Can You Drive To Machu Picchu? Here’s The Closest You Can Get By Car

I drove all the way from Cusco to Machu Picchu village (aka Aqua Calientes). But there are multiple catches here, and it’s probably not the type of experience suitable for any kind of traveller. 

I rented a car in Peru and used it to get to all the popular attractions around Cusco. And, of course, the pinnacle of this road trip was Machu Picchu, the famous UNESCO heritage monument. 

The issue with Machu Picchu is that it’s not accessible by road, and the only vehicle that can get you there in Machu Picchu village is the train. 

But the train is a touristy business, and it’s expensive for any kind of traveller. And if you consider other prices in Peru, the train from Cusco to Machu Picchu is a fortune. And it comes with restrictions. 

That’s why I looked for alternatives. The very budget alternative would have been to take a local bus to get me on this route, but I used a rental car so I could retain my freedom to explore when I wanted. 

In the end, budget-wise, renting a car is a very good deal if you are not alone in the car and you were planning on taking a few day trips from Cusco anyway. 

How to travel to Machu Picchu?

You can travel to Machu Picchu by train or by car and hike the last 12 kilometres. 

Most foreigners choose Peru Rail or Inca Rail to get from Cusco to Aqua Calientes, which is the closest city to Machu Picchu. 

Usually, one-way tickets range from $50 to $150. But this is expensive, as these are private railroad companies. To give you an idea of how expensive these are in Peru, you have to know that most Peruvians cannot afford to travel there by train.

The second option, which is the cheap trip to Machu Picchu, is to get the local bus from Cusco to Hidroelectrica, which is the last stop on the train tracks.

Then hike back from there to Aqua Calientes, on the side of the tracks. The bus from Cusco to Hidroelectrica was about 50 Soles (~$14) in April 2024 and has daily departures and returns. 

I rented a car in Cusco, so instead of the bus ride, I drove all the way from Cusco to Hidroelectrica. Then, I parked the car there and hiked from Hidroelectrica to Aqua Calientes, where I spent two nights so I could comfortably visit Machu Picchu. 

And here is everything you need to know about this alternative road to Machu Picchu if you don’t want to take the train to Machu Picchu. 

This drive was part of my 7-day itinerary around Cusco, with a rental car.

Can I visit Machu Picchu on my own?

Yes. And you should. 

A lot of foreigners seem to be afraid to drive in Peru, and that’s why they mostly rely on private tours and day trips to get to the popular spots around Cusco and even Machu Picchu. 

The logistics seem frightening and overwhelming. And that’s normal. 

Let’s not forget we’re talking about one of the seven wonders of the world and one of the most popular attractions in South America. 

That’s why I want to shed some light on what it’s really like to go to Machu Picchu by yourself, by car, and share my personal experience. 

I can now look back on this entire adventure and see what went wrong and what could be improved. Most importantly, I will give you my best tips to help you plan your best trip to Machu Picchu.

Can you drive from Cusco to Machu Picchu?

No, you can’t drive to Machu Picchu because the ancient Inca settlement is located deep in the Andean Mountains, and there’s no road access to it. The only way to get there is by train or hiking. 

However, you can drive pretty close to Machu Picchu village (Aqua Calientes) and then hike the rest of the way to get there. Many budget travellers and locals choose this option, as the train tickets are too expensive for most. 

Driving to the closest city to Machu Picchu is the best budget option for visiting Machu Picchu.

And if you can’t afford to rent a car to drive there, or if you don’t want to drive, then you can take a local minibus from Cusco to Hidroelectrica, and then continue your trip on foot, hiking to Aqua Calientes (Machu Picchu village). 

I did this exact trip by car, and I believe you can do it too. 

Road to Machu Picchu

The road to Machu Picchu is a mountain road, and it will get you through several challenges, but there’s nothing an experienced driver can’t handle. 

First of all, you need to reach Cusco. That’s the closest big city and airport to Machu Picchu. After that, you can rent a car and start driving from Cusco to Machu Picchu. 

