Photo You Must See: Flooding Near Machu Picchu, Peru

We looked with horror at the photo of the flooding.  We have tickets for Feb. 11th for Machu Picchu and guess we will not be going.  First messages we received said the train should be back in 10 - 15 days. 

Thinking of going to Mendoza for the week we had planned in Cusco and M.P.  Any comment or suggestions?

WOW! It’s always crazy when you recognize the exact location of a photograph taken during a natural disaster and remember how it was when you were there under ideal conditions.  I hope the area is able to recover quickly, tourism is vital to those communities.

Damn. I think I sat on that bench about 8 months ago.

I was there in November.  It is highly unlikely that it will be repaired that quickly.  I have heard they are saying two months.  That would be amazing to me.  The train tracks have gone into the river and the paved road that the busses use to go from Aguas Caliente up to Machu Picchu is washed out.

My GF and I sat on that bench 9 days ago.  We left and 2 days later the floods started. Incidentally, Machu Picchu closes during February for maintainance/repairs according to the guide that was with us.

If there is plus side to this it will at least give Machu Picchu a break from the endless stream of tourists. And it sure could do with a break…

http://www.greenexplorer.ovi.com/getinspired/south-america/peru/4-reasons-to-trail-away-from-machu-picchu/

While concerns for ancient Incan site of Machu Picchu are warranted. The people of the region need our support.
They have come to rely on tourism for their livelihood. Without it they will suffer.
Machu Pichhu will survive, and possibly be better for the rest from the tourists.
Some of the local people may not, without our help.

I, too, sat on that bench, about three weeks ago. Judging from what I know of that area’s geography and the damage photos I’ve been seeing, one should not expect the infrastructure to be repaired for at least four months, if not longer. MP may well re-open before then, but getting there will be dicey, and Aguas Calientes will be more of a mess than usual for a long time. LYNN: Yes - head to Mendoza! Enjoy the wineries, take some time to travel up toward Salta or down into Patagonia… relax a few days in Buenos Aires… Peru will be a frustrating place to travel for at least several months. GREG, MP itself doesn’t close, but the Inca Trail does in Feb. (Of course, both are closed now, so it’s a moot point this year).  CHRIS, you are right, and the bridge across the river is apparently washed away. I feel for the people in the whole region, but I know the Peruvian people will come together and get through it.

We have plans to bring a group of students to Peru on March 11, going first to Cusco, then MP (which obviously won’t happen), then in a couple of days take a bus to Puno.  Does anyone know if that road is usable?  What about the area around Lake Titicaca?