Machu Picchu for $210

That number isn´t bragging. In fact, I got ripped off.

I arrived in Cusco at 5AM and because I was at my weakest moment (running on 5 hours of sleep), I did something I try never to do. That is, I was approached by a tour opperator and booked a tour on the spot after only 5 min of negotiation. There are many, many ways to do Machu Picchu. You can take the Inca trail hike, which is supposed to be the thing to do, but you can´t do it in Feb. cause the trail is closed. It also requires about 6 months advance notice (not exactly true, it is possible, though slim chance, to do it on the spot in Cusco, but it's a big risk if you don't have a lot of time in your corner) and costs a shit load; I heard $500ish. You can also do alternative multi-day hikes, which are becoming more popular. Don't know the prices; they're less $, but still high. You can take a train,
which varies from $40 -70 one way. Lastly, you can take a bus to Santa Teresa and hobo up the train tracks. That´s the cheapest way. Oh yeah, remember to include hostels ($10) and the entrance fee to Machu Picchu, which is $45ish unless you have an ISIC (international student ID), which lowers it to about $20ish. Thankfully, I do have an ISIC - I'll explain after it expires.
I chose the Santa Teresa route. The tour included transportation, lunch, dinner, "breakfast", entrance fee, guide, and 1 night in a hostel. The tour guy took me to a hotel to drop my bags off at and told me that we'd all meet at 6:30AM and leave around 7AM. The actual departure time was 8:30AM and was the first of a few odd things this company pulled. The other odd things was that they tried to make me share a hotel room (double) with the guide (thankfully, the guide refused), the guide never showed up the next day, and they booked the train to Santa Teresa for 1PM which doesn't give you enough time to do Wanya Picchu in the second group. The last straw was finding out I paid more than others who weren't even students.
Here's my tip: unless you are going by trail, don't book a tour. Take the train. Don't go Santa Teresa route during the rainy season for the reason I'll give in a minute. During the slow season you don't need to book transportation or accommodation ahead either, but it may make sense. That's it, it's that simple.

Now, here was my experience: The bus ride was fine with the exception that during the rainy season, there are landslides everywhere. This can actually prevent you from even making it - we almost had to turn around. In addition to multiple slides that had just been cleared, our group came to a slide that was in process of being cleared and was still active. There were four dudes at the top of it that would use a whistle to alert the guy bulldozing that a chunk of the hill was coming his way so that he could zoom out of the way. After they cleared enough space, they signaled for one car at a time to haul ass through the active slide area. This is why you shouldn't go this way during the rainy season. We made it through unharmed, but it was incredibly dangerous. It's not worth saving $40 to put your life in jeopardy.
Also, if you do take this way, make sure you get a collectivo ride to the Dam cause it is a long fucking way. Then, you hobo walk up the tracks which is cool because you are looking at different parts of Machu Picchu the whole way. You will want a flashlight too - for the tracks and for the hike in the morning.
The way it works to get to Machu Picchu is that there is are two bridges at the bottom of the hill, about 15 min walk for the center of Aguas Calientes. One is a pedestrian bridge and it opens first (4:50AM) for those who want to hike up to Machu Picchu. Why that early? Because there is a side part to Machu Picchu (MP from now on) called Wanyu Picchu which you need tickets for. These tickets are free, but the catch is that they only give away 400 a day and they are first come, first serve. During the high season, if you want these tickets, there is fierce competition and you need to be at the bridge probably an hour + early. I happen to be the first one to show up at the bridge around 4AM and was there for about 15 min before anyone showed up. At 4:50 on the dot, they open the gates and it's a free for all. Some people try to run up the Inca steps. Here's another tip: Spend two weeks at high altitude prior to going for it, get a big bag of coca leaves and that stuff that's supposed to go with it, and bring a damn flashlight. Obviously, I left my headlamp in my room. That being said, I did have the other two tips going for me. The reason the flashlight is important is this: the road crosses the stairs about a dozen times and it breaks them up. Some of the starts of the new section of stairs are not easy to spot and aren't necessarily logical, i.e. left when they should be right. The road is too slow, so IF YOU MISS THE STAIRS YOU WILL GET PASSED. A couple people that ran out in front of me at the start had flashlights and still missed the stairs. Since I forgot mine, I followed them. We got passed by about 40 people. However, to toot my own horn, I still managed to be 7th in line at the top to get the passes. During the slow season, and on a rainy day, you may be able to take the first or second bus and still get passes, but it is a big risk. Lastly, about the passes to Wanyu Picchu, there are two times that the passes are for - 7AM and 10AM. If it is the rainy season, take the 10AM time because Wanyu Picchu will be covered in a cloud and you won't be able to see anything if you go earlier.
MP opens at 6AM, I gave up on our guide showing up at 7AM. It's fine, I might have missed out on some interesting facts (that may not be on Wikipedia), but I got to see a lot more than I would have with a guide. I'm not going to go through all the things to see because it's too many. What I will say is that it will blow away any expectations you may have, no matter how high, and even in the rain. My day it rained hard until about 11AM. Don't worry, you won't even notice it. Also, don't worry about it being cloudy and rainy. Yes, a sunny day would be best, but the clouds and rain add an element of mystery to it. You also get to see the fountains and drainage system at work. You can see most of MP in about 4 hours at a leisurely pace. Then, head to Wanyu Picchu. Let this be said, Wanyu Picchu is hard and can be dangerous when wet. You basically hike straight uphill for 40 min and they are way worse then the Inca stairs. Is it worth it? I don't know. I thought it was. There are ruins at the top that hang over the cliffs and provide spectacular views of the MP main site. It is strenuous, so if you aren't prepared for a real bitch of a hike, don't do it.
What I mentioned about the train to Santa Teresa - there is another line to Wanyu Picchu to check your tickets and it is slow. I waited about 20 min. This means that you aren't to the top till after 11. It takes most people 2 hours to round trip WP. I made it to the top in 40. There is also a super tranquillo cave temple that adds an extra hour and twenty. Oh, add 20 min bus down or 40 min walking down to Aguas Calientes. What I'm getting at is that if you choose the 10AM time for WP, you are are really pushing your luck on making it to the train by 1PM. At the top, it was just after 11AM. I had to contemplate hauling ass back and skipping the temple and something else I wanted to do or missing the train. I opted for missing the train. I left MP about 1:30 PM with no lunch and only a cheese sandwich and banana for breakfast and about 4 hours of strenuous hiking at altitude under my belt. My legs were shaking so I bussed down for $8. Then ate a meal, while I contemplated whether to take a $70 train back to Cusco or to stay the night in Aguas Calientes. However, the train sold out while I was thinking about it over a massive lunch. Here's another tip: politely and friendly, harass people here to get what you want. I didn't get out of line after she told me it was sold out, instead I started probing her with questions like, "does anyone ever cancel? Can I get that ticket if someone does?", etc. After a few minutes, she asked if I was ready to get on the train immediately. I was. I got a ticket on a sold out train.

So, if you add it all up. I ended up spending over $210 on something that if you follow my advice and ISIC card you can do for $60-150. Not complaining cause it was worth every dime. I'm just saying...

D