A few small towns lie in the vecinity of Machu Picchu, but mostly it´s still as isolated as it was 500 years ago. There are a few different (four popular) ways to get there, and Kiwi Friend and I decided to take the fastest one. Almost everyone starts out in the nearby city of Cusco, population 350,000, one of the most touristy places on the planet.

From Cusco, which sits 3,400 meters above sea level, KF and I started out with a 20-minute cab ride to the train station in nearby Puruy. The three-hour train ride at 7:45 a.m. zigzags through the Cusco region and the Sacred Valley to the town of Aguas Calientes. From Aguas Calientes, we took a 20-minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu. (You can also do an hour-plus walk up the mountains.)

On the way back, to save some money - visiting Machu Picchu is really expensive, especially compared to everything else in Perú - we got off the train halfway back to Cusco and took a colectivo (group taxi) the remaining hour and a half. Between the travel and the walking around Machu Picchu, we were exaughsted by the time we got back around 10 that night.

Not that we had anything to complain about. Many people get to Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail or an alternative trek, spending four days hiking (some treks also involve biking) through the forest at over 2,000 meters above sea level.

I mentioned there were four popular options - train, Inca Trail, alternative trek and a crazy daylong bus and hiking route. The last - the cheapest - involves about six hours of mini buses and cabs, followed by a two-hour walk along the train tracks to Agua Calientes, with an overnight or two in that town (depending on whether you take the train back or not).

View of Aguas Calientes

Any suggestions other than Boracay, Baguio, anywhere around Ilocos Norte or Pangasinan, Manila, Bohol/Chocolate Hills, 100 Islands…and obviously not Mindanao you silly beezies. I’ve got some places in mind but I’d like personal opinions.

Formspring.