As a side note, remember that if you don’t want to rent a car, you can take a local bus from Cusco to Hidroelectrica (the closest you can get by car to Machu Picchu village) every morning.

This is the budget option if you can’t afford the train ride to Machu Picchu. 

I did this drive from Cusco to Hidroelectrica and then reached Aqua Calientes on foot in a day, but many prefer to take their time and also visit other attractions in and around the Sacred Valley as they make their way to Machu Picchu. 

Depending on your schedule, you can do this on the way to Machu Picchu or on the way back. 

To better explain the road to Machu Picchu, I’ll break it into three separate sections:

• Cusco to Sacred Valley
• Sacred Valley to Santa Teresa 
• Santa Teresa to Hidroelectrica

Cusco to Sacred Valley

The road from Cusco to the Sacred Valley is in good condition. Getting out of Cusco might be a bit tricky, as Cusco has a lot of traffic, and the exit to the Sacred Valley is through the mountains. 

So you’ll have to drive on steep roads inside the city, and there’s a lot going on on the road. But if you follow international traffic rules and always pay attention to the traffic around you. 

There are always pedestrians crossing the street, as well as bikes, motorcycles, buses, and even animals. A lot of cars don’t signal when they change direction, so that’s why you should always keep your distance. 

But after I drove out of Cusco, the traffic almost disappeared, and I was just on the road enjoying the beautiful mountain views of the Sacred Valley.

Sacred Valley to Santa Teresa

The Sacred Valley in Peru is one of the most touristy areas in the entire country. Most itineraries around include Moray, Maras salt mines and Ollantaytambo Inca village. 

There’s only one main road that goes pretty close to all these attractions. 

There wasn’t any issue driving in the Sacred Valley. 

But there was one hiccup that I have to mention. As I entered Ollantaytambo, the GPS guided me through the stone village, which is where the Inca village entrance is. There was a lot of traffic, given that it is quite a popular stop for all the tours around. 

After wasting some time driving in the village, which is small and has very narrow streets, the exit was closed due to construction work, so I had to drive back the same way, through the village. 

What I recommend you do, if you want to skip Ollantaytambo and visit it on your way back (like I did), is not drive through the village.

Instead, follow the road next to the train tracks, which are on the left side of the village, at the entrance.

Basically, when you see the stone village, which is on a slightly steep hill, look for the road on the left and follow that. You can check it on the map; it eventually goes the same way. 

In April 2024, this road was under construction, but I reckon it will be paved pretty soon if it’s not already an asphalt road. 

After surpassing Ollantaytambo, the road was clear, no more traffic and the views were gorgeous. The road is turned into a mountain road, taking you up all the way to the clouds. 

At some point, I couldn’t see anything else but white outside. 

The climate also seemed to change as I reached the highest point on this road, which is Abra Malaga mountain pass at over 4,000 meters (13,100 ft) altitude. 

Santa Teresa to Hidroelectrica

All was good until I reached Santa Teresa village.

But here is where you get off the main road and turn a sharp left on a secondary road. At the time I did this drive (April 2024), this road was a dirt road. 

I drove for 1 minute on this road before I encountered the first obstacle – a construction team digging a huge ditch to fit in some huge sewage pipes.

Luckily, they let the cars pass after a few minutes, as we weren’t the only ones trying to drive through here. 

As I continued on the road, it seemed that it had recently been enlarged and was prepared for asphalt to be poured over it. It consisted of a combination of dirt and rocks. 

But one kilometre in, the road challenge presented itself – a massive landslide was blocking the road, and there was no way around it. 

The construction team had already been working on it for some hours, and it looked like they had to build the road on top of the massive landslide that probably occurred earlier that day.

Trucks, buses, cars, and motorcycles were waiting to cross over the newly constructed road that looked like a steep hill. 

After about 3 hours of waiting for the construction team to finish their work so that we could finally drive on the part of the road that was earlier destroyed by the collapsed mountain, we conquered the hill. 

