Throughout our journey across South America, one of the places that excited us the most was undoubtedly Machu Picchu. One of the most famous ancient cities in the world… That mystical city we had seen in documentaries since childhood, read about in books and come across in films. A stone civilization standing among the clouds, at the top of the Andes Mountains.
But we had never imagined that reaching it would be so difficult, exhausting and unforgettable at the same time. For us, Machu Picchu was not only a place to be seen; it also meant patience, uncertainty, road fatigue and, in the end, the realization of a dream.
The Machu Picchu plan that started in Cusco
Everything started in the city of Cusco. First, we began researching how to get to Machu Picchu. The first thing we learned was this: reaching it was not as easy as we had imagined.
There were different options to get to Machu Picchu from Cusco. The most popular option was the train journey. With trains from companies such as PeruRail and Inca Rail, you could depart from Cusco or Ollantaytambo and reach the town of Aguas Calientes. The journey was beautiful, comfortable and of course the most touristy option. However, the prices were quite high for us. Train tickets varied depending on the season, time and class, but a one-way ticket per person could reach around 60-100 dollars. When adding the return trip, it required a serious budget for two people.
But we had one advantage: our car.
So we started looking for alternative routes. We talked to people, asked drivers, went in and out of small tour offices. In the end, the route we learned was this: first we would continue through the Ollantaytambo side, then cross high Andean passes, and finally drive to an area called Hidroeléctrica. From there, we would follow the walking path next to the train tracks and walk about 10-12 kilometers to reach Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo.
It sounded romantic and adventurous. In reality, it was much tougher.
Into the fog
When we set off on the mountain road, it was already starting to get dark. At first, everything seemed normal. But as we climbed higher, the weather began to change. First, a thin fog appeared. Then the rain started. After a while, we could barely see what was in front of us.
Literally, we could only see one or two meters ahead.
We were on one of the high passes of the Andes Mountains. The altitude was reaching around 4,300-4,800 meters. The road was narrow, winding and frightening. On one side there was a cliff, on the other side the mountain. Because of the rain, there had been landslides. Stones had fallen onto the road. And we had to drive over those stones.
As we moved the car forward slowly, the same feeling kept running through us: “What if we get stuck here?”
When night, fog and mountains come together, the human mind starts working differently. The road did not seem very long in kilometers, but it took hours. Because driving fast was impossible. Especially after the asphalt ended, the dirt section that began was truly difficult. For about 30 kilometers, there was no proper asphalt. There were road works. There was mud. There were big potholes. In some places, there was only enough space for a single vehicle to pass.
Actually, it felt more like a road for 4×4 vehicles. But we were driving a normal car.
The smell of gasoline and fear
At one point, we stopped for a short break. Just then, we noticed something. Liquid was leaking from underneath the car. At first, we thought it was oil. Then, when we smelled it, we understood the truth: gasoline was leaking.
While driving over the stones from the landslide, the bottom of the car had hit something and the fuel pipe had been punctured. Suddenly, it felt as if all our plans had collapsed. We were on a deserted mountain road. It was night. There was fog. There was no phone signal. Fuel was leaking onto the ground.
At that moment, we truly did not know what to do. Did we have to return to Cusco? But how? The fuel was constantly draining.
We remember looking at each other silently for a while. In moments like this, a person both panics and tries to find a solution in an incredible way. Then we started trying to fix it with whatever we had. Plastic bags, rubber pieces, tightening things together… It was not a professional repair at all, but a repair made completely with the instinct to survive.
And incredibly, it worked. The fuel leak stopped to a large extent. Maybe it was not perfect, but it was good enough to keep us from being stranded on the road.
That was the moment we understood: sometimes, the greatest luxury on a journey is not comfort, but being able to keep going.
Arrival at Hidroeléctrica
It was already getting close to night when we finally reached the Hidroeléctrica area. This was a transit point formed around a small hydroelectric power station. Cars were left here, and people continued on foot from this point.
We were tired. We truly felt exhausted. We slept in the car for a few hours. Around four o’clock, movement began around us. Other tourists, guides and small minibuses started arriving. We also got ready and began walking.
And from that moment on, one of the most beautiful parts of the journey began.
Walking beside the train tracks
We still cannot forget that walk. On one side, the rocky bed of the Urubamba River; on the other side, cloud forests, giant cliffs, people walking between the tracks… Sometimes the distant sound of a train, sometimes complete silence.
Walking through the wild nature of the Andes Mountains was truly a different feeling. The route was about 10-12 kilometers and took around 2.5-3.5 hours on average. But this walk was not just a way of transportation. For us, it was one of the most real, simple and unforgettable parts of the Machu Picchu journey.
Even the small details along the way stayed in our memory. The avocados we found on the ground, for example… We sat on a rock and ate avocado. Maybe it was not the most luxurious meal of our lives, but in that moment it felt incredibly beautiful. Because sometimes happiness is simply being able to share something in nature when you are tired.
