Experience the 2-day Short Inca Trail, a meticulously designed adventure that compresses the magic of Peru's legendary Inca Trail into an accessible 12-kilometer journey. This remarkable trek through the Urubamba Valley offers adventurers with limited time an unparalleled opportunity to explore ancient pathways, immersing themselves in breathtaking landscapes and rich historical terrain while culminating in the Machu Picchu.
Traversing through spectacular wilderness, the Short Inca Trail unveils extraordinary highlights, including the historic Wiñayhuayna, the mystical Inti Punku "Sun Gate", and the iconic Guardian's House, which presents a viewpoint of Machu Picchu. Our community-focused and officially authorized agency provides daily departures for this Inca Trail 2-day experience, though early booking is essential due to strict visitor limitations, ensuring an intimate and authentic exploration of one of the world's most magnificent archaeological routes.
Early Start (4:00 AM)
Your adventure begins before dawn! Your guide will pick you up from your Cusco hotel (or a prearranged meeting point). We’ll drive to Ollantaytambo to catch the 6:10 AM train through the Sacred Valley’s stunning landscapes.
Train Ride & Trailhead (Km 104 - Chachabamba)
At 7:00 AM, we arrive at the Inca Trail checkpoint (Chachabamba, 2,150m / 6,927ft). After presenting your passport, we’ll start our hike through lush cloud forests toward Wiñayhuayna, an awe-inspiring Inca site perched at 2,650m (8,747ft).
Sun Gate & Machu Picchu Reveal
After a hearty lunch, we’ll trek another 2 hours to Intipunku (Sun Gate, 2,730m / 9,007ft). Here, you’ll witness your first breathtaking view of Machu Picchu—a moment you’ll never forget!
Machu Picchu Exploration Circuit 1
We’ll enter through the Guardian’s House for iconic photos and a guided tour of the citadel. Your guide will share the secrets of Inca engineering, history, and mysteries as you explore.
Evening in Aguas Calientes
After the tour, we’ll take the bus down to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo). Check in to your hotel, enjoy a delicious dinner, and relax after an unforgettable day!
On this final day, we will have breakfast at 5:00 am and proceed to our bus at the Aguas Calientes station. Taking a bus to the city of Machu Picchu Inca, you will need to show your passport, entrance ticket, and student card if you have one. Your guide will then lead you through Machu Picchu's surroundings and the various important sites, ruins, and temples between 8:00 and 10:00.
If you have your entrance ticket to climb the Huayna Picchu mountain (2 hours round trip) or Machu Picchu mountain (3 hours round trip).
Additionally, you'll have free time to engage in the following activities on your own (not included in the price):
After enjoying the magnificent Inca city, you'll use your included bus ticket to descend to Aguas Calientes. Then, you'll board the "Expeditions" train back to Ollantaytambo, where a bus will be waiting to take you to Cusco. This marks the end of your journey.
The typical departure time from Aguas Calientes is at 02:55 PM (subject to availability and may vary). You can adjust your train schedule to arrive in Cusco earlier or later, depending on your planned activities, with prior coordination.
*Note: "Machu Picchu mountain" refers to the peak opposite the main Machu Picchu site.
Note: If you prefer, you can rent trekking poles, and additional entrance fees and lunch can be arranged on-site.
*Note: "Machu Picchu mountain" refers to the peak opposite the main Machu Picchu site.
*Note: "Machu Picchu mountain" refers to the peak opposite the main Machu Picchu site
| Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 2 days | USD 524.00 |
NOTES
YES. To protect the historical trail of the Inkas, the number of people allowed to hike the Inca Trail each day is limited to 250. That is why, you should reserve your space as soon as possible. Spaces can be filled up three to six months in advance. Spaces fill more quickly in the high tourist season, from May to September.
We highly recommended to do your trekking to the Machupicchu or Huaynapicchu Mountains in order to have the most stunning views of the archaeological place(Machupicchu)
Huayna Picchu is one of the mountains that stands next to Machu Picchu and has amazing views from above. This hike is done after your tour with us and takes 45 minutes to reach the top and 45 minutes to came back down. Great oportunity to take lots of photos, because of the incredible views.
The Huayna Picchu Mountain is the one that you will see just behind Machu Picchu on any postcard; the Incas paths hidden alongside the mountain, it may frighten those who have a fear of heights.
For those of you who struggle with heights you may need to know that you will be steps away from hundred foot plummets into an abyss, and in some places the path can be very steep and narrow.
There are times when you need to use security cables to support yourself; it is a challenge for anyone. If you suffer from vertigo or you have a hard time controlling your fear of heights we would recommend taking a different route. You will have to place reservations 6 months before if you would like one of the 400 available tickets to go up to the Huayna Picchu Mountain.
Machu Picchu Mountain is an unforgettable and lesser-known hike above the Machu Picchu with stunning panoramic view of the valley. Reaching the archaeological place which is only one part of the Machu Picchu experience.
The other one is climbing the summit of Machu Picchu Mountain at 3,050 meters above sea level for dramatic views of the place and lush mountains separated by deep valleys and Urubamba River.
As spectacular as seeing Machu Picchu is, the lost Incas city, tells us just little things if you don’t see them in a perspective with the surrounding mountains. It is when you can appreciate the enormous effort of Incas engineery to built their citys 2,430 meters above sea level without using any metal tools or wheel. Why the city was initially built ?,still remains as mystery.
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Haley R
June 13, 2025
Henrry was a thoughtful and passionate guide! He had so much to share about local history, geography, ecology and culture! He was able to include out kids (ages 11 and 13) in engaging ways. It is evident he is passionate about his work. He also did a great job of balancing multiple hiking experience levels on our group hike.
Elvia A
June 13, 2025
Inka trail was an absolute unforgettable experience. I can say it was tough, but with Henry’s help it was a huge success! Thank you for having guides like him. People I can count on♥️. I would. Definitely recommend you guys with their own experience they want to accomplish!
Eric R
June 13, 2025
Our guide Henry provided us with an excellent time hiking the Inca Trail. He was super knowledgeable about all of the sites that we visited along the trail. Henry did a great job of interacting and encouraging our 13 and 11 year old along the hike. On the next day of our tour, Henry led us through Machu Pichu to explain in great depth the history and different aspects of the site. We had a really great experience and would recommend this tour company and especially our guide Henry to other families. Henry went above and beyond and created a short video slide show for us of the trek as a special treat for our family. Please note the hike was in total about 12 kilometers and had a lot of stairs, so it was a strenuous hike, but so worth it once we reached the Sun Gate and looked down upon Machu Pichu!
EMc
June 11, 2025
Der Reiseleiter hat die verschiedene Sehenswürdigkeiten sehr gut erklärt und die tolle Aussichten haben sich die beschwerliche Aufstieg mehr als bezahlt gemacht. Obwohl man Macchu Picchu in zahlreichen Videos und Berichte gesehen hat, muss man diesen Ort wirklich selber erleben.
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