Meals: B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner
Upon your arrival in Cusco, we will take you to your hotel located in downtown Cusco. You will have the remainder of the day to relax or walk around downtown. At 7:30p.m., one of our representatives will stop by your hotel in order to give you a briefing about your tour. You will spend the night at your hotel.
At 2:00p.m., you will start a guided city tour. This tour will include a visit to the Cathedral, the Temple of Qoricancha, and the Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay. This tour will let you learn about the Inca culture as well as some aspects of the conquest of the Inca's Empire and the colony. At about 6:00p.m., you will be back at your hotel. You will spend the night at your hotel.
At about 8:30a.m., we will pick you up from your hotel in order to start a guided tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This tour will let you observe an amazing view of the Urubamba River and the valley as well as a visit to the ruins of Pisac and the marketplace of the same name. After lunch, which is included on the package, we will take you to the Andean town of Ollantaytambo where you will have a guided tour of the incredible Inca ruins of the town. You will be back in Cusco at about 7:00p.m. You will spend the night at your hotel.
At about 6:30a.m., we will take you to the train station of Poroy in order to take the 7:42a.m. Expedition train to Aguas Calientes. Upon your arrival in Aguas Calientes at 11:50a.m., we will take you to your hotel in order to check-in. Then you can go to have lunch in town. If you desire, in the afternoon, you might enjoy the hot springs of the town. You will spend the night at your hotel in Aguas Calientes.
Early in the morning you will take a bus to Machu Picchu where you will have a 2 hour guided tour of the most important rooms and temples. After the tour, you will be free to wander around and come back to Aguas Calientes whenever you desire. At 6:20p.m., you will take the expedition train to Ollantaytambo. Upon arrival to the Ollantaytambo train station, transfer to your hotel in Cusco will be provided. You will spend the night at your hotel.
Today, we will pick you up from your hotel and we will drive you to the airport of Cusco. End of our services.
| ACCOMMODATION | Price per traveler (USD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option | CUSCO | AGUAS CALIENTES | DOUBLE | SINGLE |
| Tourist | Antawasi (Cusco) | Wiracocha Inn (Aguas Calientes) | $799 | $935 |
| Superior | Tierra Viva Plaza (Cusco) | Santuario (Aguas Calientes) | $929 | $1,205 |
| Premium | Casa Andina Premium (Cusco) | El Mapi (Aguas Calientes) | $1,185 | $1,755 |
| Deluxe | Palacio del Inka (Cusco) | Sumaq (Aguas Calientes) | $1,795 | $2,855 |
NOTE: We book the hotels listed in the itinerary whenever possible. During busy seasons or when booked within 90 days of the tour date, we may need to substitute hotels of equal or higher category.
+ Vistadome train upgrade MaPi/Poroy: USD $90.00
No special fitness is required. This is a non-trekking tour that involves comfortable sightseeing by bus and train. You will walk on cobblestoned streets in Cusco and uneven paths at Machu Picchu, but nothing more demanding than a day of urban sightseeing. Comfortable walking shoes are sufficient. The main physical consideration is the altitude in Cusco (3,400 m / 11,150 ft) — allow a day to acclimatize before doing too much.
We travel by train from Poroy station (near Cusco) to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. The Expedition train takes approximately 3.5 hours through increasingly dramatic Andean gorge scenery — it is a beautiful journey in itself. From Aguas Calientes, a 25-minute bus ride up switchback mountain roads brings you to the Machu Picchu entrance. We handle all tickets.
Your guide leads a comprehensive 2-hour tour of Machu Picchu's main sectors: the agricultural terraces, the urban sector with the Temple of the Sun, the Main Plaza, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Intihuatana (sun dial) stone, and the residential area. After the guided portion you have free time to explore independently, photograph, or simply sit and absorb the atmosphere before taking the bus back down to Aguas Calientes.
Aguas Calientes (officially called Machu Picchu Pueblo) is a small town nestled in a deep river gorge at 2,040 m — much lower and warmer than Cusco. It has a pleasant pedestrian centre, restaurants serving good Peruvian food, souvenir markets, and natural hot spring baths fed by volcanic activity. The town exists almost entirely to serve Machu Picchu visitors. Spending the night there means an early bus up to Machu Picchu before the day-tripper crowds arrive.
Yes — either can be added as an optional extra. Huayna Picchu (the dramatic peak behind Machu Picchu) has very limited daily slots (400 people) and sells out months in advance; it involves a steep 45-minute climb with fixed ropes. Machu Picchu Mountain is a longer but slightly easier ascent with panoramic views. Notify us at booking and we will check permit availability and add the cost to your invoice.
Yes. On Day 3 we pick you up around 8:30 a.m. and visit the terraced ruins of Pisac and the local artisan market, have lunch in the valley (included), then continue to Ollantaytambo for a guided tour of its impressive Inca fortress. You return to Cusco by about 7:00 p.m. It is a full and rewarding day that covers the two most important Sacred Valley sites.
The Expedition train has standard windows and comfortable seats. The Vistadome upgrade features large panoramic windows, a glass roof section, and wider observation possibilities — ideal for photography of the gorge, jungle canopy, and snow-capped peaks. It costs $90 extra per person. We recommend it for photographers and first-time visitors. Notify us at booking to add this upgrade.
Pack light layers — Cusco can be warm in the day and cold at night. Comfortable walking shoes are essential. For Machu Picchu, bring water, sunscreen, a rain layer (weather changes quickly), and insect repellent in wetter months. A small daypack for Machu Picchu day is useful. In Aguas Calientes it is significantly warmer (tropical) so a light top and sandals are welcome.
I am not a hiker and was thrilled to find a tour that does not require trekking. The 6-day pace through Cusco and Machu Picchu was just right — time to acclimatize, a wonderful Sacred Valley day, a gorgeous train journey, and then Machu Picchu itself which left me genuinely speechless. The guide's depth of knowledge about Inca history made every ruin come alive.
Travelled with my elderly parents and this tour was perfectly calibrated for them. No physical demands beyond gentle walking, but the sites themselves are just as extraordinary as on any hiking tour. The train from Poroy through the gorge to Aguas Calientes was beautiful, and the night in Aguas Calientes meant we had Machu Picchu nearly to ourselves in the early morning.
A beautifully organised trip. The hotel in Cusco was right in the historic centre — perfect location for evening walks around the Plaza de Armas. The Cusco city tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, blending Inca history with colonial history seamlessly. Machu Picchu was everything I had hoped for and more. The guided 2-hour tour helped me actually understand what I was looking at.
Great value for a Machu Picchu trip. The Expedition train ride was surprisingly lovely on its own. I appreciated the night in Aguas Calientes — waking up early, taking the first bus up before dawn, and arriving at Machu Picchu in the soft morning light before the crowds was magical. The Sacred Valley day with Pisac market was a genuine highlight too.
My wife and I had wanted to visit Machu Picchu for 20 years. This 6-day tour was the perfect vehicle. The Cusco days let us absorb the extraordinary Inca and colonial history before Machu Picchu, so we arrived with real context. Standing in the citadel knowing what we now knew made the experience infinitely richer than just showing up.
Secure your spot with a deposit starting from US$ 250. Permits are limited and popular dates sell out months in advance.