The Incredible Train Journey to the Inca Citadel
Machu Picchu, a coveted tourist destination, has captivated the dreams of thousands of people. Recognized as one of the Wonders of the World, this architectural gem exudes an indescribable energy capable of renewing the spirit and transporting you to an ancient era full of mystery and grandeur.
If you prefer a more relaxed journey and the opportunity to enjoy an incredible train ride, then our two-day tour to Machu Picchu is perfect for you. This train journey will allow you to delight in the most beautiful and picturesque landscapes accompanying the course of the Urubamba River as you make your way to the charming town of Aguas Calientes, nestled at the foot of the sacred mountain. Our team will meticulously plan every detail of your exciting adventure. Additionally, you will have an expert guide accompanying you throughout the excursion, sharing this fascinating place's history, legends, and secrets. All you need to do is sit back, relax, and thoroughly enjoy the experience.
- Overview
- Itinerary
- Inclusions
- Before You Go
- Packing List
- Pricing
- Enquire Now
During the first day of this incredible excursion, you can travel by train and enjoy the best panoramic views of Cusco until you reach Aguas Calientes. Once in the small town, you can rest and freely explore the village.
On the following day, you will wake up filled with anticipation and excitement as you will be one of the fortunate ones to enter and witness the sunrise over the majestic ruins of Machu Picchu, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. Our guide will accompany you to uncover the secrets and enigmas of this sacred place, revealing the history and significance of each Inca construction. You will have ample time to explore the most remarkable corners of Machu Picchu, marvel at its architecture, and soak in the breathtaking surroundings. Remember to capture this moment in incredible photographs.
After this unforgettable experience, you will return to Aguas Calientes, enjoying a lovely lunch before boarding the train to return to Cusco. Finally, you will reflect on everything you have experienced and take cherished memories of this unique journey.
What are you waiting for? The remnants of a lost civilization intertwine with the imposing natural beauty of the Peruvian Andes, creating a unique setting that eagerly awaits your visit.
Itinerary at a Glance
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Day 01
Cusco | Ollantaytambo Train Station - Aguas Calientes
In the morning, head to Ollantaytambo to board the train bound for Aguas Calientes and immerse yourself in beautiful landscapes. Upon arrival, you can explore the town or visit the thermal baths before enjoying a delightful dinner and resting at your hotel.
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Day 02
Aguas Calientes | Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo - Cusco
Today, you will visit Machu Picchu early to avoid the crowds of tourists. You will have a approximately two-hour guided tour, where you will uncover its secrets and learn about its fascinating history. Later, you will return to Aguas Calientes and board the train to Ollantaytambo, where private transportation will be waiting to take you back to Cusco.
What's it like
Highlights
- Embark on a train journey to Machu Picchu and enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the landscape throughout the entire ride.
- Explore the town of Aguas Calientes at your leisure and discover its hidden gems.
- Indulge in a delicious dinner at a fine restaurant in the city.
- Spend the night in a comfortable hotel, ensuring a restful stay.
- Be one of the first to enter the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu and witness the sunrise in this sacred place.
- Navigate the majestic archaeological site with your expert guide and learn all about its fascinating history.
Why Travel with us
Cusco | Ollantaytambo Train Station - Aguas Calientes
Highlight of the day: Travel by train and marvel at the stunning surroundings.
An Exciting Train Journey to the Enchanting Town of Aguas Calientes
In the morning, we will pick you up and take you to Ollantaytambo station, where you will board the train to Aguas Calientes, known as Machu Picchu Pueblo. You will enjoy breathtaking landscapes and the jungle. Upon arriving in Aguas Calientes, you will meet your guide, who will take you to your hotel for check-in. Afterwards, you will go to a prestigious restaurant for lunch.
In the afternoon, you will have plenty of free time to explore the picturesque town or visit the soothing hot springs to relax before the big day. In the evening, you will enjoy a tasty dinner, and your guide will explain the activities for the next day. We recommend resting early for your visit to Machu Picchu.
You will begin your exciting two-day adventure when we pick you up from your hotel at the scheduled time to head to the train station in Ollantaytambo. You will board the train at 12:55 pm, so there's no need to wake up early or leave too soon. During the journey, you will traverse spectacular landscapes unique to the Sacred Valley of the Incas: mountains, rivers, agricultural terraces, and more.
After approximately an hour and a half train ride alongside the Urubamba River, also known as the Vilcanota River, you will arrive at Aguas Calientes, and your guide will accompany you to your hotel to drop off your belongings. No vehicles are in this area, so you must get around on foot.
