The last leg to Machu Picchu is a bus job — the 25-minute Consettur shuttle from Aguas Calientes up the switchbacks of the Hiram Bingham Highway. There is no road access from Cusco; the train takes you to Aguas Calientes, then the shuttle climbs 400 metres up to the citadel gate at 2,430 metres.
Buses leave every few minutes from 5:30am. The queue at the bus station can run long in high season — July and August — so plan to arrive at least thirty minutes before your intended departure. On the first shuttle of the day you often reach the gate before the ridge clears of mist.
Your entrance ticket is tied to a fixed window and one of three one-way circuits. A guide helps on the first visit — Peruways’ local guides read the stonework in context — but is not required.
Peruways packages the Consettur shuttle with the train from Ollantaytambo and the entrance ticket matched to the circuit you want to walk. Lock in dates early; the earliest shuttles sell out first.
