Inca Trail Short 2 Days

Cusco | Ollantaytambo - KM 104 - Chachabamba - Wiñay Wayna- Sun Gate / Inti Punku - Machu Picchu - Aguas Calientes

See stunning scenery as you visit archaeological sites and get your first glimpse of Machu Picchu.

• Your adventure begins today nice and early as you’ll be picked up from your accommodation at 4:00 am. You’ll then travel for around one and a half hours to the small, quaint town of Ollantaytambo, where you’ll have a few minutes to make any last-minute purchases.
• You’ll board the train at the station at 6:10 am to KM 104, from where our trek begins.
• You can see the golden sun covering the expansive Andean mountains, farming fields, and the Urubamba River along the railway. Before you start walking, you’ll meet your guide and listen to a brief orientation about the details, and we’ll provide you with your box lunch and a snack for you to enjoy later on.
• The hike starts on a trail similar to the beginning of the Classic Inca Trail. You’ll be immersed in the stunning landscape as you’re surrounded by lush vegetation and towering mountains watching over you. After a short while, we’ll reach our first Inca archaeological site on the trek, Chachabamba, and learn a little about it from our guide.
• After another 3 hours, we get to one of the most fascinating Inca sites, the Wiñay Wayna complex (meaning 'forever young' in Quechua), which sits at 2,650 m / 8,694 ft. Most trekkers who stop here are amazed by the incredible architecture.
• You’ll explore the site and discover a ritual water source, temples dedicated to nature's forces, and beautiful agricultural platforms.
• Wiñay Wayna is the perfect place to learn a little more about the impressive history of the Incas.
• While you’re at these sites, take some time to relax, unwind in peace, and connect to Mother Nature through birdsong and the soft whisper of the wind. A little further on, you’ll spot the campsites where those doing the Classic Inca Trail spend the night. Here, you’ll have time to enjoy the tasty lunchbox we’ve prepared for you, chill out, and recharge your batteries.
• Once you’re ready to go again, we’ll continue the hike to the Sun Gate, from where you get your first outstanding views of Machu Picchu and all its incredible architecture.
• You’ll be astounded at how the Incas were able to build such a site on a mountain. The landscape is very dreamy, and you’ll feel the magic and mystery of Machu Picchu, which has withstood the test of time amazingly. Use this opportunity to capture some unique photos and honor the Incas as you ponder how they were able to lift such big stones and try to understand their deep connection with nature.
• We won’t be entering the citadel just yet, though. At this time of day, the tourists inside will be leaving, and you’ll be able to watch the magical golden light of the sun setting on the immense stone walls for some tranquility. You can look forward to tomorrow knowing that you’ll be exploring every inch of this masterpiece.
• For now, you’ll take an alternative path down to the exit, where you’ll board a bus that takes us to the small town of Aguas Calientes to spend the night in a hotel.
• Before you rest your body for the night, we’ll grab some dinner in one of the town’s best restaurants.
• Make sure you get to sleep early, as you’ll be rising before the sun does tomorrow.

Meals: Snack, Box Lunch, and Dinner.
Hiking Time: approximately 5 - 6 hours.
Distance to Go: 9 km / 5.59 miles.
Highest Elevation: 2,720 m / 8,924 ft
Accommodation: Hotel

Aguas Calientes | Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo - Cusco

Step inside the Wonder of the World, Machu Picchu and explore its ancient streets and incredible architecture.

• After a well-deserved night’s rest, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. Today, you’ll be wandering the mysterious streets of the majestic historical sanctuary of Machu Picchu! You’ll need to be up before sunrise to ensure you beat the crowds. You’ll take a short walk from your hotel to catch a bus that’ll take you on a 25-minute drive to the entrance of the Inca citadel. You’ll enter just before the sun comes up and paints the fortress with a gorgeous golden hue.
• After soaking it all in and taking your first few photographs, your guide will take you on a one-and-a-half-hour guided tour of the site. You’ll be visiting some of the most important parts of Machu Picchu and learning a lot from your local expert.
• Once the tour is up, you will be able to climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (pre-booked tickets required), each of which takes 1:30 and 3 hours to hike up and down, respectively. From any of these places, you’ll experience more stunning views of the whole Inca city.
• When you’re ready to leave, it’ll be time to head back down to Aguas Calientes. You’ll have a bit of time to select a restaurant of your choice for a bite to eat before catching a train, which is usually reserved for 14:55 (subject to availability). You’ll arrive in Ollantaytambo by train, and then a private bus will be there to pick you up and take you back to your accommodation in Cusco at around 6:00 pm.
• Now it’s time to enjoy a thoroughly deserved rest and put your feet up. Your trip might be over, but we assure you your heart will be thumping for many years to come as you look back fondly on your incredible adventure.

