Sacred Valley Tour & Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 3 days / 2 Nights

3 Days / 2 Nights
Group Tour

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Enjoy the highlights of The Sacred Valley tour Short Inca trail to Machu Picchu. On this tour, you’ll visit the most beautiful site on the Short Inca Trail, Wiñay Wayna, and arrive at Machu Picchu in only three days!

New Regulations for Visiting Machu Picchu

The Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu will take you through the Sun Gate, and you will arrive at Machu Picchu following Circuit 1 on the first day of the tour. The guided tour in Machu Picchu on second day of the tour, will follow Circuit 3.

It is important; that you know that there will be tourists with different walking paces and different languages in your Short Inca Trail group. Our guides are highly experienced and will work to meet the needs of all of our tourists in a safe and friendly manner. However, if you and your friends or family have the same level of fitness and you prefer to hike in a private group, contact us today to book a private service for your Short Inca Trail adventure to Machu Picchu!

Summary

Sumary of the Sacred Valley tour Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu:

Tour Start Time: Approximately 8:00 or 8:30 am
Arrival in Ollantaytambo: Approximately 6:30 pm
Difficulty: Light
Weather: Warm and sunny, with cooler temperatures at night

Itinerary

Itinerary of the Sacred Valley tour Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu:

Day 1: Cusco — Sacred Valley — Pisac — Urubamba — Ollantaytambo

On the first morning of the tour, we will meet at the Qeswachaka Peru Tours office at 8:30 a.m. or pick you up from your hotel at an earlier time.we will travel in tourist bus, from Cusco past Saqsaywaman & Tambomachay, over the mountains toward the Sacred Valley.

We will descend 1500 feet to the floor of the Urubamba River valley, arriving in the village of Pisac for a visit to its famous craft market. Located 33 kilometers from Cusco, the village of Pisac sits below one of the region’s most important archeological sites, where you will be able to explore an ancient Inca agricultural center and its stunning terraces.

On the guided walk through the Pisac citadel, you will be able to observe temples, residences, altars, channels, carvings, tunnels/caves and the famous Intihuatana, which means “the hitching post of the sun.” For those who would prefer to spend more time in the market instead of visiting the ruins, let your guide know so he can organise a time and place to pick you up when returning through the market.

We will continue on to Urubamba where you can stop to buy a traditional lunch in the shadow of snow-capped Chicon Mountain and explore the lush, palm-filled Plaza de Armas before continuing with the afternoon portion of the tour.

After another thirty minutes in the car, we will arrive in the town of Ollantaytambo, where villagers still live in ancient stone houses built by the Incas. In Ollantaytambo, you will see the amazing temple of the Sun, stone water fountains, stairs, terraces and the beauty of the local people in their traditional dress, all surrounded by the mountains and the valleys of Patacancha and Willoq. In the evening, you will check into your hotel in Ollantaytambo and have dinner on your own in one of the many great restaurants near the center of town.

Day 2: Ollantaytambo — Km 104 — Aguas Calientes

Walking distance: Approximately 8 miles / 13 kilometers (six to seven hours)
Maximum altitude: 2,650 meters / 8,692 feet above sea level
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging
Weather : Warm and windy

We will pick you up early from your hotel at approximately 5:40 a.m. (depending on the train schedule) and take you to the train station. We will travel by train on a very picturesque route for an hour and a half to kilometer 104 – our starting point for the 2 Day Inca Trail Hike.

From here, we will walk for approximately four hours up to the Inca site of Wiñay Wayna, which means “forever young” and is located at 2,680m/8,792ft. Many consider this to be the most impressive site on the Inca Trail.

We will then continue hiking to Inti Punku, the “Sun Gate”, at an elevation of 2,730m/8,956ft. From the Sun Gate, you will have your first dramatic, panoramic view of Machu Picchu below you at (2,400m/7,873ft). We will walk down the last part of the trail towards the ancient city. Before reaching Machu Picchu, we will be able to celebrate our accomplishment and take unforgettable pictures together.

We will descend to the main entrance, where you will take the bus to the town of Aguas Calientes where you will have dinner and spend the night. We will tour Machu Picchu early the next day.

Day 3 Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Retorno a Cusco

We’ll start early with a bus ride to Machu Picchu. Our knowledgeable guide will take you on a tour of the citadel and share fascinating insights into the Inca culture and history. According to the new Inca Trail regulations, we will re-enter Machu Picchu using circuit number 3.

While on the walking tour in Machu Picchu, it is recommended that you take advantage of the opportunity to take pictures in every location your tour guide takes you to. This is especially important because, under the new regulations, you will not be able to backtrack and revisit any locations on the same circuit.

Once you have finished your walking tour in Machu Picchu, your tour guide will provide you with your returning train ticket. You will then proceed to the main exit of Machu Picchu in order to catch one of the buses that will take you on a 25-minute drive down to Aguas Calientes. In Aguas Calientes, there are many restaurants where you can take the opportunity to have lunch. After that, and depending on your returning train schedule, you will have to go to the Agua Calientes train station 30 minutes prior to your train’s departure.

Depending on your train’s departure time, you will have a 1.5-hour train journey back to Ollantaytambo train station. There, one of our company members will be waiting for you with a sign displaying your name, in order to take you to the place where our transportation is waiting for you. After that, you will have another 1.5-hour car or van drive before you arrive back in Cusco.

