Machu Picchu is one of those places on earth that everyone has heard of, so naturally we couldn't imagine traveling to Peru without visiting this archeological site.

There are several ways to get to Machu Picchu. You can take one of the organized treks such as the Inca Trail or the Salkantay trek, both of which are pricy (500-600$) and requires 4 days. Furthermore, the Inca trail is very crowded; in the tourist season 500 people embark on the trail each day. The other option is to take the overpriced Peru Rail train either from Cusco or from Ollantaytambo to Agua Calientes, which is also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo, because it lies in a deep gorge below the ruins.

None of these options sounded appealing to us, therefore, we decided to find a route to Machu Picchu that would be just right for us. I have researched on the internet, that one can book a colectivo turístico from Cusco to a place called Hidroeléctrica, from which one can walk the remaining distance to Agua Calientes. Unfortunately Agua Calientes is one of those touristy places that counts on one-time customers and thus completely lacks hospitality. We did not want our visit to Machu Picchu be ruined by bad restaurants and annoying street trouts in Agua Calientes, therefore, I was looking for an alternative place to stay, when I came across the wonderful Gea Lodge at Jardines de Mandor, just 2 km away from Machu Picchu. Then our plan was ready, here is how we did it step by step.

Step 1: Book a colectivo turístico from Ollantaytambo (or Cusco) to Hidroeléctrica (9$/person)

Hidroelectrica is nothing more than train stop at a hydroelectric plant, but it is a very chaotic place, because hundreds of tourists are being dropped off and picked up there by the colectivos. And there is absolutely no system; the colectivos and their drivers look very much alike, and they pick up people by shouting their names. As my name is not an easy one, we took picture of our colectivo and the driver, just in case.Step 2: Walk along the train tracks to Gea Lodge at Jardines de Mandor

This is a nice two hour walk in the jungle, where you follow the Urubamba River. 

Sometimes you need to balance on the tracks over the creeks, because there is no actual trail along the tracks, but it is not that bad. I thought that we will probably meet a couple of backpackers on the way, but it turned out that hundreds of people walk this trail each day. The reason for this migration is that the 30 minutes train ride from Hidroeléctrica to Agua Calientes costs 30$ for tourists, while it is only 1$ for locals. All the trains we saw were almost empty; it seemed that people are silently protesting against this discrimination and the whole train system that take advantage of tourists. This girl was not discrete at all, she gave the finger to the conductor.Step 3: Stay at Gea Lodge at Jardines de Mandor (40$/night) 

Gea Lodge is a lovely B&B with a botanical garden and its own restaurant: Mamá Angelica. The restaurant has a daily menu for a very reasonable price (4,5$), and the best part is that most of their ingredients are organic and come from their own garden. If you plan to leave for Machu Picchu early in the morning, they will also pack you a lunch box, which is a life saver at Machu Picchu.

Step 4: Hike to Machu Picchu

Get up early (5am) and start your hike to Machu Picchu. First you will need to walk 20 minutes along the train tracks to this bridge, where you have to show your ticket to the guard.After the bridge a very intense hike is ahead of you up to Machu Picchu; you are basically climbing up the stairs for 2 hours (500m elevation). Alternatively you can take the bus from Agua Calientes, which costs 25$ for both ways. We of course opted for the hike; it was beautiful, but also strenuous.

We arrived to the entrance of Machu Picchu by 8:15am, so we had the whole day ahead of us to explore it. We bought a ticket in advance to Machu Picchu Montaña, which has a beautiful view of the ruins from 500m above. It is that high mountain Kasper is pointing at.This of course meant that we needed to climb stairs again. Hurra!!!I won't lie, I was not happy about it at the time, but at the end I thought it was completely worth it; the view was absolutely breathtaking.

After we descended from Machu Picchu Montaña we had 3,5 hours to see the ruins. By that time it was 2pm and most of the daytime tourists had left, so we could walk around without the crowds. It was very nice.

We left around 5:30 and just made back in time to Gea Lodge before nightfall.

Step 5: Stay at Gea Lodge one more night (40$/night) 

I think it is worth to stay one more night in the area, because it gives you a whole day at Machu Picchu and thereby you can fully enjoy this beautiful Inca city.

Step 6: Visit Jardines de Mandor (the botanical garden at Gea Lodge) before heading back to Hidroelectrica

Jardines de Mandor is the perfect place to have a short walk, meditate and enjoy flora and fauna. The entrance was included in our stay.

Step 7: Walk back to Hidroelectrica and take a colectivo back to Cusco (9$/person)

Following these steps you can visit Machu Picchu and Montaña for 112$/person including entrance fee, transport, food and accommodation.

Before I conclude this article I would like to draw your attention to a couple of things nobody really talks about - or at least we did not know before we visited Machu Picchu. The first is that there are way too many people at Machu Picchu between 8am-2pm, A local told us that they used to let in 5000 visitors a day, and because Machu Picchu was designed and built for a population of 500-700, max 3000 at festivities, this huge volume of people had damaged the ruins. Now "only" 3000 people are allowed to enter the ruins in a day. It is still too crowded, so try to visit Machu Picchu outside the peak hours.The second issue is the sand flies; as Machu Picchu is located in the jungle, there are tons of insects in the area. Remember to take a mosquito spay with you, otherwise you will be eaten alive by the sand flies.

The third problem is that there are no toilets or places to get food and drinks at Machu Picchu, only outside of the ruins, which means that you will waste a lot of time on getting out and in again, unless you pack some lunch and water.

The final thing is that you can meet animals at Machu Picchu. For example you can cuddle a llama, or take a selfie with it, as many other tourists did.And if you don't watch out, you can end up having a close encounter with this small rabbit-like creature. Kasper got quite surprised when suddenly two eyes were looking back at him from the walls.

Machu Picchu is truly a special place, but you really need to plan your visit, because there is a chance that you will end up leaving with mixed feelings. Don't try to rush through the ruins, find the best way for you to visit them and take your time there. 

The Incas had a flair for the dramatic, and Machu Picchu is their crowning achievement. There is no reason for this city to be there, except that they wanted it to be, and they made it happen. I really admire that.