Today was a “transfer day” for us. From Aguas Calientes we went first by train to Ollantaytambo, then by bus to Cusco and then by plane to Lima, the capital of Peru.
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By train from Perurail from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo
Machupicchu or Machupicchu Pueblo, also known as Aguas Calientes, is a location in Peru situated in the Cusco Region. Machupicchu lies at the Vilcanota River. It is the closest access point to the historical site of Machu Picchu which is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) away or about a 1.5 hours walk. There are many hotels and restaurants for tourists, as well as natural hot baths which gave the town its colloquial Spanish name. The village of Aguas Calientes did not exist until the railroad was built, as it was a center for construction workers. It took off after the railroad opened in 1931 and foreign tourists started arriving to visit the Machu Picchu ruins. Enterprising individuals set up businesses serving the tourists, primarily restaurants and small hotels. Those who could afford luxury stayed at the luxury hotel up by the ruins.
Aguas Calientes serves as a terminal for the PeruRail and Inca Rail passenger train service from an to Cusco. At 8.53 a.m. we startet our tour by train from Perurail from Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) to Ollantaytambo – a place in the middle of the route to Cusco.
Ollantaytambo is a town and an Inca archaeological site in southern Peru some 72 km by road northwest of the city of Cusco. It is located at an altitude of 2,792 m above sea level in the district of Ollantaytambo, province of Urubamba, Cusco region. During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti, who conquered the region and built the town and a ceremonial center. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru, it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance. Nowadays, located in what is called the Sacred Valley of the Incas, it is an important tourist attraction on account of its Inca ruins and its location en route to one of the most common starting points for the four-day, three-night hike known as the Inca Trail.
The bus and train route from Aguas Calientes to Cusco
By bus from Ollantaytambo to Cusco
From the train station in Ollantaytambo we took a minibus in the direction of Cusco. Finding a suitable bus is easy, because the minibuses of different providers are already waiting for the people as soon as you leave the station. During our journey, we had been told by others about daring bus drivers on this route that one can become anxious and anxious while driving. Therefore we had researched a little on the net and read only good things about “Real Inca Tourist Transportation”. These are relatively easy to find: about a hundred meters after the station on the right you will find the stand.
It is usually waited until the bus is full and at the end 9 other people are with us. For the 70 km long route we paid only 10 Soles per person (less than 3 Euro).
Fly from Cusco to Lima
After 1 1/2 hours we were let out in Cusco at The Plaza de Armas. From there we walked 10 minutes to pension Alemena, where we had stayed before our trip to Machu Picchu and parked our suitcases. From there we took the taxi to Cusco airport and around 5 p.m. our little plane took off from Star Peru to Lima.
Our flight from Cusco to Lima
Our hotel in Lima
At Lima airport we were already expected by a taxi driver who took us to our hotel Tierra Viva Miraflores Larco. We had already booked this shuttle from Peruvian Shuttle for 55 Soles (approx. 20 €) in Cusco via the Internet.
We were already enthusiastic about the Tierra Viva Hotel Puno and also the Tierra Viva Miraflores in Lima we liked very much. The staff at the reception was incredibly friendly and took a lot of time to explain lima’s hot spots and give us hints. The room was clean, but unfortunately without windows to the outside – only in the courtyard. Breakfast was great, everything was available. The area is safe and everything is available (ATM, supermarket, metro bus stop).
Our room at Hotel Tierra Viva Miraflores
Lima is the capital of the South American Andean state of Peru and by far the largest city in the country. Over 10.5 million people live in the city’s catchment area. Lima is an important transportation hub as well as the most important economic and cultural center of Peru with numerous universities, colleges, museums and architectural monuments. The old town of Lima was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1991.
Lima is located on the Río Rímac at the foot of the dry western flank of the central Peruvian Andes. According to Javier Pulgar Vidal, the city center is located in the Chala geographic zone, at about 160 meters above sea level. The settlement area of the urban region extends to the altitudinal zone of the western Yunga (from 500 meters), reaching an altitude of almost 1,000 meters at Chosica.
All travelogues from Peru
Peru was one of the countries which was set from the beginning in the planning our world trip 🙂 We had already seen so many pictures of the Inca city Machu Picchu that we definitely wanted to see it. And our route through Peru we could also connect perfectly with Bolivia and Ecuador.
» Lima – Tourist Attractions, Things to Do & Photo Spots (Peru)» From Aguas Calientes via Cusco to Lima (Peru)
» Machu Picchu – Historic Sanctuary of the Incan citadel (Peru)
» Perurail – By train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (Peru)
» Cusco – Tourist Attractions, Things to Do & Photo Spots (Peru)
» Pass road La Raya – By bus from Puno to Cusco (Peru)
» Puno & the floating villages of the Uros in Lake Titikaka (Peru)
» By bus from La Paz (Bolivia) to Puno (Peru)