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(---This was how I did it in the summer of 2001. Your actual mileage may vary---)
For those not doing the Inca Trail, the cheapest way to see Machu Picchu is to
first take the 4 soles bus (3.5 soles=$1) from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo (O-town)
via Urubamba. I recommend staying in O-town at the Hostal Miranda since it is
quiet (good lunches, but eat dinner on the main square).
In Aguas Calientes I bought the $4.50 ticket for the one-way bus to Machu
Picchu in the morning, and I walked back in the afternoon. It wouldn't be such
a Herculean effort to walk both ways, but I thought I'd save my breath for
walking up to Huayna Picchu once I was at Machu Picchu. Besides, if you walk back you can see what Peruvians do with their garbage: they throw it next to the river! Normal admission is $20, but if you are a student it is $10. Usually you have to be less than 26 years old to use an international student card for Machu Picchu, but I got in for $10 with a card that expired 2 years ago plus I am 37 years old-- and look it! The key was to have exact change and the card in hand. Peru has such a chronic problem with change that if there are people in front of you with big bills, and the ticket guy sees you with a green student card and $10 in your hand, he will take it.
One more thing: there is a $10 Cuzco-area tourist ticket to see all the sights in
the area in a certain number of days. If you buy the other, cheaper ticket just for
a few ruins, keep in mind that you have to see all the ruins in one day, which
would be a very long day as they are very spread out.
And finally, the very pompous: This page © Copyright 2002, Kent Foster |