Short Inca Trail 2 Days Machu Picchu

We pick you up early from your Cusco hotel and drive 2 hours by private vehicle to Ollantaytambo train station in the Sacred Valley. From there you board the tourist Expedition train for a beautiful 1h45m ride to Km 104, where your guide is waiting on the platform.

You cross the bridge over the Vilcanota River, present your passport at the control point, and the trek begins. The trail heads first to the riverside ruins of Chachabamba — a small ceremonial site with a stone solar altar — then turns south and starts climbing the mountainside, leaving the river far below.

You'll hike approximately 3 hours up through high Andean grassland, then descend briefly into shaded cloud forest where you'll pass a beautiful waterfall. Soon after, the trail opens onto the lower terraces of Wiñay Wayna — possibly the most stunning Inca site you'll see, an entire city of agricultural terraces, ceremonial baths and stone houses clinging to a near-vertical mountainside.

After a hot lunch at Wiñay Wayna, you continue along the original Inca path through cloud forest filled with bromeliads, orchids, and tree ferns. The final stretch is the iconic 60 stone steps up to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate — the original Inca entrance to Machu Picchu. From here you'll enjoy 30–45 minutes of pure magic, contemplating the citadel below in the late-afternoon light.

Then a 30-minute bus ride down to Aguas Calientes, where you check in to your hotel, have dinner, and rest. Optional: visit the local hot springs (entry not included, ~S/20).

Distance: 12 km · Walking time: 5–6 hours · Min altitude: 2,100 m · Max altitude: 2,720 m (Sun Gate)

Wake up early. After breakfast at your hotel you take the first or second bus up to Machu Picchu at around 5:20 a.m., arriving at the gate before the citadel opens at 6:00 a.m. — perfect timing to enjoy the site at its quietest.

Your guide leads you on a 2-hour guided tour through Machu Picchu, explaining the architecture, ceremonial spaces, royal precincts, and the astronomical alignments that still mystify researchers. After the guided portion, you typically have extra free time in the citadel (the exact amount depends on your scheduled return-train time, especially in high season).

Around midday or early afternoon, you take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes, board the tourist train to Ollantaytambo, and from there return to Cusco by private vehicle. End of services in Cusco around 7:00–9:00 p.m.

Note: Inca Trail trekkers (including the 2-day version) visit Machu Picchu under Circuit 5 (lower). To explore the upper section (Sun Temple, terraced overlook), a separate Circuit 2 ticket can be purchased — let us know in advance.