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iminyourbase t1_j6b0wxy wrote

Reply to comment by english83 in At least 25 die in Peru when bus plunges off cliff, police say by Vegeta9001

That gave me anxiety just reading your description. Is there any safer way to get to Machu Picchu?

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CaptainMoeswae t1_j6b48aw wrote

If you're going up from Agua Caliente you could hike up the stairs which cut through the switchbacks described. It's a tough climb (1200ft worth of stairs if I recall) and best started super early in the day.

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merit33 t1_j6bkm5t wrote

In the Andes, everyone's got some story about the rare event when a condor knocked some animals or farmers off the mountain.. watch your back!

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StuckinPrague t1_j6bm87m wrote

I didnt want to wait for the bus to go down so walked it. It's was an hour or two downhill.

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tuxman20 t1_j6cwbmo wrote

It’s a long walk up but not hard. I’m a computer nerd with pretty much no workouts in my day to day life and I did it twice.

Wayna Picchu on the other hand…. Daaaaaamn!!

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SpeedflyChris t1_j6cmc2n wrote

1200ft really isn't all that much height gain, should be under an hour for anyone reasonably fit? Or is there just way more to it than just stairs?

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Colonel_Saito t1_j6cxv1p wrote

Jesus it's still like walking up 100-120 flights of stairs. Certainly not nothing

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SpeedflyChris t1_j6el6um wrote

It's not nothing but it's not a lot either.

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NPD_wont_stop_ME t1_j6f0j9h wrote

I would be afraid of losing my footing, falling backwards, tumbling down and dying.

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CandlesInTheCloset t1_j6cxqev wrote

Isn’t that like 100-120 flights of stairs? That sounds like a lot of upward height gain to me.

I hiked a trail that had like 800 feet gain in about 45 minutes and that was considered “moderate” already.

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magicone2571 t1_j6d895d wrote

It's a lot. And their steep. Once you get up though it isn't over, the climb through is a chore also. I hiked up the mountain also, that was something else.

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jordenk6929 t1_j6e35de wrote

Elevation is a problem too right?

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magicone2571 t1_j6e7gf8 wrote

Not really. When you leave Cusco you're over 10kft. It's about 8k at Machu, maybe 10k at the very very top. It's an amazing place. The town though can be kinda rough as it's jam packed with tourist all the time.

https://imgur.com/a/OrgPto6

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grandramble t1_j6e888b wrote

Machu Picchu is at around 8k ft elevation. Cuzco is a little short of 12k.

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magicone2571 t1_j6e8tz8 wrote

Ah. I stand corrected. Got meters and feet mixed up. Still 8k isn't too bad if you're healthy. Cusco kicked my butt but I was fine hiking Machu Picchu.

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victorialandout t1_j6dhoct wrote

User doesn’t understand the scale here. Or altitude involved. It’s like the uneducated saying it ain’t so bad outside a submarine at max depth.

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SpeedflyChris t1_j6ek4e9 wrote

Lol, I spend a fair amount of time in the mountains, I know from experience that on a reasonable trail (certainly worse than something resembling stairs) I'll average about 500m/hour altitude gain if I'm not pushing too hard, and I'm not by any means seriously fit (I have a largely titanium spine following a paragliding accident a couple of years back). A 1200ft ascent I could take my 70 year old dad up no problem.

Looking it up, it's at about 2400m, so a 1200ft/400m ascent at those altitudes should be easy for all but the most couch potato of redditors.

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victorialandout t1_j6f2i8g wrote

I’ve done the four-day hike. It’s fine. But don’t assume it’s not for people in shape. We had several couples get severe altitude sickness by the time we got MP. Why? Several reasons. No time to acclimate but also acting like they were locals by pushing to keep up with the porters (bad idea) at every turn.

So, don’t get all mathy and arrogant when conditions are variable for all.

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-emanresUesoohC- t1_j6e5md3 wrote

It’s also at a high elevation to start, so you feel short of air until you aclámate.

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SpeedflyChris t1_j6ekyu4 wrote

Fair, it's still only ~2400m, so that wouldn't be particularly hard.

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LurkingFromTheGrave t1_j6dkshu wrote

Try doing 1 hour at your gym's stairmaster and tell us how you feel. Then imagine doing that in higher altitude.

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SpeedflyChris t1_j6eku2o wrote

I spend a lot of time in the mountains, 1200ft/hour would be pretty poor in terms of altitude gain hiking. At 3000m if you're not acclimatised it's probably not far off.

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SpaceToaster t1_j6bdfuj wrote

Hike it. Way more fun to retrace the foot paths of the Incas and the reward when you first see Manchu Picchu as the trail opens up to a magnificent valley is breathtaking.

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CafeAmerican t1_j6c8qz4 wrote

Machu* Picchu, not "Manchu"

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onFilm t1_j6dlnoh wrote

Why are people downvoting this person when they're right?

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bastardis_gladio t1_j6dylcu wrote

> Manchu Picchu

I think it might be the reply doesn't contribute to the idea that the post is trying to make and minor mistakes are forgivable if we understand the point of the message. At worst, the OP has revealed a fixation they have with Manchu Wok. Just a guess though.