The reality of Aguas Calientes
We reached the town of Aguas Calientes around seven in the morning. Today, it is also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo. It is a small but crowded town squeezed between the mountains, grown around the train tracks and living entirely through the movement of people going to Machu Picchu.
Our idea was very simple: “We will buy the ticket and go straight up to Machu Picchu.” But that is not how things worked.
There was an incredible queue in town. Even early in the morning, hundreds of people were waiting in line. We joined the queue too. Hours later, an officer looked at our passports and instead of giving us a ticket, gave us a number.
Yes, just a number.
Because the system worked like this: First, you wait in line. Then you are given a “ticket purchase turn.” Then you are called again in the afternoon. Only then can you actually buy the real ticket.
And the most interesting part was this: that ticket may not be for the same day. Depending on your luck, it may be for the next day, two days later or even three days later. Luckily for us, it was for the next day. This meant that we had to stay there.
Honestly, we found this system very tiring. Because it almost makes it impossible for everyone who comes to Machu Picchu to return on the same day. Whether you come by train or on foot… The system forces you to stay in the town. Maybe it is an arrangement designed to support local tourism. But as visitors, what we felt was more like this: “This is a bit of a forced waiting system.”
The hotels were full. The restaurants were full. The streets were crowded. And our minds were constantly on the car. Because all our belongings were there. Our computers, clothes, electronic devices… On top of that, the car’s fuel system had already been damaged.
Throughout the night, we kept thinking the same thing: “What if something happened to the car?”
The moment the dream came true
The next morning, our turn finally came. This time, there was the part of going up to Machu Picchu. There were two ways to get there: walking up or taking the bus.
The bus tickets were also quite expensive. The way up and the way down were charged separately. We bought only a one-way bus ticket because we had decided to walk down on the return.
And finally… Machu Picchu was before us.
We still remember the first moment we saw it very clearly. When the bus climbed the curves and reached the entrance area, at first there were only dark green mountains visible through the fog. Then, as we followed the walking path and reached the area with the stone terraces, that view suddenly opened up in front of us.
A person really stops and stares for a few seconds. Because Machu Picchu is not only an ancient city. It feels like another world hidden inside the mountains.
On one side there are cliffs, on another side sharp Andean peaks disappearing into the clouds, and in the middle, stone structures built hundreds of years ago… And the most impressive part is this: the stones are still standing.
And not ordinary stones. Huge rocks fitted together with millimetric precision, terraces, walls, passages and rooms… Even though centuries have passed, the structures are still standing strong.
You cannot help but think: “How did they do this?”
Because even its location alone is incredible. We are talking about a city built on the top of the mountains, at approximately 2,430 meters above sea level. Even today it is difficult to reach, so the fact that such large stone structures were built there hundreds of years ago feels truly unbelievable.
Historians say that Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century, during one of the strongest periods of the Inca Empire. According to some, it was a royal residence; according to others, a sacred religious center; and according to others, a special Inca complex with astronomical observation and ceremonial areas. But while walking there, a person feels something beyond all of these explanations.
As if the city is still alive.
While walking among the stone paths, sometimes there is complete silence. Then suddenly, wind comes from between the mountains. The clouds move. The sun touches the stone walls for a few seconds. And in that moment, you truly understand why it is considered one of the most fascinating places in the world.
Our photos also show different sides of this feeling. In one frame, the classic panoramic view of Machu Picchu appears with Huayna Picchu rising behind it. In another, we look down into the valleys from between the stone houses. In another, we see the order of the terraces and how they rise layer by layer along the slope. In some photos, we are also in the frame; because this is not just a place to look at from afar, but an experience to enter and live.
Especially when we looked from above, those famous terraces spread out before our eyes. The layered green areas built for agriculture hundreds of years ago still preserve their order today. These terraces do not only create an aesthetic view; they are also a sign of Inca engineering, their way of living in harmony with nature and their ability to adapt to mountainous geography.
The straw-roofed stone houses, narrow passages, stairways, structures built around huge rock blocks… All of them make you feel this: here, there is a city built not against nature, but together with nature.
The shapes of the mountains and the shapes of the stones blend into each other. There is no sharp separation between what humans made and what nature made. It is as if the Inca masters understood the language of the mountains and then answered that language with stones.
The Huayna Picchu mountain rising behind it makes the whole view even more impressive. What we see in photos is actually very small compared to the real thing. Because there is not only an image there; there is an atmosphere.
While walking among the mountains, sometimes we felt as if we were inside a documentary. Sometimes, as if we were inside a dream. We were walking at the other end of the world, in a place whose name we had heard since childhood.
And the interesting part is that all the difficulties we experienced to reach it made Machu Picchu even more valuable. The fog, the landslide, the punctured fuel pipe, sleeplessness, hours of walking, uncertainty… When you look at that view after all of this, only one thing comes from within:
“Yes… it was worth it.”