If you have your flights to Lima booked and you are feeling the buzz of excitement around visiting Peru, you may now be wondering how to go about making your way from Lima to Machu Picchu. In this post, we will get you the  information you need to start planning your unique trip from Lima to Machu Picchu.

Step 1. Getting to Cusco.

Now, first things first, how to get to Cusco! Since Machu Picchu is in the region of Cusco is it a necessary step to pass through Cusco on the way from Lima to Machu Picchu. There are a couple of options for the Lima to Cusco leg:

Take a flight: taking a flight is by far the easiest way to get from Lima to Cusco. Most people visiting Lima stay in either Barranco or Miraflores and from either of these two suburbs a taxi to the airport is a 45min – 1hr30min trip. The price of the taxi varies a little but generally, an Uber will not charge more than 50 soles (about 15USD). The Lima to Cusco flight is a little over an hour. 

Take a bus: A bus from Lima to Cusco is a 24hr drive! As the crow flies is not nearly possible since you must wind your way up and down a length of the Andes mountain range to get to Cusco, who’s altitude is 3400m (about 11,000ft) There are several bus companies that operate the Lima – Cusco route. We recommend either Cruz del Sur (cruzdelsur.com.pe) or Peru Hop (peruhop.com) for bus services to Cusco. 

By Train: Unfortunately, there is no train line that gets you from Lima to Cusco. However, we thought we should mention the option of taking a train from Puno to Cusco. For travellers coming into Peru from the south, it is an unforgettable experience to see the Andean Altiplano by train. The train services are quite expensive however and may not be within everybody’s budget; the cheapest tickets start around 700 Peruvian soles (about 210USD). For travellers going south from Cusco, the Cusco – Puno or Cusco – Arequipa train routes may be of interest. Take a look at the perurail.com website for departure times and prices.

Feel free to reach out to our office if you would like help planning and booking your transportation from Lima to Machu Picchu. You can send us an email at sales@culturavivaperu.com.

Where to stay in Cusco.

The city of Cusco has accommodation options for all travellers. We will list out some of our favourites for low, mid and higher budget travellers:

Low budget options:

• Nao Victoria Hostel – this new “glam-packer” hostel has cheap dorm room options in what feels more like a hotel than a hostel. They also have several private room options that are also great value. The location is also great as it is just a few steps off the Plaza de Armas or Central Plaza of Cusco. You can book directly via their website: naovictoriahostels.com
• La Bom’ Creperia & Hostel – This hostel is run with a lot of love, creativity and has a great creperie/cafe upstairs. It is located in the heart of one of the most picturesque suburbs within the Historic Centre of Cusco called San Blas, check out their website here.

Mid-Range budget options:

• Quinta San Blas by Ananay – a beautiful, simple and well-run boutique hotel also in the San Blas area. Not too expensive yet very comfortable. see their site here. 
• Antigua Casona San Blas – definitely one of the best hotel options in Cusco – highly recommended. Great breakfast and free yoga for guests in their in-house yoga studio! Click through to their website here.

High budget options (for those of you accustomed to luxury):

• JW Marriott El Convento Cusco
• Palacio del Inka
• Belmond Hotel Monasterio Cusco

For those of you who prefer renting a vacation apartment, we strongly recommend our small local company named Family Home Peru. We have a handful of Airbnb options that are incredible value for money – very luxurious! You can see our properties and prices here.

Step 2. Getting from Cusco to Machu Picchu

The three most common ways of getting from Cusco to Machu Picchu are:

1. By train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town),
2. By bus via Santa Teresa, then walking along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes (2-3hr walk),
3. Trekking to Machu Picchu with an organised tour company (2-5 days depending on the trek you choose).  

By Train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town).

Taking the train to Aguas Calientes is by far the easiest way to get to Machu Picchu The train services start at around 150USD for the round-trip but prices do go up depending on the type of train service and the times. During the dry season in Cusco (May – October) trains run from Cusco all the way to Aguas Calientes. During some months in the rainy season (November – April) the trains only run from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, meaning you first have to take a 2 hour bus ride from Cusco to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, then a 90 minute train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. There are two train companies to choose from: incarail.com or perurail.com. Alternatively you can reach out to our agency for help or suggestions here.