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english83 t1_j6b36af wrote

You either do a few hours train ride from Cuszco and then the bus ride, or you take the Inca trail which is a four day stroll

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reid0 t1_j6bgvj7 wrote

The second day of that ‘stroll’ includes a 1200m climb over Dead Woman’s Pass

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Cormacolinde t1_j6bhhi9 wrote

There’s also a one-day hike over the last part of the trail. The train drops you off halfway to Agua and you walk the rest. My best memory of Peru was definitely walking through the Sun Gate and finally seeing the city.

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rcheu t1_j6bmjig wrote

I did this recently, there’s really no need to be that concerned. The road is actually well maintained and wide, it was totally fine imo. It’s the biggest tourist attraction in all of Peru and has proper funding.

You can actually hike it if you want though. It’s not a particularly interesting hike though since it’s right next to the road. There are much better hikes to take in Peru. I did the Salcantay pass while I was there and loved it.

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spicydak t1_j6bnqnp wrote

Nah.. that bus ride up the mountain is sketch lol

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rcheu t1_j6dhu23 wrote

Maybe you did it a long time ago and it’s been improved since then?

The buses were more modern than an American school bus where I grew up and less narrow/dangerous than California route 1. I’m honestly very confident that most people would not find it sketchy.

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[deleted] t1_j6c00dh wrote

[removed]

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[deleted] t1_j6cpbn5 wrote

[deleted]

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Fartbox7000 t1_j6dnf4a wrote

I don’t give a fuck about your perception. Your perception of the road up to MP which is so tame that I among with probably a hundred other people hiked straight up through the middle of the switchbacks (whoa some cliffs huh?!) to get to the top in the pitch dark tells me you haven’t experienced much. It’s honestly laughable. If you want a debate about perception r/philosophy is that way ->

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onFilm t1_j6dlpjq wrote

Then drive a car instead. It's not anywhere bad like you're believing the media.

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spicydak t1_j6dpma0 wrote

I’ve been on that trip myself and for me it was sketch.

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onFilm t1_j6dq899 wrote

As a Peruvian myself, I'd be a lot more sketched out by the robbers and criminals that rob at gun-point, rather than a mountain drive.

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spicydak t1_j6drfkm wrote

I understand that we have a different level of what’s “sketch” and what isn’t- and I agree that getting robbed at gunpoint would terrify me a lot more. I was just sharing my thoughts and experience. I did love your country and the people that I met in both Lima and Cusco. Can’t wait to go back and see the cats at the park.

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Straight-Historian95 t1_j6ce6kv wrote

Actual safety == perceived safety, it just genuinely feels scary on that bus ride in my experience

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Girafferage t1_j6dm5sj wrote

Your comparator only shows up correctly when replying for some reason. You can use != Instead which means the same thing in programming.

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erocuda t1_j6b4uja wrote

Probably safer to just skydive with a fishnet parachute.

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yodude8 t1_j6cmult wrote

We took the Inca Trail with a guide company (mandatory in Peru). 3 nights/4 days. Manchu Picchu is awesome but the hike there made the trip worth it. Certain sections are straight out of Indiana Jones. You also see MP from the Sun Gate prior to and at sunrise, which isn't accessed by the group's that don't enter using the Inca trail. ...but yeah, agree with above, all the tour buses are insane - not just to MP. Unfortunately, there's a number of these accidents every year.

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onFilm t1_j6dllk2 wrote

My family used to take trips like this every year. It's pretty safe honestly.

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PersnickityPenguin t1_j6c25c0 wrote

Well, you can take the train.

I had a friend hike it and its a several day trip. He came down with severe altitude sickness on the last day of the hike and had to leave on a bus so he never saw it.

He was also a very fit mountain climber.

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tsukamaenai t1_j6c630u wrote

You still take the bus up to Machu Picchu if you take the train to Aguas Calientes.

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PersnickityPenguin t1_j6lzdae wrote

Yes, but 25 people just died when their bus fell of a cliff. The entire conversation was about bus alternatives…

Then i mentioned my friend had a hard time hiking it, and that there is actually a train. Trains don’t typically fall off of mountains so…

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couldbutwont t1_j6c4gzr wrote

He was probably just dehydrated as it's not that high in elevation

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MrMonstrosoone t1_j6d06n1 wrote

if you've never been in the Andes for a week from sea level you dont know what you're talking about

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couldbutwont t1_j6deh0d wrote

Allow me my pedantry for a minute.

AMS is most commonly felt above 8k feet. Machu Picchu is lower than that. Not saying it's impossible as some people are more sensitive, but if someone is mountain fit...they can handle that I'd imagine.

I have climbed a few mountains higher than that from sea level living in the PNW, so I have an idea of what I'm talking about. Also elevation is elevation. Also, just Google it and you'll see it's 50/50 for untrained people.

It was a 2 day excursion so no doubt it's brutal regardless of fitness but AMS is a specific thing. General exertion/dehydration is more likely here

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MrMonstrosoone t1_j6e8pk5 wrote

I see

so the old " I didnt suffer so it must be this " routine

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ZarMulix t1_j6e2ugj wrote

Non fit video gamer here. It was fine, had a little lightheadedness, coca tea fixed that. It really wasn't that big of a deal. It was fun to exert and have your breaths not recover you as much as you're used to, but you adapt.

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