The ride from Aguas Calientes up to Machu Picchu is one of the shortest but most memorable legs of any trip to Peru. Consettur’s green buses are the only vehicles allowed on the 13 switchbacks that climb from the river to the ruins, and the short crawl up the mountain is a scenic preamble to the citadel itself.
Departures run roughly every 10 minutes from the main stop beside the Vilcanota River in Aguas Calientes, and the ride up takes around 30 minutes. You pass through dense cloud forest, catch glimpses of the Urubamba River below, and gain almost 400 metres of altitude before the gate at 2,430 m.
Buying tickets in advance matters in high season (June–August), when queues at the Aguas Calientes window can run an hour or more. Peruways sells the Consettur ticket online so you can walk straight to the boarding line, which pairs well with an early train and the first entry wave at 6 a.m.
Book your bus tickets with Peruways and skip the queue at the base of the mountain.
