The Incredible Train Journey to the Inca Citadel
Machu Picchu is a tourist destination that thousands of people dream of visiting. It’s considered one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and offers its visitors the architectural and engineering wonders that the Incas built and indescribable energy that renews the spirit. Andean culture, history, and tradition await you in this magical, mystical place.
Many visitors to Peru opt to hike to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, but if you prefer to take a more relaxing trip and journey along one of the most beautiful railways on the planet, then our 2-day Machu Picchu by train tour is for you! Let us plan every detail of this exciting adventure so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the experience.
- Overview
- Itinerary
- Inclusions
- Before You Go
- Packing List
- Pricing
- Enquire Now
You can join us on this wonderful two-day tour to Machu Picchu by yourself, as part of a group, or as a couple any day of the week. We carefully plan every last detail for you to have the ultimate experience while visiting the World Wonder.
This package offers you an intense and outstanding experience in Machu Picchu. Make your dreams come true and enjoy this archaeological sanctuary to the fullest in a package that gives you, like no other tour, the greatest amount of time in Machu Picchu. Discover this sacred place wrapped in a veil of mystery and find out why it’s been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1983.
Not only will you be exploring Machu Picchu, but you’ll also be traveling along one of the most beautiful railways in the world and enjoying the gorgeous Andean scenery that passes you by the entire journey.
Do you want to discover the secrets of this ancient Inca citadel? Would you like to enjoy your adventure in pure comfort with plenty of relaxation? Join us on this unforgettable trip, and you’ll be extremely happy you did.
Itinerary at a Glance
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Day 01
Cusco | Poroy Train Station - Aguas Calientes
Catch the train to Aguas Calientes and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Once there, you can explore the town or visit the hot springs before having dinner and heading to bed early.
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Day 02
Aguas Calientes | Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo - Cusco
Wake up before dawn to beat the crowds at Machu Picchu. Enjoy a two-hour guided tour and discover its best-kept secrets. Later, return to Aguas Calientes, board the train to Ollantaytambo, and finish with a transfer back to the door of your accommodation in Cusco.
What's it like
Highlights
- Ride the Vistadome train to Machu Picchu and enjoy panoramic views and breathtaking scenery on the way.
- Visit and relax at the hot springs of Aguas Calientes.
- Enjoy dinner in a top restaurant in the town.
- Spend the night in a comfortable hotel.
- Visit Machu Picchu bright and early to beat the crowds.
- Explore the entire site with your knowledgeable guide and learn about its fascinating history.
Why Travel with us
Cusco | Poroy Train Station - Aguas Calientes
Highlight of the day: Look out the window as you chug along the tracks and witness the stunning surroundings.
Journey Along the Beautiful Railway to Aguas Calientes
We’ll pick you up this morning and take you to the Poroy train station to board your train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. Along the railway, you’ll enjoy stunning scenery all the way to the Andes and jungle. Your guide will meet you at the other end and take you to your hotel to check in before you go to a top restaurant for lunch.
This afternoon, you’ll have plenty of free time to explore the quaint town or visit the relaxing hot springs to unwind before your big day tomorrow. In the evening, you’ll have a tasty dinner and listen to a briefing from your guide before heading to bed early.
Your 2-day adventure begins today when we pick you up from your accommodation at an agreed time and drive you to the Poroy train station. The train will leave at 7:25 a.m., so you don’t need to be up too early. Your journey will take you to the small town of Aguas Calientes, at the base of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary.
This train journey is famed for being one of the most beautiful in the world and is one of the top experiences to enjoy while in Peru. You’ll be able to look out the windows all the way and observe stunning natural sights of the Andes and jungle landscapes as you slowly descend to 2,040 m / 6,692 ft.
After an incredible 4-hour journey, you’ll arrive in Aguas Calientes and be greeted by your guide, who’ll walk you to your hotel. There are no cars here so you need to go everywhere on foot.
