Sharing in this article how I arranged my visit – DIY – and as a solo traveler.

Travelling to Latin America has always been a dream; and most specifically, visiting the Incan Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (MP) in Peru.

If visiting MP also interests you, let me mention first that the journey wasn’t easy even for experienced travelers. For tourists with spending capacity, I highly suggest to get a packaged/pre-arranged tour from trusted agencies. Hassle-free!

For my DIY Trip, I first took a flight from Manila to the US. From major cities in US, there are several South American airlines than can take you to Peru. The most popular is LATAM Airlines to Cuzco City (the take off point to MP). With Latam, I had a quick 3 hrs. layover/change of aircraft at Lima, the capital city of Peru. To give you an idea Manila to US (LA) – 18 hours, LA to Lima – around 9 hours, then Lima to Cuzco, 2 hours. Filipino tourists btw are visa-free to enter Peru. I did not encounter any trouble with the Peruvian immigration. I wasn’t asked for any supporting document. However, I did prepare print outs for outbound tickets, hostel booking and my ticket to MP, which I already purchased online. Stayed in Peru for 7 Nights. Arrived in Cuzco airport around 10 am (from a red-eye flight).

For this blog post, I intentionally avoided details on ticket cost. For experienced travelers planning to see Peru, I am quite sure you have an idea na how much to prepare. hehe

Day 01: Arrival. Machu Picchu is tucked way up in the mountainous region of the Andes, Peru. All the stops and spots that I’ve visited are situated on high elevations. Visitors will land in Cuzco City, which is around 3,400 meters above sea level. To give comparison, our very own Mount Apo is around 2,900 meters high. Cuzco City was built on a plain that stands higher than PH’s tallest mountain. Imagine that. As such, land at these high elevations have thinner oxygen levels, which can result to altitude sickness, nausea, head ache and difficulty on breathing while the body is adjusting(Acclimatization). When preparing, it is also best to do research on this.

To avoid, or rather minimize the expected altitude sickness, I opted to spend my first night in Ollantaytambo town after landing (instead of staying at Cuzco City). Ollantaytambo town is halfway between Cuzco City and MP, and is around 2,700 meters altitude. This hack indeed worked for me, coz i never felt any sickness or nausea during my whole stay. Aside from that, Ollantaytambo is such a charming, small town within the sacred valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides. Gusto ko dun.

From Cuzco City airport, I took an UBER to the collectivo (VAN) terminal, which is just around 10 mins from the airport. From there, I hopped on a public van packed with locals heading to Ollantaytambo, which was less than 2 hours away. Friended some locals as well, who gave me clear directions upon arrival at Ollan. I was lucky to find a seatmate who can speak english.

Points to know:

Prior to travel, i already had with me an international sim with consumable Data that i purchased from seaman’s simcard provider sa shopee. It worked well for my open-line android phone, never nagka problem.

I used UBER a lot during my trip to Latin America. My Uber account is linked to my Visa credit card. No cash out.

Regarding local bill/money, I had some US dollars changed to Peruvian Sol during my layover in Lima Airport. I’ve also observed that visa and mastercard are widely accepted in Peru, even for souvenirs. My limited Sol cash is only for street food and small purchases.

Day 2: Lazy day in Ollantaytambo. No itinerary day is the best days in my opinion. I seriously enjoyed my hostel here with a good view.

Stayed at Casa Inka Bed and Breakfast. Solo room with own toilet with continental breakfast at around 15 USD per night. Yes, it’s that cheap in Ollantaytambo. Room has no ACU though, but weather is cool at that altitude.

Day 3: Travel to Aguas Callientes. Took a scenic 2 hours Train from Ollan to Aguas Callientes (AG) town. AG is the town nearest to Machu Picchu Sanctuary, which takes around 30 minutes by bus, passing by dense forest, which is part of the Amazon already).

The train ticket from Ollan to Aguas Callientes (PERURail), I purchased online 2 months prior. To check train schedule and availability, check here. To make online purchase, check here. Just change the language to English and the steps are pretty understandable. I think wala nang ibang way for tourists to reach Aguas Callientes/Machu Picchu Proper other than this train ride, or by trekking. Machu Picchu is tucked well within the mountain ranges, nasa gitna po ng gubat, and wala pong vehicular roads to get there I think. And yes po, all my transportation, i arranged na po 2 months prior. So programmed na po talaga ang dates ko. fixed na po. However, meron naman agencies nag-ooffer ng tickets when you arrive in Ollan or Cuzco. Your choice na.

