Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo)

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Aguas Calientes, gateway for tourists travelling to Machu Picchu

If Cuzco is the "base" of tourists travelling across the Sacred Valley, then Aguas Calientes is sort-of a "gateway" for those travelling to the site of Machu Picchu.

The place is located deep in Vilcanota river's valley, extending into a narrower valley that is perpendicularly attached to the big valley.

Aguas Calientes, as a stop-over point on the road to Machu Picchu

Lately more often called "Machu Picchu Pueblo", Aguas Calientes is located just 8-9 km away from the famous archaeological site.

In Aguas Calientes, you'll find companies offering cheap accommodation and alimentation services, fast & comfortable transportation by bus all the way up to the centuries old Inca citadel.

The town is 110 km away from the ruins, meaning that you can do the trip fast in one day only, going in the morning and returning in the evening, perhaps stopping over to eat & drink in the town.

Even though tourism is intense (Machu Picchu attracting more tourists alone than some Eastern European countries combined!), Aguas Calientes is still relatively poor. Hotels and other facilities are modest, but good services are present, though. You will see many unpainted brick houses with roofs made of metallic or plastic plaques, poor neighbourhoods.

Even so, it was tourism that brought Aguas Calientes to this level. As tourism grows, the town too extends and life standards improve.

On the image on the left you can see part of the town and the dirty fast river running on the rocks.

Aguas Calientes and its own travel attractions

Many travelers don't even know about what is in this town, they just travel through it. 

There are many restaurants in Aguas Calientes, cheap hotels, the locals are trying to keep tourists there, sell them services and products, which is a good idea from their side, because most foreign travelers overlook the attractions of this small town, simply criss-cross through it, visiting Ollantaytambo on the right and Machu Picchu on the left, simply using this town for sort of a "stop-over trampoline" between major destinations.

But, Aguas Calientes too has attractions!

Not so much Inca-ones, but others that are scarce in other parts of the area.

This town has thermal baths with water 42 ºC warm, which has curative effects, good for people who have problems with bones and joints, muscle pain, very good for those who suffer of kidney-related affections. The water is sulphurous and comes from deep underground. Like Japan, Hungary and New Zealand are famous for their hot springs, so is this little Peruvian town!

The thermal baths are 800 m away form the town of Aguas Calientes. In fact, the name of Aguas Calientes means "Warm Waters" in Spanish.

The waters of Aguas Calientes are sulphurous and come from deep under the ground.

The Handicraft Market is also an attraction, where travelers flock to buy handmade products.

Pachacútec has a huge statue in Aguas Calientes, not far from another attraction, an old Roman-Catholic church.

A small waterfall attracts adventurers into hikes around the town and, it is also possible to take a hike up to the high mountain of Putucusi, somewhat similar in shape to Huayna Picchu (Waynapicchu). It is a very hard hike, only for the strong and experienced.  

Getting there

For most travelers, there 2 ways: by road, by train. For luxury travelers, there's a 3rd way: by helicopter, which flies to Aguas Calientes instead of directly to Machu Picchu (where it used in the 1970s, but the operations were stopped in order not to deteriorate the ruins).

Almost everyone who goes to this town travel by train. The train called "Hiram Bingham" (to the honour of the discoverer of Machu Picchu) connects the city of Cuzco with Aguas Calientes. The railroad has 110 km long.

Most travelers arrive in the May - November period, in order to avoid the rainy season.

You'll have to be careful when the trains come & go, because the railway lines are not barricaded and people just walk across it all the time. What's even more interesting is that locals sell goods at their tables along the tracks. When the train arrives, they all gather their merchandise and get away!