World Travel by Anthony Bourdain & Laurie Woolever

Author:Anthony Bourdain & Laurie Woolever [Bourdain, Anthony & Woolever, Laurie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781526630247
Google: RroaEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2021-04-19T23:00:00+00:00

MUSEO LARCO: Avenida Simón Bolivar 1515, 15084 Pueblo Libre, Lima, Tel +51 1 4611312, www.museolarco.org (adult general admission 30 sol/US$9)

Cusco and Machu Picchu

* * *

To visit Machu Picchu, you must first travel from Lima to the high Andean city of Cusco.

“In its streets, tourists rub shoulders with traditional Andean people, while gawking at Spanish colonial buildings built atop Inca stone ruins. It’s a great place to introduce oneself to both the beauty and the uneasy contrasts of Peruvian history—and to the uneasy breathing at high altitude.”

While it’s about 350 miles as the crow flies between Lima and Cusco, the driving distance is nearly double that, given the layout of the roads that avoid going directly over some treacherous mountain terrain. There are tourist-oriented bus lines that make a three-day journey of it, traveling in a southern loop and stopping overnight along the way, which will give you plenty of time to acclimate to the altitude change (Lima is at about 500 feet above sea level, while Cusco is at 11,000 feet). There are also “fast” buses, making the journey in a more direct way, in twenty-two hours, but they have a dodgy reputation for unsafe driving and even armed hijackings.

The flight from Lima to Cusco’s Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport (CUS) takes just over an hour; there are a handful of Peruvian airlines serving this route. Be prepared for some altitude shock upon arrival. Arrange for an airport transfer to your hotel inside the airport for about 50 sol/US$15, or take your chances with the drivers outside the airport, which will cost between 15 and 35 sol/US$4–$10, depending on your negotiating and language skills.

As in Lima, Cusco can be navigated on foot, by taxi, bus, or combi van.

To complete your journey to the Machu Picchu citadel site, you may either take a train (information at perurail.com), or book a guided trek with a reputable tour company.

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