Tag: Machu Picchu

Which Circuit is Best for You – Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is one of the most popular sights in the world because of its beauty and the magical things that happen when visiting. Traveling there takes some planning though, and when that starts happening there are many questions that come up about how to get the most out of the experience. When doing the research on Machu Picchu, one of the biggest questions that come up is about the circuits. There are three circuits where you can schedule specific times to walk through them, and each one has their own specific appeal, so which ones would be right for you?

Circuit 1

At one kilometer, circuit one is the shortest trail, but it is also the one that has the most elevation gain. It is basically a one-kilometer hike on the backside of the ruins up stairs most of the way. Some of the stairs are made out of wood with standardized step sizes, but there are the old rocky uneven Inca steps the rest of the way. It is a little bit of a workout on the way up, and you do go back the same way you came, so there is always the struggle of finding enough space to navigate the steps.

It does take you up to the highest ridge in Machu Picchu, and offers the iconic views that everybody thinks of when thinking of Machu Picchu. There is not a lot of history to the hike up, so I do not believe a guide is necessary for this circuit. Most people just take it so they can get that iconic view of the sight in person. There are a couple of offshoots to the circuit that you can add if you wish to make the hike a little more exciting such as going up the path past the ruins to the top of the mountain path that was first used to get into the sight. It is worth the views, but that is really the only thing that makes this circuit worth it. If you are taking this circuit, I would recommend to get it as early in the morning that you can because this is when the least amount of people will be on the path. It also allows you to be up there during the sunrise which is one of the most magical times of the day at Machu Picchu. When I went, we were a part of the 6:00 group, and the whole sight was blanketed in a cloud. I thought it was going to be a complete bust, but the sun came up and slowly burned away the clouds, making for a dramatic reveal of Machu Picchu that I will never forget. This was also during the end of July when the sun is powerful enough to break up the clouds. If you are planning on going during the rainy season, December through February, the clouds might be too thick, and I have heard that they sometimes stick around all day.

Circuit 2

Circuit 2 starts at the same place as Circuit 1, but it heads into the sight quickly instead of skirting around just outside of the spectacular views of the sight. It still goes up the terraces to some amazing spots with great views, and it is worth getting there early so you can look over Machu Picchu before all of the other tourists arrive and start to fill it in. The pictures are not as dramatic as they are when you are looking down at Machu Picchu from the perch on Circuit 1, but there are still plenty of spots that have great views.

The circuit is basically a big circle that will eventually take you down into the sight, taking a bigger loop around the central part of the sight than Circuit 3 will. There are a few important places that Circuit 2 will take you to that are interesting, but sometimes you will not know about their significance, so if you are only able to get tickets to this circuit, hiring a guide would be suggested because they will be able to explain to you more of what you are seeing, and they will also point out things that you might have missed if you did not have one.

There is an extension that you can add on to Circuit 2 that is for the more serious hikers. It takes hikers up Huayna Picchu (also spelled Wayna Picchu). This is the pointy mountain that is usually pictured when people look at Machu Picchu. Most of those pictures do not reveal some more structures that are on top of this mountain that people can hike up to. The hike itself takes one to two hours to complete and it is not for the more casual hiker. It does take people straight up the mountain over some rougher terrain, but the views from up there are seldom seem by people coming out to Machu Picchu, and it might be something you would want to consider if you are in good shape.

Circuit 3

Circuit 3 has its own entrance into the sight, and it is the one that I enjoy the most. It takes visitors out to the terraces just like the other two hikes, but this is the one that will eventually take you into the heart of Machu Picchu. The circuit is a lot of up and down that takes people over the original steps of Machu Picchu, some of them easier to traverse than others, but all of them can be handled by most people. Just know that you will need to exert yourself some if you do take this route.

This is also the route that has the most history and stories to tell. I would highly recommend getting a guide during this section because they will really make it come to life, and most of them know how and where to take the perfect picture of you in the majesty of Machu Picchu. You can find many of the guides waiting outside of the entrance to Circuit 3 or down at the bus stop in Aguas Calientes, but make sure you ask how much they will cost before you hire one. I would also recommend that you talk with them for a bit to see how well they speak the language that you would like your tour in. All of the guides are multi-lingual, but sometimes an accent or pronunciation of certain can make some of them hard to follow, and you would like to know that before you are already on the trail with them.

