Is Huayna Picchu part of the Machu Picchu experience?

Howdy!

From past experience, is Huayna Picchu part of the Machu Picchu experience?

I'd really like to see Machu Picchu from this mountain.

Thank you. :)

Comments

  • edited October 2017
    Alyxavior wrote:
    Howdy!

    From past experience, is Huayna Picchu part of the Machu Picchu experience?

    I'd really like to see Machu Picchu from this mountain.

    Thank you. :)

    I researched this in detail last year, months before we went.

    1. Simple answer: No, not part of the Tauck experience. Also, not enough time.

    2. The Tauck tour only provides Machu Picchu access. A special, combo ticket (Machu Picchu + Huayna Picchu) is required to make the climb. It must be pre-purchased (weeks? months? See link below) before hand, for one of only two designated climbing times (7:00 - 8:00am & 10:00 - 11:00am). Only 200 climbers are allowed each period.

    3. It depends on the Tauck schedule- we (all Tauck tours?) arrived around lunchtime the first day- after both climb times.

    4. There is a VERY, VERY SLIM chance it might be possible the second morning, but only if:

    a. You hope to climb when it is permitted (it is not open year-round, sometimes closed for maintenance, sometimes closed due to weather.)
    b. You have pre-purchased you own combo ticket ($86)
    c. You get up early and enter the park when it opens at 6:00am
    d. You start the climb immediately at 7:00am
    e. You are in excellent shape and a very fast climber (and not afraid of heights and very narrow trails with few to no safety rails). The link below says it takes 3 hours roundtrip to climb Huayna Picchu)
    f. You don't spend any time at the top
    AND, and this is a BIG AND,
    g. You are able to quickly descend and be back at the lodge when the bus leaves for Aguas Calientes so you can catch the train back to Ollantaytambo.

    5. I and about 6 other Tauck travelers (and about 250+ teens and 20-somethings) had gathered by the entrance gate and rushed to enter the Machu Picchu ruins as soon as soon as the gate opened at 6:00 am- some to view the sunrise, some to climb to the Sun Gate, and some with tickets to climb Huayna Picchu. I climbed up a few levels to get a photo of the sunrise over the ruins from the Watchman's hut, which is considered "the" photo spot, but the site was totally fogged over- that can ruin your whole plan. I changed my photo plan and began a trek to the Sun Gate. It is much easier than climbing Huayna Picchu, especially if you don't have much time. It is still a bit arduous, and in places, a treacherous trek up an uneven trail to the Sun Gate. I checked my watch constantly during the hike, and was prepared to turn back if I wasn't more than halfway up at a predetermined time- I had to rely on hikers who passed me going down as to how much farther I had to go- many weren't too accurate! I made it to the Gate in decent time (1+ hr?), caught my breath, took a few photos, then hot-footed (I only face-planted once) back down to the ruins for one last attempt at a photo, before I headed back to the hotel. I had time for a quick shower, but no breakfast, before I joined the last of our group on the 10:00(?)am bus down the mountain.

    http://ticketmachupicchu.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw3rfOBRBJEiwAam-GsCUGbT8eJJvZknwnSlcs-t9fUpP3eiot6CC4nfHmvoH1yCTWtB5jFRoCZ5wQAvD_BwE

    Great weather the first afternoon. Huayna Picchu in the background:

    IMG_5233r.jpg

    Heavy fog the next morning- at the Sun Gate (there is the gate, where is the sun???):

    IMG_5276r.jpg

    View from the watchman's hut- there was a small break in the clouds just before I left the site for the hotel. Most of the site and Huayna Picchu were completely obscured by fog:

    IMG_5294r.jpg

    Hmmm, I hope I didn't write all this for a SPAMMER?
  • Thank you for the great information!

    I was just able to get back here to view if anybody responded. I appreciate it.

    I thought that I had set it up so that I'd receive an email if a response was posted, so unsure what happened there.

    Thank you again for sharing. :)
  • Alyxavior wrote:
    I thought that I had set it up so that I'd receive an email if a response was posted, so unsure what happened there.

    That feature is not active on this forum.
  • Hey Alan & Alyxavior,

    I just ran a test of the feature, and it worked for me on our testing system. (I'm also subscribing to this topic, so I can run a real, live test, too.)
    I looked in the forum settings and it looks like it should be enabled, so I'm not sure why you two didn't receive the email.
    Is it possible it might have gotten caught in your spam filters? It's a fairly utilitarian email, and it's automated, so it getting accidentally flagged is a definite possibility to my mind.

    Best,
    Tim
  • I have never ever known this feature work either, I gave up on it a long time ago.
  • edited October 2017
    TauckTim wrote:
    Hey Alan & Alyxavior,

    I just ran a test of the feature, and it worked for me on our testing system. (I'm also subscribing to this topic, so I can run a real, live test, too.)
    I looked in the forum settings and it looks like it should be enabled, so I'm not sure why you two didn't receive the email.
    Is it possible it might have gotten caught in your spam filters? It's a fairly utilitarian email, and it's automated, so it getting accidentally flagged is a definite possibility to my mind.

    Best,
    Tim

    Tim, I attempted to use it a few years ago, but with no luck. I haven't tried recently. Also, even if it works, as far as I can tell, only the thread initiator can opt-in (subscribe) and only at the time he enters his first post. An opt-in option is not presented to the original poster in subsequent posts. I also just went back to an old thread I initiated to see if I could subscribe in the edit mode- I could not, the option was not presented. Also, the opportunity to opt-in is not presented to any other poster interested in monitoring thread activity (what subsequent posters are saying).

    Correction/Update- I stand corrected, sort of- "Watch" is indeed listed as an option at the tops of thread windows, but I just confirmed it does not work (still does not work, has never worked for me). I am "watching" all threads in the "Active Discussions" window now. So far there has been a new post to only one thread which I confirmed I am watching, but I did not receive an email. I am not running a SPAM filter.
  • Hey all,

    I didn't get the emails on the comments you made, so it looks like something is definitely not working right with the scription option — I'll see if we can figure out what the problem is and get it working.
    (Also, there's an option for me to subscribe in the top right corner of every thread — "Watch this topic." That's the same as the original poster's subscription option.)

    Anyway, I just made a note for myself, and I'll take a look in the morning and see if I can figure out why it's not working. Have a nice night, everybody!

    -Tim

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