Meals: Breakfast
Difficulty: Easy
Highest Elevation: 2,430 m / 7,972 ft

At Pacha Peru Explorers, we specify the included and non-included services under all the tour itineraries listed on our website. We take care of all the logistics, but please pay attention to the details to avoid missing anything. Some items may be different for specific programs, so please read carefully before booking with us.

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

High Quality Service & Safety

• Pre-departure Briefing
You will meet your tour guide at your hotel for an orientation before your tour. The meeting will be at 7:00 pm the evening before the trip begins.

• Experienced Tour Guide
English and spanish speaking official tour guide. All our guides are graduates of the professional career of Tourism of the National University San Antonio Abad of Cusco. We choose them for their professionalism, experience, responsibility, seriousness, unbridled passion for exploring, and sincere desire to proudly share in our culture and history. He or she will keep you safe, sound, and comfortable on your trek so that you can enjoy your time worry-free!

• Medical Kit or First AID Kit
All Pacha Peru guides have received specialized training in first aid. We hold mandatory training sessions with our guides every February. Your guide will always carry a first aid kit to face basic emergencies (altitude sickness, travelers' diarrhea, cuts, scrapes, etc.) as well as oxygen. If necessary, we’ll evacuate you from the path as quickly as possible and ensure that you arrive at a clinic for treatment..

• 24/7 Customer Service
We have telephone service available 24 hours/day for ease of communication with Pacha Peru leading up to your trek.

Accommodation

• Hotel in Aguas Calientes
The first night of this tour is spent in a hotel in Aguas Calientes with a matrimonial room, private bathroom, hot shower, wifi, breakfast, and luggage storage while you visit Machu Picchu.

Meals

• Day 1: Box Lunch and Dinner

• Day 2: Breakfast

• Snacks on the first day
Local fruits, cookies, chocolate, caramels, water, etc.

Transportation

• Private Transport
Day 1: Private transport from Cusco to Ollantaytambo train station.
Day 2: Private transport from Ollantaytambo train station to your hotel in Cusco.

• Train Tickets
Day 1: From Ollantaytambo to KM 104 (Starting point of the trek).
Day 2: From Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo.

• Day 1: One-Way Consettur Bus Ticket from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes.
• Day 2: One-Way Consettur Bus Ticket from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu.

Permits & Entrance Tickets

• Permits and ticket for Inca Trail
As soon as we receive your complete information and the deposit that secures your reservation, we’ll buy all the necessary permits (subject to availability). These permits are issued for a specific date and will be in your name. They cannot be changed under any circumstances. Change of passport number is only allowed for renewal reasons. In that case, you must bring both your old and new passport.

• Entry to Machu Picchu Archaeological Site

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED?

• Lunch in Aguas Calientes and Dinner in Cusco (Day 2)

• Day 2: One-Way Consettur Bus Ticket from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes

• Travel Insurance

• Tips for our staff
Tipping is the usual on any excursion to Machu Picchu. Although we pay good salaries to our entire team, something extra is always welcome, especially considering the hard work they do. Typically, group participants collect their tips to hand out to the horsemen and chefs together.

• Additional costs or delays beyond our control
Landslides, bad weather conditions, itinerary modifications due to a safety concern, illness, pandemia, government policy changes, political instability, strikes, act of God, etc

Essentials

• Original passport (if you have acquired a new one after you made your booking, bring both).
• Backpack (if not waterproof bring waterproof backpack cover or a poncho that will cover your backpack).
• Comfortable shoes/flip-flops or Sturdy Hiking boots.
• Refillable water bottle (hydration bags are recommended).
• Sun protection: sunscreen, sun hat, sunglasses.
• Insect repellent.
• Rain poncho or a good rain jacket.
• Long-sleeved shirts to prevent sunburn.
• Toiletries / small towel.
• Trail snacks (dry fruits, energy bars, etc.).
• Extra money to buy souvenirs, drinks, and tips.
• Bathing clothes for the hot springs (optional).

