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Though Machu Picchu is the most popular spot in Peru, you would be a little disappointed to know that there is no direct route from Lima, the capital of Peru to Machu Picchu. Once you landed in Lima, you need to reach Cusco, the old capital of Inca empire. The distance between these tow cities is more 700 miles. You can fly from Lima, or take a bus for a long difficult travel. Once you reach Cusco, you have to make another journey to reach Aguas Calientes, which is the closest city to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu, the famous ruin is only few miles from Aguas Calientes. You can walk or take a bus to reach there. Now let us discuss the whole thing in a more elaborate manner.
Lima to Cusco
Most of the people reach Lima through a international flight. If you reach Lima with ample time, certainly you can stay there a night or two, and move around the city. Many cases people reach Peru with a budget of 4/5 days. In those cases you should fix your flight such that you will reach there in the morning. Most of the popular flights land in the early morning in Lima airport. So you can take another flight from Lima to Cusco within few hours. They have 3/4 good airlines in Peru, and some of them offers flights every few hours from Lima.
But you should not buy the tickets from the airport, rather when you buy the international ticket, make the connecting flight to Cusco on the same morning. Lima to Cusco flight time is only one hour, so you can reach Cusco on the early afternoon in the same day. There is another alternative route. You can take bus to reach Cusco. It is a long journey though. There are few good bus companies which you may choose, like Ormeno or Cruz del Sur. They have luxury buses which run between Lima and Cusco. If you are in no hurry, then you can choose bus instead of plane, as they are really very cheap. Plane will cost you around 100.00 US $ for a one way trip. Whereas you need only 30.00/40.00 US $ for the luxury bus trip to Cusco. But remember buses take around twenty hours to reach Cusco.
Cusco to Aguas Calientes
Once you reach Cusco, you may stay a night here, or move to Machu Picchu on the same day. It depends on how many days you are planning to stay in Peru. Cusco is a historical city. If you can pass some time there, you will certainly enjoy the city. But if you are in a hurry, then take the afternoon train from Cusco to reach Aguas Calientes. Train journey is scenic and though you will have to sit more than three hours inside the train (the distance is 70 miles), you will find it a enjoyable experience.
There are plenty of hotels in Aguas Calientes to sleep in. If you are in a busy season, then I recommend you to book a room long before you reach there.
Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu
You may wake up very early in the morning to take the bus to reach Machu Picchu ruins. It is less than two miles, and you need around twenty minutes to reach the ruins. Aguas Calientes is a very small town. They have only buses for transportation. you can cover the city easily on foot. They have two bus stations in the city, one is at the middle of the city, very close to where the train stops, other is at the end of the cities, towards Machu Picchu. Catching bus from Aguas Calientes is easy, ticket booth is at the bus stations, and bus is leaving the city for the Machu Picchu ruins at a small interval. So take a bus, enjoy the little 20 minutes journey, reach Machu Picchu and enjoy the stunning Machu Picchu.
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Source by Shoeb Alam
