Thinking about going to Machu Picchu for our 30th wedding anniversary next year, but it looks complicated compared to our usual trips to Hawaii. Any suggestions? We have airline miles to get there but would consider an inclusive land package.
Best time to go? Good hotels? How in shape does one have to be (we are both 48 and in reasonably good shape)?
Any other advice?
My sister traveled with her family a couple summers ago in July/August and had a ball. She was close to 60 and had run 4 miles a day for about a year to get ready. They had several family members on the trip ranging from late 20s to 60. It didn’t seem to matter what age you were, some had significant altitude sickness, where others didn’t. You can have oxygen piped into your hotel room and the guides tell you how to mitigate the symptoms including buying coca leaf gum. Don’t know anything about hotels. But from everything I have heard, you do want to try to be in good shape and follow the advice of those in country helping tourists. They know best about how to have a successful climb.
“How in shape does one have to be (we are both 48 and in reasonably good shape)?”
How do you deal with altitude? It’s actually much more of a problem in Cusco (over 11K feet) than Machu Picchu (about 8K feet) but how one handles it doesn’t necessarily equate to fitness.
Drink coca tea. If you know you’re likely to be affected by altitude sickness, consider getting a prescription for Diamox from your doctor. (Anything carbonated like soda and beer will taste like crap though)
Consider staying in Ollantaytambo in addition to or instead of Cusco.
D & SIL are going in October, so I will be interested in responses as well. S & DIL went 5 years ago and hiked in. D laughed and said there is no way she is doing that, she will take the train. She just ran a half-marathon on Saturday, so fitness isn’t the issue. She just wants to enjoy the experience without the rigors of the hike.
I took my kids a couple of years ago, at the time, I was a hair shy of 60. We spent three nights in Sacred Valley (below Cusco) to acclimate, before taking a train to Macchu Picchu. Acclimatization is the key, if you don’t acclimate, you will regret it and your trip will be ruined. Drink plenty of Coca tea and water, stay away from alcohol, Diamox is a last resort and I would not recommend. Trust me, acclimate; I can’t stress that enough!!! Once we arrived at the train station, below Macchu Picchu, we ate a banana, loaded up on water, and started the hike - If I recall correctly, it took about three hours to ascend with frequent stops along the way. The climb up is quite arduous because there are very tiny steps. I say tiny because they are very closely spaced and that is tiresome on long, American legs! The alternative is to take the bus up and walk down. If you are feeling ‘spendy’ you can actually stay at the hotel on the top of the mountain…
Before you go, make sure a) you buy your train ticket in advance b) buy your entrance ticket to Maccu Piccu in advance - you CANNOT buy tickets at the entrance gate.
I’ve been a couple of times. The most important thing is to acclimatized to the altitude. Cuzco is actually higher in altitude than MP. I don’t think fitness is much of a factor when it comes to altitude. My daughter got a headache last time and she’s in very good shape. When you get to Cuzco, take it easy the first day. Don’t go rushing around seeing the sites. Also, most hotels will offer coca tea and some will also have oxygen if you get the dreaded headache. Avoid alcohol and drink lots of water. If you altitude sickness, it normally doesn’t last more than a day.
Last time we went to Cusco and MP, we flew in from Lima and we also took my MIL so we hired a tour with English speaking tour guide. Our guide only had us to deal with with so we weren’t with a large group. We spend a day or two in Cusco and then traveled to the Sacred Valley (went to the market in Pisac , Ollantaytambo and other sites). We stayed in a hotel in Sacred Valley then continued on to Machu Picchu. Some people like to spend the night at the hotel at the site so they can be there in the morning when it’s quiet before the hordes of tourists show up from the train.
It’s been over 5 years since we last went but it’s certainly worth doing once in your lifetime. Be sure and go in the summer (ours not theirs) so you avoid the rainy season.
I did MP with Traveling Professor. They were very knowledgable and organized. Our guide was great.
