How many hours are required for Machupichu + Huayanapicchu

Question

I'm going to Machupicchu on September but the schedules have changed since July 2017.

I'm in the first group, the ticket says: Machupicchu (1er Turno) 06:00 - 12.00 Machupicchu + Huaynapicchu 1G 7:00 - 8:00 a.m.

This is confusing I can access to Huayana only from 7 to 8 am? or from 6 am?

And how many hours can We stay in Huayana? I mean do We have to leave when the second group starts to climb? Or We are allowed to stay there as much as we want?

How many hours have you spent between Huayana + Machupicchu + bus to train station? I know that the bus takes 30 min but for sure there will be a line of people waiting, maybe I should descend walking to Aguascalientes to do it faster?

I'd like to know if it's possible to reach the train of the 14:30 hrs

Thanks and my best regards

Answer 1

You're asking a bunch of questions at the same time.

The line for the bus in the morning is big as everyone wants to get up before sunrise. You can walk up, which, depending on your physical condition, does not have to take more than 45 minutes.

Going down is faster. But, also, not everyone will want to leave at the same time, so taking the bus down is also an option.

The doors to Machu Picchu open at 6, so that's when you're allowed in. Apparently, the doors to Huaynapicchu only open at 7, which you get to after entering Machu Picchu. The strong implication is that you have to start your ascent of Huaynapicchu between 7 and 8.

I'm in Peru now and have asked several people, both Peruvian and foreigners, whether the two groups for entering Machu Picchu mean that you have to leave when your time is 'up'. Every answer I received was either "I don't know" or "No, you can stay as long as you like". This is only hearsay, but the best I can offer. The official ticketing site for Machu Picchu does not seem to explain this.

After you've come down from the mountain, either by bus or on foot, getting to the train station will take only a few minutes. So, it's definitely possible to get a 14:30 train. But, why not take the late train? Aguas Calientes is not very interesting, but it's worth to stay up at Machu Picchu for as long as you can. But, do bring snacks and drinks.

If you do take the late train out of Aguas Calientes, be aware that, if you don't have transport arranged from Ollantaytambo, or are not staying in Ollantaytambo, you might have a hard time getting transport out of there to Cusco. Surprisingly, for all the taxis and busses that pick tourists up from the train, almost none cater to those traveling on their own.

Answer 2

I'm going to answer my own questions.

We were in the bus line at 4 am, the line was too long, we ride the bus until 6 am, and arrived at Machupicchu entrance at 6:30. The ticket and passport checking take like 15 min but people go to the bathroom before entering so for some people it takes more time.

If somebody takes the first bus they could arrive at Machupichu at 6 am but it's hard!! Maybe they must be at the line at 3 am. It doesn't make sense that amount of sacrifice unless you want to see the sunrise at Machu Picchu but at 6 am part of the sunrise has already transcurred.

We have to walk through Machupichu to make the line for Montaña or for Huayna Picchu, they don't allow to pass to the mountains until 7 am.

It took me less than an hour to climb to the top of Huayna Pichu, I spent like 1 hour just sitting on the rocks and the border taking photos. Nobody really pushed us to go down (just the other tourist, wanting to sit there too).

Around 10 am I was back on Machu Picchu and the problem here is that once you enter to a circuit, the guards don't allow to walk back, we had to follow a way, we cannot back for friends, forgotten stuff... We had to walk until the exit and enter again. A friend of my went to the bathroom and we never meet again it was impossible, We were able to see him, but the guards didn't allow him to cross the circuits. So it,s better to stay together.

I went up by bus and went down walking, the descent was easy going it took me 1 hour. But I don't recommend climbing walking, it's faster by bus.

Descending by bus makes reaching the train of the 14:30 very possible, I had plenty of time free to climb to Huayna, Machupichu, The sun door, since I scheduled my train until the next day I spent my last hours laying in the grass with the alpacas but I could have reached the 14:30 train with no problem.

Hope it helps :)