dy123

My research indicates that taking a taxi from the Ollanta train station is a faster way to travel than staying on the train all the way from Machu Picchu to Cusco. Any thought as to the accuracy of this statement? Also, how much would I need to pay for a taxi from Ollanta to Cusco? Are the taxis plentiful? thanks in advance!

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I've never done that. I imagine you could. There's always a ton of taxi's waiting at Ollanta's train station. I'm sure you'd have to pay the driver the fare for both ways, since they have to come back to Ollantaytambo.

Another much cheaper option is to get off the train at Poroy. A minivan meets every Cusco-bound train and can take you right to Cusco's Plaza de Armas. The trip takes about 20 minutes, as opposed to almost another hour if you stay on the train. It costs 5 soles (under $2). You're not going to get any reduction on the train fare by getting off in Poroy rather than Cusco. I always do this, not to save money, but it's so much quicker.

Peru Rail's schedule and a map are here:

www.perurail.com

dy123

Thank, Jeff - in addition to potentially saving some $$, I was thinking about time, i.e., i will arrive in MP by 8am (taking a 6am train from Urumamba) and then will spend a night at MP. I figured that by mid morning on a 2nd day, I may have enought of sightseeing, and 1:20pm train to Ollanta looked like a good option. Time is important but so is money and I'd not want to spend a fortune on a taxi....thus the questions - thanks for your advice!

jess1716

I just took a taxi from Ollanta to Cusco 2 days ago. It was S/40 (about $13) and took about 1 - 1.5 hours (tough to say exactly, we had to change a tire). Our hotel had offered to arrange a taxi for S/80 but we went down by the train station and arranged it ourselves. We went in the morning though when a train was leaving for MP so there were a ton of taxis that had just dropped off passengers. I'm not sure what it would be like in the afternoon.

cailin

Yes, it will save you time, but not a huge amount. The train from Cusco to Ollanta takes about 1.5 hours, and the taxi is another 1.5 hours. Train all the way I think is about 4 hours - so it will save you an hour. Not all of the trains go all the way to Cusco. Taxis are plentiful at the station in Ollanta.