Machu Picchu
Travel Advice for Seniors: Machu Picchu
Traveling from the Sacred Valley, we boarded the two-hour train for Aguas Calientes, the hop off point for the Machu Picchu area. The train ride itself is one of the most popular train rides in the world, with good reason. The large windows that extended over the ceiling gave flawless views of the very tall mountains on either side of the tracks and the deep valleys below.
A word about Machu Picchu…it is a pretty good hike up the mountain. If you are mobility impaired, there apparently is a way to get most of the way up to the top by taking a vehicle that was arranged with our tour guide. The hike up the mountain was broken up by tantalizing views at most every tour. Once you finally made it to the top the views were splendid, not to mention that you got to pet some guanacos!
Do take time to read up or listen to your tour guide when talking about Machu Picchu. Apparently, it was not a religious site, but instead an outpost to protect the Incan empire from the marauding Amazonians. The terraces are for farming and contributing to the self sufficiency of the mountain lookout. What little is known of the history of the area is quite fascinating.
Our two and a half hour tour included the ruins of the ceremonial center and the guard house as well as visits to Funeral Rock, the Main temple, Temple of the Three Windows, Chamber of Ornaments and the Sacred Plaza. This is definitely the place to use your panoramic option on your camera!
Where we stayed: Machu Picchu Pueblo. Nice accommodation, breakfast included. Centrally located.
How we got there: 2 hour train ride to Aguas Calientes. This was part of an two-week small group tour through Peru.
General Accessibility Information: Lima is more accessible than other cities and areas, with major hotels, sights and some transportation accessible. Machu Picchu has accessible paths, and several tour companies offer tours of Peru. Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements. See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
