How I Made It To Machu Picchu

yes I made it to Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is one of the Wonders Of The World that I have always wanted to visit and put a check-mark on my bucket list.  Seeing the Inca Ruins, steep hills and unbelievable views intertwining with the Urubamba River is what made me really want to visit this iconic site.  Having already visited another old iconic site; The Great Wall Of China in 2011, I was prepared to try visiting Machu Picchu is the summer of 2015.  I know this will be a challenge so I brought 2 friends who were cousins and their grandfather to give this place a try.  We decided that we would visit Quito, Banos and Piura in Ecuador first, then make our way to Cusco in Peru which we would then visit Machu Picchu.

wheelchair won’t fit unless it is collapsed

Since our itinerary for South America was open for the 2 weeks, we had no schedule and just travelled around whenever we felt like it.  I have never travelled this way before because I always had to book accessible rooms in advance.  This was more like a backpacking trip so everything was spontaneous and everything was booked last-minute.  So our place in Cusco was not wheelchair accessible as it had few stairs to get into the building and an elevator that is too small for even my manual chair so my friend had to carry me on to the floor of tiny elevator and my other friend collapsed my manual chair and went separately on the one elevator the hotel had.  We wanted to buy a train ticket from Cusco to Machu Picchu but buying the train ticket 2 days before we wanted to go made us go with another option.  We end up buying a more expensive train from Ollantaytambo which is a town 60km northwest of Cusco.  That meant we had to get up even earlier to take a taxi from our hotel in Cusco to the train station for our early morning train ride from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu.

few stairs and narrow entrance into train

The 4 of us got up really early since the cab ride was 2 hours long t0 Ollantaytambo and we had an early train to Machu Picchu.  Entry tickets to Machu Picchu must be purchased in advance since there is only a limited number of visitors allowed per day.  We bought ours a week prior since we were told of this.  You can buy it online at http://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/ or any travel agency in any city in Peru.  Again the PeruRail train has steps to get in and a narrow entry and narrow aisle inside the train.  I would need to transfer out of my wheelchair and sit in a train seat.  My wheelchair would be collapsed and stowed away in their storage locker. Lucky I have 2 strong friends carry me into the train.  Since my balance is bad, I brought a chest strap and just strapped into a seat.  I always sit in my roho cushion so I came prepared for the train ride.

narrow aisle similar to a plane

The train ride was almost 2 hours and was nice that we got to see a lot of nature.  When we arrived at the train station at Machu Picchu, the 4 of us are already in awe of the beauty of this magnificent wonder.  Being August it was quite crowded but glad we are not visiting during the rainy season which is October to April.  Every visitor must enter the main entrance and have their ticket stamped.  Passports are needed to enter so make sure you bring them with you.  You can even get a Machu Picchu stamp on your passport at one of the stations.  I suggest bringing lots of water and a jacket when you visit because you never know what the weather would be like really high up there.  So there are 2 ways to get up there: either hike up which will take a couple hours or take a 20 minute bus ride to the top.  Obviously we had to take the bus option.  Lines are hours long but being in a wheelchair, the people at the bus counter let all 4 of us skip to the front.  Even one attendant was free to get on this non-accessible bus.  So my friend carried me in as usual and collapsed the wheelchair for storage.

getting out of bus at main entrance to Machu Picchu

Once we were at the top, I was worried that I couldn’t go anywhere because it is not accessible at all.  There were stairs everywhere, bumpy terrain and walkways.  I thought I would just wait at entrance and let my 3 friends in.  They told me that we made it this far and that they are going to bring me in no matter what.  So one friend carried me in fireman style while the other brought in my chair.

was not comfortable for either of us

Guides are available for an extra charge but we decided to go on our own. Parts of the path to the ruins were very difficult to maneuver and if you were to visit with a powerchair or a scooter, you would not even make it past the main entrance.  We made it to one section where there is a big platform that is levelled.  I parked my chair there and got to see the magnificent view. I always wanted to visit this place and was just shocked it was a reality.

taking a break to see the magnificent view

I knew the other parts of Machu Picchu would be too difficult to get to so I let my 3 friends explore for a bit.

my friends exploring a bit

There is also an option to visit Huayna Picchu that requires a separate ticket that must be purchased in advance that we didn’t go for.  There is only a limited number of tickets per day and you get to look down at the Inca Ruins.  If you get light-headed easily, please make sure to bring pills cause the air is a lot thinner up there.  A few hours here is definitely recommended for those wanting to experience the full beauty of Machu Picchu.

trying to get around a corner

worth it for sure

All said and done, Machu Picchu is definitely worth a visit.  Manual wheelchairs are definitely essential over motorized ones.  With careful planning and bringing a few strong friends along, disabled users should not be scared to visit this wonder if this is on your bucket list.  Get out of your comfort zone and just think, yes you can! Please comment or send me an email if you have any question.

another pic

llamas made it up here too