opalmom

Hi! My fiance and I are planning a trip to Peru in late September; our tentative itinerary currently includes two days at Machu Picchu (we plan to take the train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu, tour the ruins with a guide, stay overnight in Aguas Calientes, and then return to Machu Picchu the next day to climb Huayna Picchu). But, we've heard that getting the stamp that allows you to climb Huayna Picchu is a real scramble -- that you have to be in line to catch the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu no later than 4 am, that 3:30 am is even better, and that even if you are in the line by 3:30/4:00 am, there's no guarantee that you'll be among the 400 to get the stamp for Huayna Picchu.

1. My question is: is that true if you're going to be at Machu Picchu in late September? Or, does that kind of schedule only apply if you're visiting Machu Picchu from June - August?

2. If that is true even for visits in late September, then my fiance and I aren't interested in trying to climb Huayna Picchu (we want to see wonderful things, but not at the cost of returning from our vacation more stressed than when we left!). So the next question is, if we're not going to climb Huayna Picchu, is it worth it to stay at Aguas Calientes overnight and visit Machu Picchu for two days? Is seeing Machu Picchu in the dawn/early morning light on the second day, and perhaps hiking to Intipunku, enough to justify the time and expense of an extra admission ticket to Machu Picchu/extra bus trip from Aguas Caliente?

Thanks for any insights!

qwovadis

Personally stay in AC someplace nice like

Presidente peru-explorer.com

Buy MP ticket the nite B4 from the cultural

center at MP 126 soles no USD.

Head up to HP/MP for the sunrise

Go back to HP right away for climb

nice well worth it.

Plenty of time to see MP after that

No sense in 2 days you would have to pay twice

You can see it all in 1 day

apulodge.com ollantaytambo.org good base for SV

cheap train from there into AC/MP

See MP it is the highlight even if u do not climb HP

September is a great time to go.

Ruth Wright "MP Revealed" find on amazon

best guidebook for me.

Happy Travels,

qwovadis

http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/...calientes.html

Buy your MP ticket at the AC/MP cultural center on the Plaza

but more of a way station dump town..little of touristic

value other than MP/HP

Axel2DP

>>Is seeing Machu Picchu in the dawn/early morning light on the second day, and perhaps hiking to Intipunku, enough to justify the time and expense of an extra admission ticket to Machu Picchu/extra bus trip from Aguas Caliente?<<

The answer depends on what you're expecting and looking for. If you want to avoid the horde of day tourists and/or see MP in its best light, especially for photography, then yes, I'd say it's worth it to get into MP as soon as it opens. But of course there's no guarantee that you'll get ideal weather on that day. I saw the sun hit MP from the sun gate; It was nice, but I don't think it's a must do moment for anyone; I was more interested in it from a photographic viewpoint. If you just want to be at MP and don't really care about about what kind of lighting it has then I don't think it's worth it.

If you can't get ticket to climb Huayna Picchu then don't worry. Climb Macchu Picchu mountain instead (the entrance is on the way up to the Sun Gate). I climbed both and think that Macchu Picchu mountain offered a much more scenic view of the MP compound below.

Enjoy your trip to MP. It's a really great place to visit for the first time.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Things do become more manageable by late September. There will still be a lot of people at MP, but it's nothing like now. I just can't see it necessary to start lining up at 3:30 a.m. then.

mlgb

I wonder if it's safe not to book a return train ticket then, and just see how it goes for lining up?

opalmom

Thanks for everyone's helpful suggestions!