably go see Machu Picchu twice. Do that if you can.

6) I went during the start of the rainy season (early November 2008). It didn’t really rain but it was hot. It’s hotter at Machu Picchu than at cusco (the major city most tourists will go through to get to Machu Picchu). Then it gets cold at night. By hot, I mean like high 70’s to 80 F. Wear light hiking boots, pants, and jacket. The steps can be steep and you’ll get a good workout, even without gorgeous weather.

7) There’s no restroom once you enter Machu Picchu. There is one right before you enter, but you need to pay 1 sole (so bring some change). You might as well go before entering because it sucks to go back to the entrance for bathroom and then go back in.

8) Take the time to enjoy the view of Machu Picchu… it’s quite amazing. =)