Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

We pick you up from your hotel in Cusco to transfer you during a 2 hour ride to the Ollantaytambo´s railway station. There, we get on a train and continue until Km 104, where a checking point of the Inca Trail is located. We pass through to the Vilcanota River (bridge) and start the Inca Trail Trekking! The first archaeological site to visit is Chachabamba, guided tour. Then we continue through a mixture of cacti vegetation and a cloud forest towards another Incan significant site - Wiñay Wayna. But before we reach it, we enjoy a refresh in a local waterfall! Where you have lunch and a rest. Later on, we can admire the sunset above Machu Picchu when we get to the Sun´s Gate (Inti Punku) before entering the Inka citadel. However, today is too late to have a guided tour of this overwhelming Incan city so we descend slowly to Aguas Calientes Town enjoying beautiful surrounding scenery on the way! We spend the night in a comfortable hotel in Aguas Calientes. 

After an early morning breakfast, we continue hiking the Inca Trail for about 2 hours up to the mysterious city of Machu Picchu that we enter for the early morning best photos opportunities. Then our Tour Guide shows us around the Incan city and explains us about its history and purposes. After the guided tour, we are given the opportunity to climb up for about 45 minutes to Huayna Picchu or to Machu Picchu Mountain (peaks above Machu Picchu serving to take some panoramic pictures of the Inka city). Then, we are given time off to spend and explore Machu Picchu on our own.

The 2 day Inca Trail ends up with a train ride to Ollantaytambo (alternatively to Poroy), from where we are taken by van back to Cusco.

Machu Picchu is both, the best and the least known site of the Incas as it is not mentioned in any Spanish conquistador´s chronicle so that contemporary archaeologists can not do anything more than just speculate on its functions. Local Quechuan farmers had known about Machu Picchu for centuries before an 11-year-old boy showed the American historian Hiram Bingham (who was in a search of Vilcabamba) this site on the 24th of July 1911. At that time, all the rest of the world became aware of its existence. However, the site was covered with thick vegetation so Hiram Bingham along with his team returned and within the years of 1912 and 1915 cleared its surface. Over the years, plenty of work has been done on excavating and studying the site. Despite these efforts, many unanswered questions remain.

• Pre-trek briefing with your Tour Guide
• Transfer by private vehicle to the railway station at Ollantaytambo
• Accommodation: Hotel (1 night)
• Inca Trail Permit and entrance fee to Machu Picchu;
• Meals: 1x breakfast, 1x Box lunch, 1x dinner (please advice us in advance if you are a vegetarian; this option is for NO extra additional cost)
• Experienced bilingual Tour Guide
• A shuttle bus between Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes
• A train round trip (Expedition Service) between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu)
• Tourist bus from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.  

• Breakfast on the first day and lunch in Aguas Calientes Town on the second day
• A shuttle bus between Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (U$ 12 one way or U$ 24 a round trip)
• Entrance fee to Huayna Picchu Mountain ($80)
• Tips to local staff (please note: it is a custom to give tips in Peru, however, it is not obligatory)
• Travel Insurance

Our guide will visit your a day before the trek and He/ She will give you a briefing and more information about your 2 day hike the Inca Trail. It very important, let us know, where you will be staying in Cusco, our guide will visit your hotel 2 or 1 day before the trek for your briefing.

All Tierras Vivas trekkers are accompanied by a Tierras Vivas Tour Guide. The aim of our Tour Guides is to take a hassle out of our customers’ trips and to help them to have the best trip possible. The Tour Guides provide information on places visited, offer suggestions of what to see and to do, recommend a good place to eat and introduce to his/her colleagues. The Guides have a broad general knowledge of each country visited during a tour, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local Tour Guides where we think that more specific knowledge could add more enjoyment to visited places.

Tierras Vivas is tour operator for the Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu since 2006. 

Accommodation during the 2 day Inca Trail
These following hotels are used to accommodate you during your tour:

Hotel Mapi Seven Machu Picchu

Hotel Muyurina Machu Picchu

Hotel Sol de Los Andes

We spend a night in small locally owned hotel with private bathrooms and breakfast facilities (Double or Matrimonial room). All of the hotels we use in Aguas Calientes are located within walking distance of the train stations.

We recommend the early booking of single supplements and of pre/post-tour accommodation. Single accommodation can be arranged for a supplement, subject to availability. Please request this at the time of booking.

MACHU PICCHU HIKE UPGRADE HOTEL:

If you would like to upgrade your accommodation, the discount is U$ 25 per person (Double or Single room). We can recommend the following hotel in Machu Picchu or you can choose and book the hotel by yourself.:

Santuary Lodge Machu Picchu: The accommdation is Standard Patio

Casa Andina Machu Picchu: The accommdation is Standard Traditional

Tierra Viva Hotel Machu Picchu: The accommodation is Standard

Ferre Machu Picchu Hotel: The accommodation is Standard

If you have extra luggage, you can be left safely in your hotel in Cusco, in the Ollantaytambo train station or Tierras Vivas store luggage. if you decided in our store luggage, in the morning our driver will pick your luggage and He leave in our office and we will save 2 days and when you will return to Cusco, you can pick your luggage..