Circuit 3 does offer some views, but none of them as amazing as the ones that you will see in Circuit 1 or 2. This is why I would suggest that you schedule at least two different tours. I would start off with Circuit 3 with a guide who will give you the background knowledge that you need so you can take one of the other circuits on your own and know enough about what you are seeing and why you are enjoying it. I would also spread the circuits over two days, one in the afternoon and one in the morning. This way you can see what Machu Picchu has to offer during the different times of the day. If you plan it right, you can minimize the time you have to spend in Aguas Calientes because out of all of the towns you can stay in the Sacred Valley, this is the one that is the least interesting. It is more exciting to take that twenty minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu and see the real attraction of the area.

Machu Picchu is an amazing sight, and it can easily be seen why it is on people’s bucket lists. If you are going to scratch it off your list, make the most of it by choosing the circuit that is best for you. Until next time, keep adding to that bucket list, but make sure you are crossing off things on it as well.

Happy New Year from Machu Picchu

It is one of the most recognizable sights in the world. People have put it on their bucket list as one of the things that they want to see in their lifetimes. It is the center of one of the most mysterious and intriguing cultures of the world. Lots have already been written about it, from its discoveries, to its conflict with the Spanish conquistadors, to the way people make a pilgrimage out of it in the modern day. There has already been a lot written about Machu Picchu, so I will not try to cover the same material and will give you my wandering thoughts about the place because I cannot visit a place like this without writing about it.

To start off, I have been holding off on visiting this place because I knew any visitor I had in Peru would want to make a stop there, so there was no reason to go out of my way to visit if I knew that I was going to go there anyway. I had made this mistake with Petra in Jordan and by the time I left after four years, I was starting to become an expert with that sight. Even with this wait, I still made my first visit to Machu Picchu within six months of moving to Peru. It just shows you how willing people were to jump on that chance to visit this sight that I was taking the trek during my first big break in the region.

I also went during a slower season. There are many paths that are opened to guests to travel through the sight so they are not just running any direction that they want and threatening to damage the beauty of this location. It was during the rainy season or Peru’s summer. Not all of the paths were open at this time because some of the more adventurous ones are too dangerous tonight travel on. Also, most people avoid this time because Machu Picchu can be covered in clouds, making it hard to see, especially in the morning. We were exceptionally lucky in this regard. We had scheduled a hike through the complex during the late afternoon, and another hike around the outside of the complex during the morning. On both occasions, we avoided the weather, and the clouds, but I am told that this is not the norm during this time of the year. I will have to come back during the high tourist season to see what the difference actually is.

There are two paths connected with the sight, one that I knew about, the other I didn’t, that I really want to do. The first is the Inka Trail. It is a four day trek that takes you over the ridge that gives you the iconic picture of Machu Picchu that everybody has seen. The other is a steep hike up the mountain that sits in the background of the iconic photo that takes people to a more obscure collection of buildings where the high shaman used to live. It is supposed to be a tough hike, but the views from that place have to be amazing.

There are also guides that sit outside of the sight and are willing to take you in and give you more context of what you are seeing. If you are doing route 3, I would highly recommend hiring one of them. They are very knowledgeable and ours was a great photographer as well, getting us pictures with everybody in it. Our guide was able to point out a lot of the subtleties of the buildings while giving us a perspective of the Inka culture that we would have missed without them. It was also nice having that knowledge with us as we did route 2 without a guide because we could now look at things with a different perspective and still know what we were looking at. At the time this post is being written, the going rate was 70 soles for person which translates to about 15 dollars. Totally worth it, though I am sure that if I go back enough, I will be able to supply the information without the guide.

Also, the llamas rule the sight. We were told that there were sixteen of them on the ground with the newest one just having been born. They make for some great pictures and they are used to the tourists who go up to them to get that snapshot. They serve another purpose because they graze on the grass that grows on the terraces, keeping it relatively short. I know they are not the most majestic of animals, but in this environment, they look regal.

It was a great first trip to this sight, and I know I will come back again to try a different experience there. I can’t wait for those moments just as could not wait for this one, but I will because I know I will eventually have more visitors and I will get to see the sight through their eyes the next time around.

Until next time, look forward to those adventures you have always wanted to take and get excited when you eventually get to take them.