We want to make your trip to Peru as memorable and as carefree as possible. In this section, you’ll find the answers to all the questions you have about traveling with Pacha Peru Explorers in one place. Please read the following information carefully – it will help you with any questions about our services.

Briefing or Informative Meeting: All information meetings and briefings are held in our main office in Cusco (or your hotel) at 5:00 pm, one night before the tour begins. These meetings last approximately 30 to 45 minutes. If you’re unable to attend, you must coordinate another time by email, by phone or at the Pacha Peru Explorers office.

Trek Balance Payment (in Cusco): The trek has to be paid for in full at most 7.30 pm one day before your departure (generally after the briefing).
It would be much appreciated if you pay the trek balance in cash US dollars or local currency at our office in Cusco. You can withdraw some money from several ATMs along Avenida Sol (either in US dollars or local Peruvian Soles). You can pay by credit card or PAYPAL online, but you will have to pay an 6% service charge, charged by VISA and PAYPAL. We do not accept bank checks or payment of the balance by traveler’s checks.

Can I store my luggage at your office?: During the trip, your main luggage can be stored at our office (you can organize it with us on the briefing day or by email) or at your hotel, both free of charge.
Any equipment that you won’t need on the trek can be stored safely in your hotel. Nearly every hotel will provide this service. Don’t leave items of value with your bags; put them in the hotel safe and obtain an itemized receipt (in the unlikely case of theft, many insurance companies require that you have a copy of the receipt itemizing everything). It’s best to put items such as credit cards inside a sealed, signed envelope for extra peace of mind.

Pick up of guests: Pacha Peru Explorers can pick you up from your hotel, as long as it’s in the Historical Center of Cusco. Your guide will coordinate the pickup time in the briefing session, but please keep in mind that the time may vary between 30 and 45 minutes due to traffic.
Cusco is an old city, meaning it has many narrow cobbled streets. Some hotels and Airbnbs may be located on streets without access to cars or on long, steep slopes, making it difficult to transport luggage. We strongly recommend that you book accommodation with good access.

Group Tours: Group tours are made up of different types of people, then physical conditions and ages can vary. By agreeing to be part of a group tour, you also accept that some people may be faster or slower than you. Therefore, each person can go at their own pace on the route.
It may be the case that a group wishes to modify the tour; however, the guide will be the one who decides, after consulting with all the participants, if such modifications are possible.

Strikes and demonstrations: Strikes and demonstrations are usually common in Peru, and this may interrupt some of our tours. Roads can be blocked, and train tracks can be taken over. However, we will try to keep your trip as originally planned, even if it means leaving the night before the scheduled date. Under these circumstances, tours may also be canceled. In case of changes or cancellations, everything will be coordinated with you by our operations department. Your safety is our highest priority, and our decisions will be made to protect it.

Lost Objects: Please pay attention to where you leave your things and remember to take everything once you leave our transport or restaurants. You’re the only one responsible for your objects during the tour.

"Inca Trail Short 2 Days" can leave any day of the week, from January through December.

2023 Land Cost:

Price: US$ 550.00 per person
Required Pre-payment: US$ 300.00 per person.
Balance (Cusco): US$ 250.00 (Commonly paid in Cusco after the briefing).

This small-group journey is guaranteed to operate with just two guests.
Notice that PayPal charges a fee of 6%, which we ask the client to cover since it's due to the use of its service. This tax is just for online deposits so that you will pay the remaining in cash (the briefing day in Cusco) without charges.
Please, after your deposit, send us the transfer number to contact@pachaperu.tours; only after that, we'll be able to confirm your deposit and reservation.

Price Guarantee

Once your booking has been confirmed, we guarantee the price won’t increase, whatever the circumstances. So please, before booking, ensure you’ve read all our important tour information.

Cancellation Policy

We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise. If this occurs, we will find the next available date in attempts to reschedule, if this is not possible then any cancellation done at least 24 hours prior will not have any cancellation fee. Any cancellation of 24 hours or less from a scheduled tour will be charged a $550.00 cancellation fee for each space that was scheduled.

Student Discount
US$20.00 off
Student discounts apply to anyone 17 years old or younger. to receive the discount, we require a copy or clear photo of the passport at the time of booking. It must be valid and not expire within the travel dates. Please send it to contact@pachaperu.tours