Our alarms went off at 3:30 AM, to catch a bus? Nah... we preferred to hike the 3,300 stairs to the top. We met with our guide Nilton in Aguas Calientes town square and began our 20 minute walk to the gate, which blocked our way to cross the river. From what we had heard we HAD to be their no later than 4:30. We expected hundreds of people to be waiting at the gate, ready to rush through the gate, across the bridge and up the steps. What we actually found was very different, 40 to 50 very tired yet excited travelers ready to beat the first bus up to the actual entrance of Machu Picchu. This may sound crazy thing to do so early in the morning but then ends justified the means. The first 400 people to the entrance of Machu Picchu are given permission to climb Wayna Picchu (the big mountain from all the Machu Picchu postcards). So we woke up at 3:30, sprinted up 3,300 steps, waited in line for a half hour sweaty and cold, just to be allowed to hike for another hour up Wayna Picchu. There were two available time slots to hike Wayna Picchu, we were advised to choose the second, which was at 10:00. We then took a tour of Machu Picchu from a local guide whose English was less than perfect, ate lunch in the ruins, took well deserved nap, then climbed Wayna Picchu. In retrospect it was definitely worth it, although at times we questioned our own sanity. This could not be more evident than in our decision to walk the 3,300 steps back down to the river instead of taking the 7$ bus.
Us on Wayna Picchu, View of Machu Picchu below
Like the true Gringos we are we ventured back to Aguas Calientes for pizza and beer (a decision that would almost make us miss our train back to Cuzco). The place we chose promised a great deal (which we bartered hard for). However let it be known that any restaurant in Aguas Calientes strongly enforces the "Gringo Tax". So expect to pay about 20% more than is promised. And P.S. happy hour specials are not worth it. Aguas Calientes = Tourist Trap! Machu Picchu = Awesome!
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