climbing Phutuq K'usi Guide
Since a lot of us have some time to kill and there is little information about climbing Phutuq K'usi, I thought I’d make a quick post about how to find the trail and what to expect. I just did it today, and it is definitely worth doing. In total, including a long break at the top, it took me around 5 hours. I tracked my itinerary on Wikiloc (you can find it here: https://loc.wiki/t/264388822?wa=sc).
The trek is relatively straightforward, but really, really steep. Don’t do it when it’s wet. It’s quite hard not to slip even when it’s dry. To find the trail, you basically just follow the railroad from Aguas Calientes until you reach the other side of the mountain. The trailhead looks like this:
The trail is loosely marked with red ribbons (or red plastic strings). It’s overgrown in some sections and very steep, but overall it’s easy enough to follow.
While I was there, there was one guided group that had put ropes on the steepest sections:
The view from the top is stunning:
Overall, if you have some time to kill while waiting for your time slot to visit Machu Picchu, it is definitely worth spending a day climbing Phutuq K'usi.
Shoutout to u/ImmaculateMakulator, whose post made me aware that there was a trail on the other side of the mountain and also gave me instructions on how to find it.