Machu Picchu – How to Avoid the Crowd

Thanks to expert planning, my husband and I had Machu Picchu almost to ourselves and weren’t distracted by crowds of other visitors. That’s my definition of authentic luxury travel!

Machu Picchu has been on my bucket list for a long time but, as I said in a post on this site four years ago, I have an usually low tolerance for being herded around like a tourist.

“But a visit to Machu Picchu doesn’t have to be like that,” travel expert Nina Fogelman assured me. “I’ve lived in Peru and can tell you how to avoid the crowd. That’s what we do at Ancient Summit.”

Ancient Summit is Nina’s company and where she specializes in creating custom itineraries to Peru. In recent years, I have received compelling testimonials from travelers who visited Peru on one of Nina’s carefully-tailored trips.

Even though I’ve seen numerous photos of Machu Picchu, the serenity of the site took me by surprise.

Machu Picchu the Ancient Summit way

Nina’s personal Peru connections are what make her trips so fantastic. For instance, knowing how I like to travel, Nina hand-picked a certain guide for my husband and me. Wilfredo Huillca Gamarra is incredibly well-informed. Perfect for a journalist, right? He’s also an expert in steering guests off the beaten path and into contact with the local culture.

Wilfredo has been to Machu Picchu more than 1,000 times. Yes, that’s what I said: more than 1,000 times – so I figured he’d know his way around.

For Nina’s part, she secured the train tickets, the bus tickets and made the hotel reservations.

Our Machu Picchu experience

At the Ollantaytambo station, Wilfredo, my husband Richard and I boarded the Vista Dome train for Aguas Calientes, a journey of about 90 minutes. The Vista Dome is one notch down from the super deluxe Hiram Bingham train and one notch up from the Expedition.  I was very impressed with the quality and cleanliness of the train and can’t even imagine spending the extra money for the HB. Seats on the train are reserved, and Ancient Summit had chosen good ones for us.

The Vista Dome train travels between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu hotels

Good seats are important, but good hotels are critical, and this is where Ancient Summit really scored big points. Only one hotel is actually adjacent to the Machu Picchu site and that hotel –Sanctuary Lodge – has only 29 rooms and 2 suites.

Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond property, is the only hotel right on doorstep of the Machu Picchu Santuary site.

From Aguas Calientes, buses carry passengers up a steep, windy road – a 30-minute journey through 19 switchbacks – to the entrance of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary. In fact, the buses stop right in front of Sanctuary Lodge, where our room waited. Honestly, this proximity and convenience is exactly what I mean by the “luxury” in Authentic Luxury Travel.

We waltzed into the lodge, dropped our bags, and headed to the sunny, conservatory style restaurant. On one hand, it seemed nuts to be chatting over lunch while we were just steps away from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of my dreams. On the other hand, I was hungry, and I knew I’d need all the energy I could muster to prowl around the large site with its steep stone steps.

Wilfredo has been a guide for 18 years and has been to Machu Picchu more than 1,000 times, but his passion for the site is still obvious. I can’t imagine that there is a better Peru guide anywhere in the country.

Wilfredo to the rescue

Richard and I had brought a pair of hiking poles, thinking we’d use one each, but that turned out to be a not-very-good idea. We soon found that managing long flights of steep irregular stone steps at this altitude was easier with two poles. Of course, Wilfredo had anticipated this and had brought an extra pair.

He’d also brought sunscreen, but we had that and the other all-important items: entrance tickets, passports, DEET, hats, sunglasses, water, layers of clothing, fully-charged cameras, and the most comfortable sturdy shoes we own.

Sometimes we look forward to something for along time and it’s not as wonderful as we’d expected. That was definitely NOT the case with Machu Picchu. I couldn’t stop grinning.

Let the games begin

Just past the ticket booth, we stopped to enter Machu Picchu stamps in our passports, and moments later, I caught my first glimpse – and then a wide panorama of the newest of the Seven Wonders of the World. Oh my! This was a real pinch-me-so-I know-I’m-not-dreaming moment. The site is stunning – even more than I’d expected because I hadn’t anticipated the grandeur of the tall mountains all around it.

But wait – where are the crowds? Why are we almost the only ones here? “Oh,” said Wilfredo, “most people come in the morning and have already gone” We three climbed up and down and all around until just after 5pm where the guards shewed us out. High fives all around for our first foray.

Sunrise at Machu Picchu

The next morning, Richard and I grabbed a cup of tea at Sanctuary Lodge and were in line to enter the site before it opened at 6am. There were only a handful of us because the first bus from Aguas Calientes hadn’t yet arrived. We walked around in a light drizzle – again sans crowds – until the clouds parted just in time for us to see the sunrise.

The value of a good guide

We met up with Wilfredo again after breakfast at Sanctuary Lodge and spent the next six hours or so admiring the genius of the Inca people who more than 800 years ago created structures that have withstood time and earthquakes and are still stunningly gorgeous. I couldn’t stop admiring the Temple of Three Windows. I loved the granaries with their thatched roofs. And the carved steps in the Royal Mausoleum “Pachamama”? Pure artistry.

The Royal Mausoleum “Pachmama” at Machu Picchu is powerful in its simplicity and grace.

And the crowds? They were there, but Wilfredo led us to viewpoints from where we could wonder at it all without being jostled. His depth of knowledge made the site come alive. He pointed out things I never would have noticed, and at the end of the day, I felt like I’d just had a riveting Masters class in Inca archaeology.

Like the other Inca sites we saw, Machu Picchu was a work-in-progress when the Spanish invaded. This is the Temple of Three Windows. Notice how perfectly the stones fit together. Built 800 years ago, sites throughout the Inca Empire have withstood numerous earthquakes.

Feeling grateful

I will forever be indebted to Nina Fogelman of Ancient Summit who got us front row seats  from which to enjoy Machu Picchu. If this site is on your bucket list and you want an authentic luxury view, you can reach her through the Ancient Summit site

Enjoy!

Elizabeth Hansen

Tags: accommodation, adventure, advice, Aguas Calientes, Ancient Summit, archeological sites, archeology, authentic luxury travel, avoiding crowds, avoiding the crowd, bucket list travel, guides, high vibe, hotels, Inca sites, insider tip, lodging, Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu with crowds, Pachamama, Peru, Peru guide, places to stay, Royal Mausoleum, sacred site, Sanctuary Lodge, serenity, South America, spiritual, Temple of Three Windows, train to Mach Picchu, travel, trip planning, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage site, Vista Dome, Wilfredo, wonders of the world

Category: Peru