At about 1:30 p.m. we’ll meet at a restaurant in Aguas Calientes to have our last lunch together. After lunch, you will be given your train tickets for your return journey to Cusco. We’ll arrange to meet 40 minutes before your train departs and then go together to the train station.

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Price

Price of the Sacred Valley tour Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu:

Price: US$600 per person

The reservation of hotel is subject to space availability.
The cost of the tour packages is based on a double room.
If traveling solo, a US$20 surcharge.

The return train schedule at the end of the Tour/Trek: It is the Expedition Train at 18:20pm or 19:00pm DEPENDING ON AVAILABILITY.

If you prefer the earlier train return we can reserve it for an additional cost of 35 dollars per person; the times you can choose are: 14:55pm or 16:35pm. We also offer the option to reserve the 3:40pm Vistadome train for an additional cost of $65 per person. Please let us know in advance which train schedule you prefer. We inform you that none of the reserved trains go directly to Cusco, the trains only arrive at the Ollantaytambo or Poroy stations. In any of the cases, we will always guarantee the shipment of a transport that will pick them up and bring them back to Cusco.

Can I exchange my return train ticket for an earlier one? in the same station of Aguas Calientes?

Yes, you can make this change in person at the Aguas Calientes train station. However, they will ask you to pay an additional fee to change the ticket and this change will be subject to the availability of spaces and schedules on the train.

How long does the return trip to Cusco take?

It’s about 3 hours. You will first board a train in Aguas Calientes to the train station in Ollantaytambo for 1h30m; then a transfer from our office will be waiting for you at the exit of the train station with a sign that will have your name on it to take you to our car/van back to Cusco for approximately 1h30m; finally it will take you to your hotel/hostel. You will receive your train tickets once your tour in Machu Picchu has finished.

Discounts:

For children under 18 years of age, the discount is $20 dollars per person
For children 7 years and older the discount is $50 dollars per person

How do I get the student discount?

The ISIC Card IS NO LONGER VALID to buy the Ticket to Machu Picchu or the Inca Trail with a student discount.

Now students will be able to access this benefit with the UNIVERSITY STUDENT CARD from the university where they study, this being the only valid document for this purpose.

Inclusions

What it includes in the Sacred Valley tour Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu:

For the Sacred Valley Tour

Pick up from your hotel/hostal in Cusco
Tourist Transportation for the Sacred Valley Tour (this will be a large group tour)
Professional guide who is fluent in English/ Spanish in the sacred Valley tour
Lunch on the Sacred Valley Tour
Basic Hotel in Ollantaytambo (double or twin room; if traveling solo, a US$20 surcharge

For the Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Pick up from your hotel in Ollantaytambo
Train tickets to the trail head
Entrance fee to the Inca Trail
Packed lunch for the first day
Vegetarian food is available
Visit to 3 Archaeological Inca sites on the first day
Bus tickets down to Aguas Calientes
Dinner and Basic Hotel in Aguas Calientes(double or twin room; if traveling solo, a US$20 surcharge
Bus up to Machu Picchu
Entrance fee to Machu Picchu
2 hours guideed tour by your english speaking tour guide
Tourist train from Aguas Calientes back to Ollantaytambo
Touris bus from Ollantaytambo back to Cusco

Not Included in the Sacred Valley tour Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu:

Breakfast on the firstday
Particial Tourist Ticket to visit all the place in the Sacred Valley tour (70 soles per person)
Breakfast on the first morning
Third bus tickets down to Aguas Calientes
Lunch in Aguas Calientes on the final day
Entrance to the thermal springs in Aguas Calientes (optional: 20 soles)
Tips for the guide
Entrance to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain

What you need to bring to the Sacred Valley tour Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu:

- Original passport
- For students: ISIC card
- Hiking boots
- Waterproof jacket or rain poncho
- Two t-shirts
- Hand sanitizer
- Comfortable trousers
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
- We strongly recommend to bring your Camel Back and water canteen due to that government of Peru will not allow disposable plastic bottles anymore on the Inca trail and in Machu Picchu
- Toiletries
- Medication
- Toilet paper
- Camera, extra batteries, and extra memory cards
- Shorts
- Walking stick
- Bandages
- Sandals
- Extra money in small denominations of Peruvian soles
- Bathing suit for hot springs in Aguas Calientes town

FAQs

Faq of the Sacred Valley tour Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu:

Refund: If we fail to make your reservation of your train tickets or entrance to Machu Picchu, the payment of your deposit will be 100% refunded.

Health and Safety: All our participants must inform us if they have or have had any illness that may affect their personal or group progress during the walk. They will also need to bring their own medications. We recommend that you visit your doctor before making your reservation if you have any health problems.

Physical Fitness: The Inca Trail is certainly not easy, but you do not have to be an athlete or trekking expert to complete this tour. Your physical condition is of course important since it will allow you to carry out all the activities within the tour and thus you will be able to enjoy the beautiful landscape along the way. If you do not exercise regularly, it is advisable to take extra walks or some type of aerobic activity during the months before your trip. Before doing the walk, we recommend that you visit your doctor who can provide you with more information.

Where to keep your things? : You can leave or store the things that you will not take to the Inca Trail in the hotel or hostel where you are staying. Most of these establishments have warehouses where they will store your things. If you do not trust the place where you are staying, we will gladly store your belongings in our office.