Afterward, you will enjoy a delicious lunch at one of the city's best restaurants before exploring Aguas Calientes as you prefer. This place is in the middle of a deep valley, and you will find several cafes and restaurants where you can spend some time or stroll through its beautiful streets and discover its stone sculptures. We also recommend considering one of the following optional activities to enjoy your free time in Aguas Calientes:
- Allcamayo Waterfalls: If you want to enjoy an extra hike on this incredible itinerary, we recommend visiting the Allcamayo Waterfalls on a 30 to 45-minute tour from Aguas Calientes. You will walk surrounded by a typical Cusco jungle landscape until you reach the approximately 30-meter-high waterfall.
- Hot Springs: After an amazing train journey, you can have a moment of relaxation in the hot springs of the town. You will find small pools of natural hot water before your excursion to Machu Picchu.
- Butterfly House: Getting to the Butterfly House is easy. It is located 15 minutes from Aguas Calientes and is on the same route as buses go to Machu Picchu. It has over 100 endemic species and more than 400 known species.
- Artisan Market: It is located near the train station, and you can find various local products there, including sculptures, traditional clothing, paintings, jewelry, and more.
In the evening, you will enjoy a delicious dinner, and your guide will provide you with all the details for the big day. Rest early, as you will wake up before dawn the next day.
Aguas Calientes | Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo - Cusco
Highlight of the day: Immerse yourself in the magic of Machu Picchu and discover every corner of this sacred place.
The Hidden Secrets of the Wonder of the World
After having breakfast at your hotel, we will leave early to board the bus to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. We will be among the first to enter, and your guide will accompany you on a guided tour of approximately two hours of the essential sectors. Additionally, you can take one of the optional hikes to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain if you book the tickets in advance. Afterwards, you will return to Aguas Calientes for lunch at a restaurant of your choice before boarding the train to Ollantaytambo. From there, your private transportation will be waiting to take you to the door of your hotel in Cusco.
The big day to visit the Wonder of the World has arrived! We like to be among the first to enter the citadel, so we ask you to leave your hotel early to board the bus to Machu Picchu.
After a 25-minute journey, you will arrive at the entrance gate and have an approximately two-hour guided tour with your expert guide, who will accompany you through the most significant sectors of Machu Picchu, including houses, temples, plazas, and more.
Machu Picchu was considered a legend for a long time since nobody had seen it. In 1911, explorer Hiram Bingham discovered its remains. Machu Picchu is 2,430 meters in a tropical forest, surrounded by extraordinary beauty.
You will also have the opportunity to climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain if you book the tickets in advance. You can enjoy an incredible view of the entire citadel from either of these places. Afterwards, you will descend to Aguas Calientes.
Once in the town, you will have time to have lunch at a restaurant of your choice (not included) before boarding the train to Ollantaytambo, where our private transportation will be waiting to take you back to your hotel in Cusco. Finally, you can enjoy a well-deserved rest after this incredible journey.
At Salkantay Trekking, 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?
Permits & Entrance Tickets
Entrance Ticket to Machu Picchu Archaeological Site
Circuit 2
High Quality Service & Safety
Pre-departure Briefing - The day before the trip, at 5:00 pm you will meet your trekking guide.
Experienced Tour Guide - All our guides have professionalism, experience, responsibility, seriousness and passion, which will make your trip safe and comfortable.
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!
- Bilingual Tour Guide in group service or shared (English and Spanish)
Medical Kit or First AID Kit - Our guides are trained to deal with basic emergencies.
All Salkantay Trekking 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 24 hours a day telephone service.
We have telephone service available 24 hours/day for ease of communication with Salkantay Trekking leading up to your trek.
Accommodation
Hotel in Aguas Calientes
You will spend one night in a comfortable hotel in Aguas Calientes, including luggage storage while you visit Machu Picchu. Accommodation is in double, twin, and triple rooms.
Meals
Day 1: Lunch and Dinner at a restaurant in Aguas Calientes
Day 2: Breakfast at the hotel
Transportation
Transport
- Day 1: Pick up from your hotel and transfer to Ollantaytambo train station
- Day 2: Transfer from Ollantaytambo train station to your hotel in Cusco
Train Tickets
- Day 1: From Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (Expedition Train).
- Day 2: From Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (Expedition Train).
Round-Trip Bus Ticket from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu
What Is Not Included?
Huayna Picchu Mountain - If you want to visit this famous mountain it has an extra cost of US$ 60.00 per person (remember to book at least one month in advance).
You can climb the famous mountain you always see in the photos behind the archaeological site of Machu Picchu. It’s 45 minutes uphill, and coming back down can be scary if you fear heights. You can take this excursion once your guided tour to Machu Picchu ends. The permit must be issued at least two to three months in advance due to high demand. Consider that there could be changes to protect your integrity, mainly due to weather conditions.
- The ticket for Huayna Picchu Mountain has an extra cost of US$ 60.00 per person.