It wasn’t easy, as I was driving an automatic, and that rental didn’t have enough coupling power to make it to the top.

By the time we passed over this point, it was already night, and the lack of light presented another challenge, as we could barely see the narrow dirt mountain road.

Believe it or not, the road was in worse condition than the road to Rainbow Mountain.

Our only luck was the workers, who all came and gave me a push up the hill and allowed me to continue driving towards Hidroelectrica that night.

It was truly amazing, and those people deserve a shoutout. I wouldn’t have made it to Machu Picchu without their help.

Well, I hope that if you make the same drive, a mountain will not collapse on the road on that day. A huge danger around this area is the rocks falling from the mountain.

Lots of locals warned me about it, so you shouldn’t stop on this part of the road or park. 

I drove on this road for a very long time, and that last stretch of about 30 kilometres ( about 18 miles)  probably took about 3 hours.

Looking in retrospect, one of the main issues was the night, which made me doubt the road more than a few times, as there was no light on the road.

At one point, I also drove through a river because I didn’t see the bridge on the left. It was that dark that night. 

I can now say it was much more difficult and slow to drive at night, and I was also freaking out because it was so late, we had no data connection to call our hotel, and we didn’t know if we would ever make it. 

The road was becoming worse with each turn, and it seemed like we would get stuck there in the middle of nowhere. So yeah, it was scary at night.

I strongly recommend asking locals about the state of the road ahead with every turn and occasion you get, because this is what I did, and it gave me the confidence I could make it. 

I also strongly suggest you try to plan this trip as best you can and try to get there early so that you have plenty of time to drive on this road during the day and not get caught here at night.

This road is also not recommended during the rainy season (November to March). I drove on it at the beginning of April, and it was only slightly wet, and I was praying it wouldn’t rain so it would dry out a bit more.

However, there was plenty of humidity, and the dirt wasn’t exactly dry. 

The road was challenging as it was, but the bright side is that there was work, even during the night on the road, to improve it, and by the time you make this trip, it might be in a much better condition.  

You can park the car at Hidroelectrica. Here is the exact location of the parking where the bus takes you, and where I also parked: https://maps.app.goo.gl/MQ1uyUzSb2iyr6K27

There is a sign next to a bridge offering parking for anyone who needs it. But there’s also the end of the road, where you can tip the guards to park there. However, it’s cheaper to park with the family that lives there at the bridge. 

I posted a video on my YouTube channel about this drive to Machu Picchu, and I encourage you to watch it to see the exact state of the road:

Hidroelectra to Aqua Calientes hike

The last part of this trip is to park your car at Hidroelectrica and then hike, following the train tracks, from Hidroelectrica to Aqua Calientes. This is more like a walk in the woods, as it’s almost flat the entire way. 

Don’t worry about the train; you’ll hear it if it runs towards you before you see it. But you should always be on the lookout. 

I’ve done this hike at night on my way there and during the day on the way back. I can definitely say that it’s much better to do it during the day. But if you get to do it during the night, bring a lantern (the one on your phone works, too) and ask the locals about the state of the trail. 

When I did this hike, the train wasn’t working, and there weren’t many signs that indicated it.

During my night hike, I learnt that there was a huge landslide over the track that completely destroyed a 200-meter portion of the trail. Nobody warned me about it, so it was really scary. 

The issue was that it was night, and I couldn’t see signs that were pointing towards a small temporary bridge that the workers made for hikers to be able to cross to the newly created river. So I crossed straight through the river at night, which was really dangerous, and I regretted doing it. 

After I crossed the river, the rest of the trail and rails were in good condition, and I made it to Aqua Calientes in just under 3 hours. I guess I walked pretty slowly during the night. 

But once I got to Aqua Caliente, I saw the official signs saying that the trail was closed at night, and that was probably because people couldn’t find the temporary bridge to cross the river that formed after the landslide occurred. 

But on my way back, I could clearly see the marking and the trail. So always know that the roads and trails should be in good condition in Peru, and don’t do anything crazy like I did. 

