The bus from Aguas Calientes to the Machu Picchu gate is the last 400 metres of elevation that nobody wants to walk, especially not on day one of a trip. The road is 8 km of switchbacks up a cliff and the ride takes about 25 minutes.
The service is operated by Consettur, a cooperative that runs a continuous rotation of green buses from early morning (first bus 5:30am for sunrise entries) through to 15:30pm. They leave when full, which in high season means every few minutes. No fixed schedule, no reserved seats.
The alternative is the Hiram Bingham Highway on foot — a 90-minute climb with a lot of switchback-cutting on steep stairs. Fine on the way down, exhausting on the way up before you’ve even reached the ruins.
Peruways sells the Consettur ticket as part of the Machu Picchu package. A one-way or round-trip voucher, loaded onto your ticket, no queueing at the bus kiosk.
Book your Machu Picchu bus at Peruways.