I got medication from my family doc to help with altitude acclimation …
My trip was very similar to this one: http://travelingprofessor.com/Tours/TourstoPeruandMachuPicchu.aspx
I took my daughter two years ago and went with another single mom and her daughter. We used Kuoda Travel. https://www.kuodatravel.com/. They do custom trips for families and groups. I think it is worth it just to be as efficient as possible with your time. Spent 4 days in Lima, which is worth a visit, the museum and old town are worth visiting. Flew to Cuzco but immediately drove to the valley, stayed in Ollantaytambo as was suggested. There are several ruin sites there worth seeing so spent a few nights there in order to acclimate. None of us got altitude sickness. Then took a train to Aguas Calientes and stayed there for two nights. The first afternoon we arrived we took a bus into Macchu Picchu and had a good tour of the area and were able to stay later after the bulk of the tourists leave. The next day we got up early and climbed Huayna Picchu, the mountain behind the site. It is not for the faint of heart at the top walking down the steps are very steep and about 5 inches wide and a mile drop on one side. I was just shy of 60 when I climbed. My 15 year old was fine but if I had known it was that dangerous I might not have taken her up there. At the end of the day we took the train directly into Cuzco and stayed 3 days. We took day trips to the local village and salt mines. After that we took a plane to the Amazon and spent 4 days in a conservation research center and explored the amazon forrest, caught a few piranha…magical. The train tickets, tickets to the site, hike to Huayna Picchu, all sell out, so buy early or worth through an agent. We asked the agency to stay in quaint bed and breakfast type places, and they were all wonderful. If you have any other questions, feel free to pm me. Have fun!
My son just returned from MP, he usually struggles with altitude and has been sick each time we have visited Denver. On this trip he took altitude sickness meds prescribed by his doctor and thankfully the altitude didn’t affect him.
While you are in the area check out Rainbow mountain, his photos are amazing.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/01/21/welcome-rainbow-mountains-peru/
Altitude sickness can afflict pretty much anyone, especially if they ascend rapidly, do too much, get in the least dehydrated, consume alcohol or carbonated beverages. Both my husband and my children have had bouts of altitude sickness when we drove from SF to Lake Tahoe or Truckee. Using supplemental oxygen or descending to a lower elevation and taking more time to get to a higher elevation are the two remedies I have heard are successful. For H and whichever child was afflicted, they wouldn’t feel better until we descended each time.
They ARE OK on airplanes and also at Denver with altitude of 5000 feet, but have trouble at higher elevations sometimes.
You guys are the best- thank you so much for your advice!!
Went last year- I am in my early 50s . We were with a group. (Highly recommend Condor Travel in Peru). I took Diamox (half dose) and the walk up to the Sun Gate was hard but I did it. I work out 5 days a week. My husband didn’t take any and he was fine but felt the altitude. We both drank a lot of water. Of our group, two of the youngest and fittest (extreme sports types) went down with altitude sickness AT Machu Picchu and were on IVs at the hotel there and another one my age had to be taken down by stretcher from the Sun Gate hike. Another woman older than me later that night ended up in the hospital with severe altitude sickness. We had all been acclimating for 2 nights before at Ollantaytambo/Aguas Calientes. Just be aware that it may hit unexpectedly. Also no bathrooms up on the site. It was beautiful. I highly recommend it, but it was unpredictable to see who the altitude hit the hardest in our group so IMO it is good to be with a tour group that has access to medical help just in case.
Ditto all the comments about acclimating. However, it doesn’t have to be a strenuous trip if you don’t want it to be (I’m not referring to the altitude–I mean the rigors of hiking/climbing). Machu Pichu itself does have some incline, steps, etc. but it’s not overly challenging.
Many people hike in and, when we looked, there were one, two, three+ day hikes but it turned out that my family elected not to go that route. We took the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (the town where MP is located) and spent the night at a lovely hotel (can’t recall the name). The next morning, we rose early and took the bus that circulates for this very purpose and drives people right up to MP. We chose to hike up Waynu Picchu, the mountain behind MP. I am in the worst shape of my family of 5 and I found it very challenging. My kids went much more quickly and it took them maybe 50 minutes. Dh was kind and stayed with me and it took me 1h 15 minutes. It is pretty much straight up but I never felt like it was dangerous and the views are incredible. Plus, I was very proud of myself! I would imagine if you have a fear of heights, you might not want to climb it. However, as an out of shape person who doesn’t mind heights, I highly recommend it. They limit the number of people and, IIRC, have only two time slots a day with 200 (?) people permitted for each. Thus, if you want to do this, go online and secure your tickets sooner rather than later.
We were encouraged by the tour company to train in the night before, see MP during the day and make the late afternoon train out. This is the one thing I’d change. Our hotel was lovely, had a soaking tub, etc. We finished up by about 1:30 (both Waynu Picchu and MP), had some lunch and then had to kill time until our train. We were tired and all I wanted to do was soak in that tub. I’d spend a second night in Aguas Calientes, rest after the hike and then get dinner in town. Last comment is that there is one lodge right there at MP which was booked so staying wasn’t an option. We had the very pricey buffet lunch there and none of us cared for the food. I would say bring a snack and wait the extra 20 minutes as you take the bus back down to eat at a restaurant offering better food.
I didn’t mean to go on so long – I hope something in here is useful to you!
According to Wiki:
So if you need a drug test soon after return …