The workers were actively rebuilding the tracks, as the last stop of the train is actually Hidroelectrica. So if the tracks are in good condition (which they normally are unless otherwise stated on the official website of the rail company), you could take the train from Hidroeletrica to Aqua Calientes. 

That would probably be cheaper than taking the train from Cusco anyway. 

But during the day, many tourists, both Peruvians and foreigners, as well as individuals and organised groups, did this hike between Hidroelectrica and Aqua Calientes in both directions. 

Is the road to Machu Picchu dangerous? 

The most asked question is, “Is the road to Machu Picchu dangerous?” The answer is that it depends. Most of the road, from Cusco to Santa Teresa (a small village tucked between the mountains), is asphalted and in mostly in great condition. 

But from Santa Teresa, you have to leave the main road and take a smaller road that only serves a few villages and eventually closes, with nowhere to go, to Hidroelectrica, which, in this case, is also your final destination by car. 

That part of the road is narrow, between mountains, and there’s a big possibility of landslides during the rainy season (November to April). That road gets worse if it rains, and it might cause delays if there are any recent landslides. The road administration will try their best to repair it as soon as it happens. 

It might become dangerous if you get hit by landslides as you drive by or by rocks falling from the mountain. I’ve been warned by all the locals about this risk, so you better move fast and not stop on the road. 

It’s also more dangerous to drive to Hidroelectrica at night, as you can’t clearly see the road and might mistake the road for off-road parts, and that can very quickly turn into a dangerous experience. 

I know this sounds confusing, but I drove on it at night when I was going to Machu Picchu, and then I drove during the day on my way back, and there were huge differences. I recommend avoiding driving at night if possible because it’s really dark and you might miss the right turn. 

Note that I did this drive to Machu Picchu village at the beginning of April 2024, and it was the end of the rainy season. There were many construction teams on this road, working to improve it, building tunnel and bridges, and offering access in parts that experienced recent landslides. 

At that time, it was drivable by any kind of car, but it wasn’t an easy ride, and the main obstacle was the construction works on the road, which caused long delays in traffic.

Drive back from Hidroelectrica to Cusco 

The most intense and interesting part is the drive back from Hidroelectrica, where the dirt road ends, to Santa Teresa, where the asphalt begins. 

Driving back on this road of only 30 kilometres during the day was a lot less frightening than it was to drive on it at night. 

We were lucky with the weather, as it didn’t rain the day before, so it was slightly dryer. 

It was also a Saturday, and I read on a sign about the schedule of the construction works there was no work being done during the weekend, and that made the drive so much faster because we didn’t have to wait for any vehicles to move or for any construction teams to let us pass. There was also almost no traffic on that day. 

During the day, the road was much clearer, and there was no room for mistakes. 

Remember when I told you that during that night, I almost didn’t see one bridge crossing, and I wanted to drive through a small river on the road? 

Well, now, during the day, it was obvious how I was supposed to drive. 

Overall, we were lucky to drive back to civilisation on a Saturday, so we didn’t have to wait for anyone to let us pass, which made the entire drive much faster. 

I felt so relieved once we reached Santa Teresa because I knew that from that point forward, the road was good, and there shouldn’t be any more delays. 

We took the same road back to Sacred Valley and passed through the same high mountain points, such as Abra Malaga, which is a pass at 4,316 meters altitude and 14,160 feet altitude. 

The views got better once we approached the Sacred Valley. In those mountains, we found a lot of local, family-run roadside restaurants, and many of them were selling trucha frita, which is fried trout. 

After a while, we got hungry and stopped at one of those small restaurants, and the food was so good. 

Note that the drive is the same on the way back, so my recommendation is that if you are lucky with the weather, stop when you can to take some pictures. 

Because you don’t know what the weather will be like on the way back, and you might miss a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity. 

The entire road offers breathtaking mountain views, and if you’re lucky to see it without many clouds around, stop for a minute and enjoy it. The clouds move fast in this area. 

Best way to see Machu Picchu

Many search for the best way to see Machu Picchu, but don’t realize that there’s only one way to actually see it. 