Machu Picchu Mountain- If you want to visit this famous mountain it has an extra cost of US$ 60.00 per person (remember to book at least one month in advance).
Machu Picchu Mountain is another of the mountains that surround the archaeological site of Machu Picchu. It offers less steep, wider, and visually less frightening trails than Huayna Picchu, and it takes 1.5 hours to reach the top. This walk requires an entrance ticket which we can secure for you if we have time in advance.
- The ticket for Machu Picchu Mountain has an extra cost of US$ 60.00 per person.
Day 1: Breakfast
Day 2: Lunch in Aguas Calientes and Dinner in Cusco
Travel Insurance
Tips for our staff
Tipping is usual on any excursion to Peru. Although we pay good salaries to our team, something extra is always welcome.
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.
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 Salkantay Trekking in one place. Please read the following information carefully – it will help you with any questions about our services.
Pre-departure Briefing
The evening before your trip, our staff will contact you to provide full instructions on the tour (between 6 to 8 p.m., by phone call and Whatsapp).
Please make sure you are available at that time. If not, please contact us by email or phone to schedule a different time or visit the Salkantay Trekking Office.
Trek Balance Payment (in Cusco)
If you still have a pending balance, you must pay it 2 days before your hike/tour. Otherwise, your trip reservation will not be confirmed.
If possible, it would be greatly appreciated if you could settle the remaining balance for the trek/tour in cash, either in US dollars or the local currency, at our office in Cusco. You can withdraw funds from various ATMs located along Avenida Sol, offering both US dollars and Peruvian Soles. Alternatively, you have the option to pay using a credit/debit card or PAYPAL, either online or in person, but please note that a 5% service charge will be applied by our payment gateway (Niubiz) and PAYPAL. We regret to inform you that we are unable to accept bank checks or traveler's checks as forms of payment for the balance.
Can I store my luggage at your office?
Of course! 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
Please note:
- All pickups are within Cusco City, but we recommend booking a hotel in the historic center for its convenient location.
- Our guide or staff will confirm the pickup time the day before the tour.
- Due to traffic conditions, the pickup time may vary between 30 and 45 minutes.
- Cusco is an old city and has many narrow cobbled streets. Some hotels and Airbnbs are located on streets without car access or on long, steep slopes, making it difficult to transport luggage. For such reasons, we strongly advise you to book accommodation with good access.
Return to Cusco
Returning from Machu Picchu requires quite a bit of logistics, but don’t worry. Everything is included in your tour!
- Returning from Machu Picchu requires quite a bit of logistics, but don't worry. Everything is included in your tour!
- From Machu Picchu, you'll board a bus for 25 minutes to the town of Aguas Calientes. The buses are boarded according to arrival.
- In Aguas Calientes, you'll board a train to Ollantaytambo. Your guide will give you the train tickets with the boarding time. Make sure you're on the platform 30 minutes early. The train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo takes 1:45 hours.
- Once you arrive at the station, our representative, identified with the Salkantay Trekking clothing, will be waiting to transfer you to Cusco. The trip from Ollantaytambo to Cusco takes 1:30 hours.
- In Cusco, we'll drop you off directly at your hotel and, depending on your hotel's location, as close as possible.
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 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, accommodation or restaurants. You’re the only one responsible for your objects during the tour.
WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING?
ESSENTIAL
CLOTHING
EQUIPMENT
RECOMMENDED
The "2-Day Excursion to Machu Picchu" can leave any day of the week, the whole year.
2024 Land Cost
Group Price: US$ 350.00 per person
Required Pre-payment: US$ 200.00 per person
Balance (Cusco): US$ 150.00 (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 5%, 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.
Extensions & Offers
There are several extensions you can include to your Peru Adventure.
- Rainbow Mountain: US$ 100.00 US$ 80.00
- Sacred Valley: US$ 100.00 US$ 80.00
- City Tour: US$ 50.00 US$ 40.00
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.
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 info@salkantaytrekking.com.
Thank you for your interest in having an adventure travel experience in Peru curated by Salkantay Trekking. Please take a moment to complete our short form, so one our friendly Adventure Consultants could provide you all the information for your trip of a lifetime in Peru.
Our Pledge | Your privacy is respected and protected. The Salkantay Trekking Company will never share, sell, or make public any of your personal contact information to third parties.
Remember | One of our Travel Experts will contact you soon to confirm the availability of the trip you chose, give you more information, and/or provide you alternative options. Once availability is established, we will ask for a deposit and a completed online registration to confirm your spot on the trek. Please call us at (+51) 958 191 179 with any questions or to confirm availability over the phone.
Note | Due to the rainy season and trail maintenance, we don't offer this trek during the whole month of february. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, we are working to provide you a better service!