It's All About the Food
After the hike, we arrived to Aguas Calientes and for dinner we went to a restaurant called “Indio Feliz”, definitely one of the most creative and colorful restaurants I’ve ever been to. The food was pretty good and not so expensive. It is a very popular restaurant, so make sure to have a reservation just in case. If you don’t go there don’t worry, you’ll find many more restaurants. Believe me, that town is packed with places to eat. I don’t know why, but there were a lot of restaurants with Mexican food as part of their menu. My friends and I had lunch in one called “La fortaleza”, great food and service. There is also one place called “La Boulangerie de Paris” which translates to the Bakery of Paris, sadly we didn’t have the chance to go there but it seems to be number 1 for desserts in the town, so if you are having a sweet tooth while you are there, make sure to check it out.
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What to Wear
For hiking your clothes should be sporty, comfortable and light. Short sleeve shirts, a sweater if you want, it might get a little windy but you’ll be very sweaty, it’s up to you. Tights/yoga pants or hiking pants are the best options for bottoms. I don’t recommend shorts, unless you use a lot of bug spray because they are going to eat you while hiking, literally. About the shoes… don’t worry, you don’t actually need hiking boots. Running shoes will do the same job. (Remember this is a guide for beginners not experts.)
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Aguas Calientes is a very small town, people usually stay two nights’ maximum, because there’s not much to do or visit. If you are just going to visit Machu Picchu, spending one night is more than enough. Also, if you want to save money there are plenty of small hotels that include breakfast and may help you save some. According to TripAdvisor, these 3 hotels are in good locations and their price is very reasonable. We stayed in the first one.
- Hotel Flower’s house
- Wonderful dreams
- - Varayoc Bed & Breakfasts
Extra tip: Make sure to know the schedule for the buses that drive you in and out of the town because if not you’ll have to walk A LOT to get there after a long day of WALKING.
Photos & article both courtesy of Ariana Raad
Where to Stay