Getting Machu Picchu right takes more planning than most people expect
There are three separate tickets required to visit Machu Picchu. They are sold on three different websites. The timings between them have to connect perfectly. And almost nobody tells you this until something goes wrong.
What goes wrong
Picture this.
You are in Peru. You have been planning this trip for months. Maybe years. Machu Picchu has been on your list since you were a kid.
You wake up at 4am in Cusco. It is cold and dark. You grab your bag and squeeze into a shared minibus with strangers for a 90-minute drive through mountain roads to a town called Ollantaytambo. You board your train just before sunrise, excited, exhausted, finally on your way.
You arrive in Aguas Calientes. A small mountain town at the base of the citadel. You walk toward the bus station feeling good. Almost there.
The line is already 200 people long.
You do not have a bus ticket. You did not know you needed one. It was on a completely separate website, in Spanish. There was no reminder. No one told you. It just was not on your radar when you were booking everything else.
You wait. You finally make it onto a bus. You wind up the mountain road, heart beating faster as the citadel appears through the clouds above you.
You reach the gate at 9:42am.
Your entry slot was 9:00.
The guard looks at your ticket. Looks at his screen. Shakes his head.
Your ticket is void. Entry window closed. No exceptions. No appeals. No refund.
You came 6,000 miles for this moment.
Machu Picchu is a once in a lifetime experience. Getting there should not be the hard part.
Here is what we do instead.
You tell us your circuit, your date and how many people are traveling. We handle everything else.
We secure your official Ministry of Culture entry permit for your chosen circuit and time slot. We book your return train from Ollantaytambo, the right departure, calculated so you arrive in Aguas Calientes with plenty of time to spare. We book your return bus up the mountain and back down. We do every piece of timing arithmetic so you never have to think about it.
Three tickets. All coordinated. All delivered to your inbox as PDFs before your trip.
On the day you wake up in Cusco, board your minibus, get on your train and walk through that gate on time. No scrambling. No last-minute panic. No standing in a 200-person line with no ticket.
Just you, the citadel and the moment you have been waiting for.
Booking yourself vs booking with us
| On your own | With us | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry permit | $45 to $60 | Included |
| Official rail ticket, round trip | From $160 | Included |
| Official bus ticket, round trip | $24 | Included |
| Estimated total | Around $250 minimum | One all-in price |
| Websites to visit | 3, two in Spanish | 1, in English |
| Accounts to create | 3 | 1 |
| Passport details entered | 3 times | Once |
| Connection timing | Traveler's responsibility | We handle it |
| Refund guarantee | None | Full refund if we cannot book all three |
| What you receive | 3 separate emails | One email, all three tickets |
Not sure which circuit is right for you?
Before anything else you need to pick the right circuit. There are three options and they cover completely different parts of the site. Once you are at the gate you cannot switch.
See all three circuits explained →
One booking. Everything handled.
Most travelers spend days researching Machu Picchu logistics. We have done that work so you do not have to.
Pick your circuit. Pick your date. We handle the rest.