At around 1:30 p.m., you’ll enjoy a tasty lunch in one of the best restaurants in town and then have some free time to yourself this afternoon to explore however you like. The town is very picturesque and sits in the middle of a deep, green valley with a rushing river running through the middle. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants to hang out at, or you can take a hike to the hot springs, where you can spend the afternoon relaxing before your big day tomorrow.
In the evening, you’ll enjoy a tasty dinner with your guide, who’ll fill you with a detailed briefing on what’ll happen tomorrow’s grand day. Make sure you head to bed relatively early, as you’ll be up before the sun tomorrow.
Aguas Calientes | Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo - Cusco
Highlight of the day: Exploring every inch of the most fascinating archeological complex, Machu Picchu.
Explore the Astounding Machu Picchu
Get up early to take the bus to Machu Picchu and avoid the large crowds of tourists. You’ll enjoy an approximately two-hour guided tour of all the important sectors. In addition, you can take one of the extra hikes to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountains if you book your tickets in advance. Then, you’ll descend to Aguas Calientes.
In the town, you’ll have some time to find a restaurant for lunch and explore a little more before heading to the train station. You’ll board the train back to Ollantaytambo. Once there, our private transport will take you back to your accommodation in the city.
To make the most of your visit to Machu Picchu, we like to get there bright and early to beat the large crowds. For this reason, we leave at 5:30 a.m. after a nourishing breakfast to catch the bus up to the Historic Sanctuary. The ride is around 25 minutes long and follows a steep, winding path that provides spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
Once at the archaeological complex, you will begin a guided tour of approximately two hours with your expert guide, who will take you through some of the most significant sectors of Machu Picchu: houses, temples, and squares, among others.
Many locals thought of Machu Picchu to be a legend, but no one had seen it for a long time. Then, in 1911, the explorer Hiram Bingham stumbled upon its remains. Machu Picchu stands at 2,430 m / 7,972 ft in the middle of a tropical mountain forest in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. On the eastern slopes of the Andes, the natural setting encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna.
If you get tickets in advance, you can hike either Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain at this point. From both, you get incredible views of the whole citadel. Then, it’ll be time to start making your way back to Aguas Calientes.
Once in town, you’ll have some free time to explore and find a restaurant for lunch. You can either browse the shops for souvenirs or head to the hot springs if you didn’t have the chance to go yesterday. In the afternoon, you’ll board the train to Ollantaytambo. At the station, we’ll take you directly to your accommodation, where you can relax and unwind after this amazing experience.
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
Experienced Tour Guide
Our official tour guides speak English and Spanish and are professionally trained and certified. We choose them for their experience, responsibility, unbridled passion for exploring, and pride in sharing our culture and history. In every experience, they will keep you safe and comfortable so 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
The first night of this tour is spent in a hotel in Aguas Calientes with a double, triple or matrimonial room, private bathroom, hot shower, wifi, breakfast, and luggage storage while you visit Machu Picchu.
Meals
Day 1: Lunch and Dinner in Aguas Calientes
Vegetarian, vegan, or special menus are available at no extra cost.
Day 2: Breakfast at the hotel
Transportation
Transport
- Day 1: Pick up from your hotel and transfer to Poroy train station
- Day 2: Transfer from Ollantaytambo train station to your hotel in Cusco
Train Tickets
- Day 1: From Poroy to Aguas Calientes (PeruRail Vistadome Service).
- Day 2: From Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (PeruRail Expedition Service).
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!
- 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 belongings and remember to take everything once you leave a place or a transport. You’re the only one responsible for your objects during the tour.
WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING?
ESSENTIAL
CLOTHING
EQUIPMENT
RECOMMENDED
The "Machu Picchu Tour by Train" can leave any day of the week, the whole year.
2024 Land Cost
Group Price: US$ 400.00 per person
Required Pre-payment: US$ 200.00 per person
Balance (Cusco): US$ 200.00 (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!