Difficulty of steps at Machu Picchu
I’m scheduled to take the Hidden Galapagos & Peru trip in May. For those who have been how difficult/strenuous are the steps at Machu Picchu? I understand there are very few handrails - can you touch the walls as you go up or down the steps? Are the steps tall steps like sometimes the first step getting on a bus or are they generally like the kind you have in your house? I’m a little nervous about the steps at that elevation (I live area level) so any perspective you can give would be greatly appreciated.
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Sorry - I live at sea level.
Hi, JaneP!
If you zoom into the photo, you can see the steps. I didn’t think they were too steep but they are uneven and you’ll want the walking stick that Tauck provides. That helps a lot to navigate the old steps.
You won’t be walking straight up and down - we walked down some, through some ruins, and then up or down other steps. But unless you want to, you won’t be doing a full long flight at once as seen in the photo. There are smaller flights around the stones so it’s fine if you take your time. Some people found it a bit tricky but for the most part, everyone did fine. We had no issues with the altitude. The locals suggested drinking coca tea in the AM and muna tea in the PM to ward off altitude sickness! 😊 Our TD gave us coca candy when we flew into Cuzco, which actually has a higher altitude than Machu Picchu.
We went on this this trip in May, 2023. They gave us three choices: one was to stay on top and just walk around. I can't remember the second choice but do remember the third one and the group leader mentioned it was a difficult hike. I don't know why I decided to join the difficult one at my age but I walked my neighborhood which is all hills up and down four miles about five times a week. I was very lucky as one man ahead of me really helped and my husband was at the back and also had to help me. I should not have gone on this hike. There was one lady in the group that should have stayed on top due to the extra large steps and she was very heavy and had an extremely difficult time.
I didn't find the steps to be difficult. There's sort of two levels that you can choose from. Geting to the first level is not difficult at all. The first time we went to Machu Picchu we only went on the first level and it was a good visit.
The second time, we went to the higher level which required walking some steps - but was not all that difficult. At that level you get a nice overview of Machu Picchu. I would definitely recommend going to that level.
You can see our first visit at https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2017SouthAmerica-02.htm
And our second visit at https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2021-1Galapagos-02.htm
You will ave to scroll a bit at each one to reach the Machu Picchu visit.
As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words", so I have included some shots of Machu Picchu from our trip in May of 2024. I have tried to show the types of terrain encountered and steps on the elevation changes. If you take your time and watch every time you put a foot down you shouldn;t have any trouble. Just set your pace on the climbs to be consistent with your personal level of fitness. You will feel the 8000ft altitude if you really push it. But everyone took a beak on climbs to catch their breath. But everyone made it from the oldest to the youngest.
Don't mistake the terraces in distant photos with stairs. There are small diameter, slack guide ropes in many places to restrict you to authorized areas and stairs, but are not there to grab for safety. There are almost no handrails and very few stairways that have walls close enough to lean against. The rise and run of the stone stairs are nonstandard and can vary from step to step. The rise of some are much higher than stairs in the US which must be equal and built to code. There are some areas where some fairly steep inclined stone walks go between levels. rwilso15's photos are excellent examples of all these and what you will encounter. Also note the number of people with walking sticks and how many are sitting or standing against a wall to rest.
I'd like to add a few things beyond what has been stated already. Consider that for some, going down can be tougher, particularly on the knees. I don't like heights, but I was determined to do this. Down was much more challenging in that respect since I was more aware of what was before me. And so I was a wall hugger when available, since that is all there was. A gloved hand would have been handy from touching the brush nestled in parts of the wall, and small gnats and the like residing there. Definitely recommend good sticks with a rubber bottom, and be sure to set the height appropriately. It is definitely worth going to the top.
And don't even think about making the trek to the Sun Gate which is about 800' - 1000' above Machu Picchu. The 'trail' such as it was, was steep, incredibly uneven and rocky, with a few short sections of irregular steps. The smoothest and flattest part was just a small area at the base of the Sun Gate itself.
I went to Machu Picchu in 2012 with another tour group. I thought it was an overall tougher trip, as I live at sea level as well. I was much younger, but still found some of the steps very high, as I am 5’4” and my legs were just not long enough to pull myself up. At the time I went, there were NO handrails at all. Perhaps that has changed. Make sure you have walking sticks and perhaps a buddy so you can assist each other. Very happy I went to Peru as it is very fascinating and ancient. If you feel altitude might be a problem you can ask your doctor for an RX of Diamox. Also drink lots of water, sip the coca tea, and eat the coca candies. It all helps, and is worth the effort. Fabulous country, one of my favorites.
Staying hydrated by drinking a lot is essential- that DOES NOT INCLUDE ALCOHOL, any alcohol. Seriously, we had a few folks who didn't follow that guideline and started feeling really badly.
Please note, Cusco is at 11,152' while Machu Picchu, which seems higher, is actually 3000' lower at only 7,972'. If you are going to suffer from altitude sickness it will more than likely be the Monasterio hotel in Cusco or the historical site at Sacsayhuaman which sits about 1000' above the city, than at Machu Picchu.
On one of our trips to Machu Picchu, we had a fellow traveler who had some difficulty with altitude at the hotel in Cusco. The hotel gave her oxygen (bottle and mask) and she recovered. They "said" that they pumped extra oxygen into the rooms but I don't know if that was true.
The rest of us on the tour didn't have any altitude issues.
[Alan's comment about "drinking" reminds me of an encounter I had at my doctor's office. While discussing health issues, I happened to mention that I tended to drink a lot.
He looked at me kind of funny and asked, "What do you drink?"
I replied, "Water mostly."
He looked relieved and said, "That's okay."
I don't drink alcohol (or, at least, very little) so I never thought of "drinking" meaning alcohol.]
I second AlanS's comments avoiding alcohol at altitude. I did Tauck's former trip to Peru and Bolivia, which went to even higher elevations than Cusco -- Puno and LaPaz -- and had no altitude problems, but I had absolutely no alcohol -- no wine, no pisco sours, nothing -- for the entire trip. (I did drink coca tea and sucked on hard coca candies, provided by the TD. Just make sure that you don't bring any back to the US.)
For those who suffer from mild cases of altitude sickness, vertigo, nausea, sore throat, et al, ginger works very well to counter those symptoms. It has been a very effective and ancient remedy for centuries. The key is to take it before symptoms develop. Drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol (as already mentioned) is essential. The latter also helps to combat jet lag.
JaneP, You can virtually walk around Machu Picchu and see the steps yourself by using Google Maps' street view.
Most indeed! The same goes for Petra including the climbs to the Monastery and High Place of Sacrifice, as well as many other sites around the world!!! I used it heavily for planning my treks at Petra.
Check out the stone stairs this lady is negotiating and adjacent stairway at Machu Picchu. You can't go everywhere, but the blue lines show much of the site is covered- just drag the little yellow man to any spot on any blue line and use your cursor to walk around (move and rotate 360°
) (I'm just strolling around the site in Street View). How would you like to be the Google Maps guy who had to walk all the blue lines with a heavy 3D camera rig strapped to his back.
Thank you so much, everyone! This has all helped me feel more comfortable about the trip. I had read on TripAdvisor that you could not use walking sticks at Machu Picchu so I was a little concerned...they were older posts so it sounds like that has changed. I do have a rubber tipped walking/trekking stick that I had planned to pack because I had read it could come in handy in the Galapagos. Getting excited to join the ranks of Tauckers who have done this trip!
I read that seniors are allowed to use walking sticks.