For the Machu Picchu Entrance Ticket , i purchased it here, also 2 months prior. I’ve also seen people buying ticket sa town hall ng Aguas Callientes upon arrival, pero sobrang haba ng pila nila. 8 pm may pila pa. grabe. Machu Picchu Basic Entrance Ticket – around 35 USD. Round trip train ticket is around 30 to 60 USD, mas mahal if mas malapit na sa date.

Stayed at Supertramp Hostel in Aguas Callientes, at around 10 USD (Shared room/6 pax) with breakfast.

Day 4: Machu Picchu

The Big day has come, I am going to See MP na for real. Upon arrival sa Aguas Callientes the prior day, I purchased na the bus ticket that will take me from the town to the sacred site, and back. Round trip po binili ko with specified times. I purchased the 6 am, with return at 12 nn. Half day lang po ako sa MP, since I have a train to catch at 2 pm, back to Ollantaytambo. Aguas Callientes btw is super liit lang na town along the river, very easy to navigate. I just asked around sa mga sakayan and all.

Highlights of Machu Picchu day trip:

1. We were welcomed by rain on-site. My umbrella did not do justice. Good thing the cleaning lady had some spare second hand plastic ponchos. She gave one to me for free. lesson learned, bring your own plastic poncho as the weather up there can be unpredictable.
2. The last toilet that you’ll be getting is at the entrance. So prepare.
3. Sun screen and mosquito repellant.
4. I paid extra ticket to climb Huayna Picchu (the tall mountain seen on the background of all MP posters), and that includes passing through the so called “stairs of death”, which is a narrow stone-paved stairs that is around 80 degrees inclination. Some parts do not have any handrail/rope, and often slippery, so be cautious with the traffic. Halfway, the route only allows one way passage, so there’s no turning back at this point. Check out my tiktok account to see videos of this climbing experience.
5. The ticket says Max. 4 hours stay in the sanctuary, but I think di naman sila strict on this.

I left the sanctuary at 12 noon to catch my train back to Ollan from Aguas Callientes. Spent again one more night in Ollantaytambo. Gusto ko tlga dito. The next morning, i took the same collectivo (Public Van) to Cuzco.

Day 5: Cuzco City. I fell in love with Cuzco.I have a thing for well-preserved old towns/cities with colonial flair and the city did not disappoint. One of my favourite movies is ‘ The Emperor’s New Groove’ which is actually set in Cuzco. So yes! natuwa talaga ako.

Chill lang ako sa Cuzco. Di na ako kumuha ng tours. I enjoyed my hotel and the nearby market and the food. saya! Will post a separate blog on this kase deserve.

Stayed at Tierra Sagrada Hotel, 15 usd per night, Shared room (huge! spacious). The hostel used to be a convent/dorm for nuns, as such the furniture (including my bed) are around 100 years old.

Day 6: Montana Vinicunca . A Tour to Montana Vinicunca (Rainbow mountain) should not be missed. From Cuzco, I joined a group tour (via my hotel), with hotel pick up at 4 am. Montana Vinicunca is at least 3 hours away. Along the way, we’ve passed through slim roads with the steepest bangins to your left and right, like WTF. The tour I got included a buffet breakfast and Lunch. Super sulit. See more of Vinicunca here. Got back to Cuzco before 5pm.

Day 7-8: Cuzco City / Departure . Tinamad na ko kumuha pa ng ibang tours. Dedicated my last days in Cuzco for complete rest, church visits coffee and food trip. Spent one whole afternoon in San Blas art district. The overlooking sunset view of Cuzco from there is amazing.

The Travel to MP plus the hike to Hyuana Piccu summit was indeed overwhelming for my energy, but the experience will definitely last my lifetime. I don’t mind going back in the near future. Hopefully with some friends, so someone can take better photos of me.

Kudos to my seasoned travel Idols Lakwatserong Kimiko, Escape Manila and Bojo Macaraig for all the tips.

Next stop, Rio de Janeiro.