#leucotoxic

 Machu Picchu has become a very popular destination in recent years. Maybe you know this site has been declared as one of new 7 wonders of the worl this year. Approximately eight hundred thousand tourists visited Machu Picchu this year. And it is expected that nearly one million travelers visit this fabulous city in 2008. Admittedly, this is a great place to visit. But can you visit on your own? Or did you take the help of tour operators? Many people have asked me this question. I'll try to answer that question in this article. Well, some of you need tour operators, some of you are not. If you plan to visit Machu Picchu, stay in Aguas Calientes (I wrote about Aguas Calientes in detail below) one or two nights, you do not need a tour operator. But if you decided to hike the Inca Trail, then you need a tour operator. Under the new law, tour operators can not operate in licensed Inca Trail. The exception is for those who want to go independently, but they have to carry their own equipment, luggage, food and tents, so it is not practical to go hiking the Inca Trail no tour operators. Also, if you plan to visit Machu Picchu in one day and return the same day, and you have kids, then you may need to help them make tour operators. So if you're not in a hurry (and not going to hike the Inca Trail), then you do not need to tour operators. You can save money and spend it otherwise. In addition, it is a challenge, know new things and make them work. You'll love it. Just get ideas on the website, note the important information, and begin. Go To reach Peru Peru Visa is the first factor, but the good thing is that you do not need a visa if you are a citizen of one of the following countries - EU countries, Australia, Canada, United States States and Japan and Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Kiribati, Korea (Rep. of), Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia (FS), Monaco, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa South, Surinam, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and; Tobago, Tuvalu, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City and Venezuela. If you're not one of countries mentioned above you can still get a visa, but you must apply, and the processing time is 24 hours. Entering Lima city If you come from outside of Peru you will probably land at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima. This airport is very close to the area of the occupied city. You can reach the center of the city in half an hour away. You can also reach most of the cheap hotels in half an hour from the airport. If you reach Peru by road, you will enter Peru via Tumbes in Ecuador, Bolivia and Puno Tacna in Chile. If you decide to travel by car and want to drive yourself, then you should know that congestion is very common in Lima and driving is very difficult there. Stay in Peru is cheap. With $ 25.00 per day, you can easily spend your days in Peru and again you can get good food and comfortable hotels. Check websites for the hotel. Remain about whether or Plaza de Armas in Miraflores. Plaza de Armas is like Central Square, Central Plaza. Miraflores is the center of this city, which is southwest of Lima. Miraflores is the business district of Lima. Lima to Cusco you can stay one night in Lima and travel to the city of Cusco. To get to Machu Picchu you have to reach first Cusco by air or land. Then, from Cusco you can travel to Machu Picchu by train. You can reach Cusco by plane from Lima, which is less than an hour away (50 minutes-to be precise). You can go to Cusco by bus too. But it will take about 24 hours (!). There are mainly 4 companies operating domestic flights between Lima and Cuzco. They are LanPeru, Aero Condor TACA Peru and Star. LanPeru and TACA are more reliable. You can buy tickets on the website LanPeru. But remember LanPeru and TACA are expensive. Aero Condor is relatively much cheaper. There are two companies (if you want to travel by bus) - Cruz del Sur and Ormeno. With first time you can buy tickets online. Ormeno has a site too, but only in Spanish. Staying in Cusco in Cusco you might have to stay at least overnight, for the train to Machu Picchu begins early in the morning and returning from Machu Picchu in the evening. You can check websites for the hotel. Stay around the Plaza de Armas, who is the center of the city. Buy train tickets a day before your departure. You can get help on bills from your desk of the hotel too. Cusco to Machu Picchu Check the schedule of trains Lan Peru in their site, and choose a trip. Peru has three railway train services from Cuzco to Machu Picchu. Currently Peru Rail is the only operator. So you have a choice between one of these three. The three train services are -1. Hiram Bingham 2.Vistadome 3. Backpacker these three services Hiram Bingham is a very luxurious. It is very expensive too. Vistadome has windows to both side and roof. So when the train passes through the mountains and the ups and downs, you can enjoy the surrounding landscape. Backpacker is the cheapest. Yet the service is good. There is an alternative road service. There is no direct road service between Cuzco and Machu Picchu. But you can take a combination of bus / taxi from Cusco and Ollantaytambo and then train between Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu. Aguas Calientes Cusco Train stops in a small town, Aguas Calientes. From there you can take bus to Machu Picchu, which is only a few kilometers. You must pay an entrance fee to enter the citadel of Machu Picchu. Buy this ticket from Aguas Calientes. Ask anyone and they show you where you need to buy the ticket. If you want to stay in Machu Picchu one or more nights, you can either stay in Machu Picchu or Aguas Calientes. In fact, Machu Picchu is not a city, it's just the ruins. There is only one hotel just before the entrance to Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. This hotel is very high therefore very expensive, over $ 600.00 per night. But you can stay in Aguas Calientes (as most tourists do). At Aguas Calientes, you will get all the standard hotels. You can choose a hotel from $ 10.00 to $ 300.00 overnight. In Aguas Calientes, you will find many restaurants for lunch or dinner. They have hot springs in Aguas Calientes, you can visit there. One last thing, do not forget to buy your train ticket from Aguas Calientes to Cusco after you reach Aguas Calientes. Try buying a ticket as soon as possible or can not return to the desired time. You can see that it is not difficult to visit Machu Picchu on your own. You can visit some websites and just enough information and you plan. I hope you enjoy.