The Vista Dome pulls out of Aguas Calientes, Peru.
Question: Should I take the Backpacker Express train or the Vista Dome? I read this question a lot on forums about M.P. Well, it depends. If you’re going straight to M.P. from Cusco, and if you’re not going to spend any time in the Sacred Valley, then by all means spend the extra money for the VistaDome. You’ll want to see as much of these magnificant mountains as you can. It’s a bit more expensive, though.
On the other hand, if you’re visiting the Sacred Valley, and perhaps starting your M.P. visit from Ollantaytambo, then I think the Vista Dome is a waste of money. You’ve gotten a pretty good sampling of the grandeur of this place, and the ride to M.P. is no better. And you really can’t see that much more anywat (the dome is just windows in the roof – you aren’t sitting in some elevated dome). On the other hand, half the seats on the BackPacker face forward and the other half backward, so if you’re uncomfortable with a) riding backwards for 3 hours (from Cusco), or b) don’t want to maybe possibly be touching knees with the stranger in the facing seat, then maybe you would be more comfortable in the Vista Dome. The backward thing you could solve by requesting forward facing seats when you reserve your ticket. The knee thing is luck of the draw. My knee companion was a lovely young lass – and short. So no problem. Sherry’s was a very tall Brit, but they worked it out and she didn’t seem to be bothered by it. (We rode backwards from Ollantaytambo, by the way, with no problem). On the other hand, if you really want to make this once in a lifetime trip memorable, ride the Hiram Bingham train. It’s like an old Victoria train with Grade A service. And much more expensive.
The Machu Picchu train station in Aguas Calientes, Peru.
So there you have my opinion on which train to ride.
In case you don’t know, this blog is attached to a website. You can go there to find all about Peru and all the places (and more) that we’re visiting by clicking on HOME above and then clicking on PERU in the navigation bar. Of course, the web site has much more than that. From learning Spanish to learning about all 21 Spanish speaking countries. Enjoy.
Tags: Aguas Calientes Peru · Learn Spanish · Learning Spanish · Ollantaytambo · Peru · Travel Spanish2 Comments
How many days do you recommend to spend at M.P. – Is two days overkill? One recommendation I have received to upon arrival in Augas Calientes, take a guided tour of M.P. that day, spend the night in Augas Calientes and do a self guided tour the next day starting at sunrise including climbing Waynu Picchu. The other option recommended is to arrive in Augas Calientes in late afternoon and get up early the next morning for a full day at M.P. Still another option to take the Sacred Valley and arrive in Augas Calientes late in the afternoon. What is your take on the options?
Well, it depends. Certainly one full day is enough to do everything in Machu Picchu. Many people (maybe most people) arrive in the morning on the train and then go back on the afternoon train. The site itself isn’t very big, so a couple of hours is enough for walking around the main building site. Climbing Picchu itself will add another few hours to do the round trip. If you choose to spend the whole day, I would definitely stay two nights in Aguas Calientes. The biggest variable could be the weather. If you go during the wet season (or even a shoulder season), it’s possible that on any given day you might not have the views you would want (and that’s why you’re there). We went just at the end of a shoulder season and allowed an extra morning, just in case. We didn’t need it, but that second morning itself was very cloudy and limited visibility, so we got lucky by a day. Dry season improves the odds of getting good weather.
Here’s what I would do. Tour the Sacred Valley. It’s worth doing. Really gorgeous, really interesting. Tours out of Cuzco are cheap, or you could go to someplace like Ollantaytambo and hire a driver (also very cheap) to take you around the Valley. Or you could do both. Take a tour out of Cuzco that will drop you off in Ollantaytambo, spend the night there, hire a car and driver for the next morning to tour the Valley and take the afternoon train to Aguas Calientes. That leaves you the whole next day for MP. That should be plenty. Take the first bus up and you’ll beat the tourists arriving on the first train. It can get busy during high season. When you finish MP, there is a late train back to Cuzco, or you can spend the second night. I would spend the second night, myself. You’ll be tired, and AC has some good restaurants. There are a couple of things to do around AC if you don’t want to head straight back to Cuzco. So you could choose either the morning or afternoon train back.
Now, a couple of warnings.
Altitude – don’t take it lightly. Cuzco is the highest (unless you go to Lake Titicaca). We flew into Cuzco but then immediately went lower. Wise decision. You need a couple of days at altitude before doing much strenuous stuff. MP is actually lower, so touring the Valley first will be good for seeing MP. Hiking at altitude can be tough, too, if you’re planning on climbing Picchu itself. Take your time. And know the warning signs of altitude sickness. Some people don’t have a problem, but age, fitness etc seem to have little bearing on who gets it and who doesn’t. We started taking a medicine for it before we left home. Plus drank the tea while we were there. The worst we had was a very very slight headache almost the whole time. Not even a headache, but more like when you think “I may be getting a headache” but it never turned into a real headache, if you know what I mean.
The Sun — it’s hot. No shade on MP. None. Wear sunscreen, take LOTS of water and wear a hat (maybe even long sleeves). The sun at these altitudes will burn you in a heartbeat. We saw more than one baked tourist, and it was a shoulder season.
Take some cash when you leave Cuzco. Some of these places are small (including AC) and may not take plastic or have ATMs. (Most places in AC do, but one night in a restaurant the machines were down and we had to lend money to our traveling companions).
Take a second camera (even if it’s just a cheapo pocket camera) and extra batteries. Trip of a lifetime and our camera died. Luckily it was the day before MP, so we bought a new one, but it cost us.
A little Spanish helps. If you’re staying on the tourist trek, you’ll usually be able to find some English, but not much. MP, no problem. At least learn the major words: Please, thanks, bathroom, help, etc.
We loved Peru. Let me rephrase that. We LOVED Peru, and would go back in a heartbeat. We feel that we only scratched the surface. You’re going to have a great time. Let us know when you get back (and whether you tried the Guinea Pig).
I would buy my MP tickets and train tickets well in advance.