Generally speaking you should pack as lightly as possible.you will carry your luggage from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes town. We recommend keeping the weight under 5 kg/10lb (included personal clothes). You will need to carry daypack. You don´t take the sleeping bag, because you will spend a night in the hotel in Machu Picchu

If very important your take best cover backpacker, because the weather in Inca Trail is change every date, we can’t predict it raining or no. If you don’t have, we recommended to putting your clothes and other personal equipment inside the plastic bag.

Hiking pants and T-shirts are recommended during the day, complemented by sweaters, fleeces and waterproof jackets. It is very convenient to have light raingear available in the daypack (rain poncho or jacket and/or rain pants) as the weather changes easily and rains can suddenly occur. At night, warm clothing is required, down jackets can be useful, otherwise a fleece and a jacket. During the day (if sunny) and in Machu Picchu, convertible hiking pants are useful, as can be switched into shorts if necessary. Machu Picchu has a warm climate, getting only cold at night. The rest of necessary implements are included in the “What we recommend that you bring” list.

• Original passport,
• Original ISIC (an international student card if applicable)
• Travel insurance,
• Pocket money in Nuevos Soles,
• A small rucksack,
• Rain gear (a rain-jacket and a waterproof trousers),
• Resistible footwear, waterproof trekking shoes are recommended,
• Sandals (for a higher comfort while at a campsite),
• Warm clothes such as a jacket, a fleece (thermal clothing is also recommended for cold nights during camping),
• Hat or a cap (to protect you against the Sun, rain as well as cold),
• Sun cream or sun block,
• After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body,
• Insect repellent – recommended minimum is 20% DEET (please note that no malaria cases have been reported during this trip!),
• Camera and its charger/batteries (please note that batteries are consumed quickly under cold conditions),
• Flashlight/headlamp + batteries,
• Handkerchiefs and toilet paper,
• Small towel and toiletries,
• Sufficient reserve of underwear,
• Swimsuit (to visit the thermal baths of Aguas Calientes),
• Snacks (biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.)
  Please note: we do provide a daily morning snack and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. The recommendation of taken own snack applies only for customers who like a specific snack that might not be in our menu.
• Bottled water for the first morning and a water bottle to be refill.
• Optional: walking sticks; you can also rent it from us,
• Please note: we provide with filtered boiled water during the entire trek, but if you like to use water from streams along the trail, you need to take some water-purifying tablets with you.

The Machu Picchu Mountain, also known as 'Old Mountain', is the mountain on which the Inca Citadel was built. It is located at 3082 meters above sea level at almost 600 meters higher than the Inca City. The Inca citadel was denominated Machu Picchu to be located exactly in this mountain.

Today, the Machu Picchu Mountain is able to receive 800 daily tourists. These ascend the wide mountain roads from where you can see breathtaking views of the entire geography of the place. Its trails are ideal for traveling as a family. Unlike the Huayna Picchu mountain, the Machu Picchu Mountain roads are not as steep or have vertiginous gorges.

The Huayna Picchu or 'Young Mountain' is the mountain that is located to the north of the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. It is the summit that stands out in the classic postcard of the Wonder of the World. It is located at 2693 meters above sea level, 300 meters higher than the Inca City. On its roads is the Temple of the Moon, a religious site carved on stone in a cave.

The Waynapicchu is one of the most requested adventures by the visitor. From the top you can see all the splendor of the Wonder of the World. It is the ideal place to take a selfie or the best photo. To reach it, you must ascend a narrow path to the margin of vertigo cliffs. It is considered one of the most incredible short walks in the world. However, only 400 people can enter it daily. For this they must acquire the Machu Picchu + Huayna Picchu Ticket.

2 day Inca Trail hike with camping is one of hike list experience for anyone planning a trip to Machu Picchu. It gives you a taste of the Classic Inca Trail hike but takes half the time and requires less than half the physical exertion This hike involves 2 day hike on the Short trail to Machu Picchu and 1 night camping in the Puente ruinas. Visit our Inca Trail Hike 2 day with Camping

Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu tour involves the experience of visiting the famous Pisac Market, Pisac Ruins and Ollantaytambo archeological site. Then you will take the train to Machu Picchu and spend one night in Aguas Calientes before visiting the site the next day. The next day you will wake up early and take the bus up to Machu Picchu. There, you will visit the Machu Picchu city and have the chance to climb Huayna Picchu mountain (must be purchased in advance) or walk around the ruins.

For a more relaxed travel style, this trip includes transportation to and from Ollantaytambo station, the train to and from Aguas Calientes, a bus to and from Machu Picchu, and a guided tour of the ancient city. There is also free time for a variety of optional activities, including hiking Huayna Picchu, visiting the hot springs, and exploring Machu Picchu individually. This is the most no-nonsense Machu Picchu trip, and is a good option those who are unable to or uninterested in taking the Inca trail.
Machu Picchu 2 Days

This world famous trek to the even more widely known Wonder of the World, the lost Incan city, passes through the variety of climates and ecosystems that are in such close proximity in Peru. It includes visits to a multitude of other Incan sites along the path, and from 4,200 meters above sea level to 2, 680. This trek begins at Km 82. The final day of hiking is a very early morning, in order to see Machu Picchu at sunrise. Unlike other, longer trips along the Inca trail, there is no night in a hotel in Aguas Calientes, and travelers instead return home via train on the third day.

Inca Trail Machu Picchu