Info for Matchu Pitchu access from Hydro Electica and Santa Teresa
 

I thought I would post this info as we had a difficult time finding exactly the info we needed to put our minds at ease.......... so I hope this helps others.

We are travelling 2 up on our 2015 GSA.

We bought our tickets to MP from the official centre in Cusco (just ask at the tourist office). We then had to go around the corner to Peru Rail to purchase our train tickets back. Contrary to what you mat read on old posts the train DOES take tourists from Hydro through to Angus and you can get the timetable from Peru Rail. Our intention was to walk from Hydro electrica to Angus Cielente in the early morning, get the bus up the hill to MP, walk MP, get the bus back down and then catch the train back to Hydro electrica to then ride back to our camp at Santa Teresa. At 09/2017 MP was 152s each, Peru Rail- one way 52s each, Bus up to MP 130s both ways

We headed off from Cusco and the trip to Santa Teresa took approximately 3 hours. The road is great with plenty of 1st and 2nd gear hairpins but a word of caution, it got very misty/ foggy for us up the top section and speed was down to 40Kmh just to be safe; once on the other side of the mountain it cleared up and there were a few "water crossings", all with concrete base but some were flowing fairly hard so just make sure before crossing speed and depth.

The road from Santa Maria to Santa Teresa is dirt for about 20Km and has a solid base so should not be an issue. just be mind that there may be traffic coming the other way, so keep this in mind when going around every corner. My wife and I both stand when needed and we did during some sections, purely to ease the bumps and not for stability.

We left our campsite at 0400 and arrived at Hydroelectrica at 0430, the road again was solid, albeit a bit bumpy in sections. We parked the bike at the carpark and once we had changed, locked up our helmets and jackets with our cable lock and put the cover on we felt the bike was safe there and by all accounts there are no issues.

We started our walk........ do not rely on your "phone" as a torch, take a head torch if setting off early. We followed the rail line next to where we had parked the bike and within 100 mts, ran into trouble...... the line ended!!, luckily for us on our left was a tennis court area where a lone soldier was training and he advised us to go up the hill and over. We found the well worn track easily and its a short 50 mtr walk through the bush and up the hill until you finally join the main track. Once on there it was all good..... except when you come to the bridge about 200mtrs up the track DO NOT do what we did. It was dark, we only had our phones as torches and we didnt notice the "walkway" on the RHS and "took one step at a time, crossing wet sleepers", all the time hearing the rushing water below". At one time the wife froze midway and I had to help by holding her hand to get the rest of the way across. After this the walk was no issue........ except a dog came out from one of the adjoining houses and tried to bite us...... luckily for us it was wearing a "muzzle" (as it had probably done this before) so for us we escaped with just "beating hearts" and walking as the sun came up was wonderful. Just one note .... keep an ear and eye out for any trains as you come to the 2 tunnels and tight areas.

We arrived in Angus Caliente at 0700 and soon found the long line for the bus up to MP. After buying our tickets we had to wait in line for about 30 minutes. We eventually got to MP around 0800 where we walked around until about 1100, before getting the bus back down and then having a beer before catching the train back to Hydro electrica which took about 30 minutes.

Once back at Hydro we got changed, the bike was all good and we headed back to camp for another well earned beer.

We hope this info will assist other

2WheelsInMotion.com.au

morieson,

Good post. Where are you headed next? When I was planning the trip, I found a number of posts about the route here on HU. That said, it's always great to get recent experiences.

For those entertaining the walk, it's an 11 kilometers along the railroad track from the hydro plant to Aguas Calientes. I recall that the train schedule is limited. I missed the morning train and walked.

About 1 mile south of Santa Teresa, turn left and you'll come to the hydro electric plant about 4 miles later. If you do not turn left as mentioned, you will ride for a long stretch, climb into some hills and eventually come to a small and sleepy village. It's better to turn left.

I friend nearly lost his bike to a stream while returning from Santa Teresa to Santa Maria. He tried to cross a rain swollen stream...the bike was under water for 5 long minutes. When I took the road, I encountered three streams where I stopped to size up before crossing. Your experience crossing streams is directly tried to recent rainfall.

On the highway to and from Cusco, you'll go over a mountain. The turns are narrow and any truck coming the other way will swing into your lane as it negotiates the turn. It has no choice. The right of way is determined by gross weight. Keep an eye peeled for trucks up or down the hill and you'll be fine.

Ah, those cement lined stream crossing. Following in a trucks wake, probably too fast, I hit a rock and dropped the bike. I have never pick up my motorcycle so fast... One pannier flooded, boots wet, but the bike started. Next time I take on a significant stream it will be slow and standing!

Relax after the walk / hike from M. Pitchu.
 

To those that may not know,

There is great natural hot spring pools just outside Santa Teresa next to the river. They let me spend the night in the parking lot with my camper at no charge. ( The spring have a small fee. )

It is marked on i Overlander.

I do not know if you can pitch a tent.

Safe Travels,