By bus via Santa Teresa, then walking along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes

A more adventurous option for people to get to Aguas Calientes is to take a bus from Cusco to a jungle town named Santa Teresa. This bus ride is about 6 hours and is not for the faint-hearted as you will traverse a mountain crossing of 4,300m (about 14,000ft) and then wind your way down into the Quillabamba jungle valley and eventually take a rather dangerous, mountain dirt road for the last hour of the trip before arriving to Santa Teresa. Buses can be booked here (redbus.pe).

Since it is quite a long drive up until this point, most people opt to stay the night in Santa Teresa, then walk the 2-3hr hike along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes early the next day and then go up to the Machu Picchu ruins directly. 

There are two options for the home journey back to the Sacred Valley or Cusco; either you return the same way, or take the train (90 minutes to Ollantaytambo or 2.5 hrs to Cusco). Feel free to reach out to our office for more information. 

Trekking to Machu Picchu

The three most common treks to Machu Picchu are the Official Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, The Salkantay Trek and the Jungle Trek. The first two treks are serious mountain treks that take several days, trekkers are accompanied by porters and a team that cooks the meals. The latter option, the “jungle trek” is more of an adventure tour where you participate in biking, hiking, ziplining and rafting on your way to Machu Picchu via Santa Teresa. 

There are many travel agencies online that can help you book your preferred trek. Our team of travel designers can also help, once again you can reach out to us at sales@culturavivaperu.com. You can also browse our website and the tours we offer here.

Why participate in sustainable tourism as you
make your way from Lima to Machu Picchu?

As you see there are several ways to get to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. There are many tours out there and it is easy to be overwhelmed by the choice when planning your trip. The tourism industry in Peru has become very competitive in the last 20 years, and we believe it may have lost its way in the process. Over the years we have come across countless travellers who feel disappointed after participating in one of the countless commercial tours in Peru.

Many of these cheap commercial tours operate on a “shared service” basis, which means that agencies sell these tours, usually at cutthroat prices, and travellers are bundled together on a shared service. Many feel like cattle as they are herded around from place to place. More unfortunate still is that the wealth generated by this type of commercial tourism stays in the hands of a few tour operators only – local indigenous communities see none of the benefits of tourism as a result.  

Many of the classic Lima to Machu Picchu tours operate on this “shared service” basis. That is why we want to give you an alternative!

The best way to get to Machu Picchu and experience
the rich and exotic culture of the Andes along the way.

Here we wish to provide you with a few ideas of how you can really get the most out of your trip from Lima to Machu Picchu by visiting some of the culturally immersive travel experiences that we have discovered and prepared for you. Many of these experiences can be added to your trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu and in that way you can really immerse yourself in the magical and exotic Andean culture of the indigenous Quechua people. 

Cultural Experience Options you could add to the Cusco – Ollantaytambo trip:

A visit to a women’s weaver cooperative by Lake Piuray, close to Chincheros on the way to Ollantaytambo. Here you will meet Braulia Puma, a local treasure of the area and the founder of the cooperative called Pumaqwasi – home of the Puma. See more details about the experience here.

Horse-back riding expeditions to Misminay community with an overnight stay, or a half-day horse-back adventure to Maras salt flats & Moray archaeological site. You can see more details about the experience here. 

A visit to the high mountain community of Patacancha to meet the local coordinator of cultural experiences. Here you can witness the ceremony of shearing the alpaca and eat a traditional lunch called Pachamanca – where food is cooked in an earth oven. You can read more about the experience here.

A cooking class to learn a couple of the famous Peruvian dishes together with amazing chefs for lunch in either Urubamba or Ollantaytambo; we have selected these two restaurants for the quality and authenticity. Both are run by incredible people and are sure to impress! Follow their respective links to see the more about each of these culinary experiences. 

A stopover at the art studio of Peruvian artist Alberto Lama nearby Urubamba. Here you can explore your own creativity with a number of different mediums and get a unique glimpse into Peruvian culture with this renowned artist. You can see more about this experience here.

These are a few of the many Cultural Travel Experiences around Cusco that we provide. Our company’s mission is to provide sustainable tourism options that help to spread the wealth generated by tourism in Peru, whilst supporting local indigenous communities and fostering respect for their traditions. Feel free to ask our travel designers for help linking some of these unforgettable experiences into your trip from Lima to Machu Picchu.