Travelling alone through Cusco and Machu Picchu gives you something a group trip rarely does: the pace is yours. Here’s a practical rundown for making the most of it.
1. Settle into Cusco:
Cusco is the staging post for Machu Picchu but worth two or three nights on its own. Walk the cobblestones of the historic centre, drop into the San Pedro market for lunch, and let the altitude do its work before you push on.
2. Look past the Plaza de Armas:
The main square is a given. The payoff comes from the side streets: San Blas for cafes and artisan workshops, Qorikancha for the Inca temple fused into the colonial convent, and the climb up to Sacsayhuamán for the view over the city.
3. Take a guide into the ruins:
At Machu Picchu, a certified guide is money well spent — the site’s layout and chronology make little sense without one. Group guides are easy to join at the entrance, which is also a decent way to swap notes with other solo travellers.
4. Catch the first light:
Set the alarm. Being at the Guardhouse viewpoint as the sun breaks over the citadel is the moment most people remember most, and the early circuits are the quietest.
5. Use the hostels:
Solo doesn’t have to mean silent. Hostels in Cusco’s San Blas district and the common areas on PeruRail trains are the easiest places to pick up travel partners for a Rainbow Mountain day trip or the Sacred Valley.
6. Mind the altitude and the basics:
Cusco sits at 3,400 m. Keep hydrated, lay off the alcohol for the first day or two, and let someone back home know your rough plan. Keep your passport copy separate from the original.
7. Leave slack in the plan:
Festivals, viewpoints and good tips from locals rarely slot into a tight schedule. Build in a free afternoon or two — that’s usually where the best memories come from.
Cusco and Machu Picchu reward slow travel. Go in with these in mind and you’ll come back with more than photographs.