1. Buy tickets for Machu Picchu here: https://tuboleto.cultura.pe/llaqta_machupicchu 
2. Get to Aqua Calientes, also called the Machu Picchu village, by train OR by car up to Hidroelectrica and then continue to Aqua Calientes by hiking 11 kilometres on the train tracks.
3. Spend the night in Aqua Calientes (because it took you the entire day to get there)
4. Get the bus from Aqua Calientes to the entrance of Machu Picchu ($24 road trip) – it’s worth it because the hike from Aqua Calientes to Machu Picchu is very steep and might take more than one hour, and you don’t want to get there already tired.
5. Enter Machu Picchu at the right timeslot according to your ticket.

Tickets to Machu Picchu

Buying an entry ticket for Machu Picchu is confusing. That’s because the authorities have changed the types of tickets more than twice in there recent years. 

First of all, I strongly recommend you buy the ticket from the official website only, which is this one: https://tuboleto.cultura.pe/llaqta_machupicchu. 

Unfortunately, the website is only in Spanish, but you can use Google Translate. 

There are third-party websites selling tickets, but they are overpriced, and it’s not worth it if you can plan your visit to Machu Picchu by yourself. 

Note that you need to purchase your Machu Picchu tickets at least one month in advance. For special tickets that allow access to the surrounding mountains (e.g. Wayna Picchu hike), purchase them as soon as possible, as those are more limited and sell out super fast. 

Closest city to Machu Picchu

The closest city to Machu Picchu is Aqua Calientes. This is also referred to as Machu Picchu village, and it’s the closest you can spend the night if you’re visiting Machu Picchu. 

This is a small place tucked between the mountains that can only be accessed by train or by hiking there. That’s why prices for everything are much higher here than anywhere else in Peru. 

All food and other items that hotels and tourists need to get here by train. 

Given that the railroad company is a private one, the prices are much higher than what you’d normally expect anywhere else in Peru. 

Many spend one or two nights here, the night before they visit Machu Picchu and the night of the day of the visit, because you will feel exhausted after visiting the place. This is what I did and what I recommend. 

But many are on a tight schedule and arrive in Aqua Calientes during the afternoon or evening, check in for the night, and then go visit Machu Picchu in the morning and take the train back to Cusco in the afternoon. 

Agua Caliente to Machu Picchu

This is the easiest part of the trip. After you reach Aqua Calientes, everyone knows why you’re here. 

There’s a public bus that runs really well all day long, taking tourists up and down the mountain from Aqua Calientes to Machu Picchu and reverse. 

Don’t be stressed about how to buy this ticket. 

The most important thing is to have your ticket for Machu Picchu. Then, on the day of your visit, go to the bus stop (you’ll see signs and a lot of people) which is right in the middle of Aqua Calientes. Next to the bus stop is the bus ticket office. 

You can buy your ticket there, at the stop. 

Just be there around one hour to half an hour before your entry to Machu Picchu (it’s important to respect the timeslot for your ticket).

The staff at the office will check your ticket and passport, and then they’ll sell you the ticket. You can’t buy a bus ticket without a valid Machu Picchu ticket. 

Don’t worry if there’s a huge crowd for the bus, they are very well organised, and everyone will make it to Machu Picchu just in time. 

What’s the cheapest way to Machu Picchu?

The cheapest way to get to Machu Picchu is to get the public bus from Cusco to Hidroelectrica and then hike from Hidroelectrica to Aqua Calientes. 

But because this takes at least half a day, you will need to spend a night or even two nights in Aqua Calientes and visit Machu Picchu the next day. 

Then spend the night there and on the third day go back early in the morning to Hidroelectrica where the bus should be waiting to get you back to Cusco. 

Going there by car might end up being cheaper because food and accommodation are expensive in Aqua Calientes, so an extra night will not be cheap. And having a car will allow you to arrive and leave at any hour. 

It would also be cheaper to go with two or three friends to split the costs of the car and the hotel room.