Cusco Machu Picchu 3D/2N, Tour to Machu Picchu by Train

You will be welcomed at the Cusco airport by our staff, and escorted to your hotel or hostel.

In the afternoon, you will begin to learn about Peru´s enchanting history and culture on an optional tour (includes the historic city center, Temple of the Sun, Sacsayhuaman Fortress, Qenko Ruins, Puka Pukara, and  Tambomachay). After exploring these fascinating sites and ruins, you will be transported back to your hotel or hostel at approximately 4:30 pm.

• City Tour Start Time: Approximately 1:30-2:00 pm
• City Tour End Time: Approximately 4:30 pm
• Difficulty: Light
• Weather : Warm and sunny, possible brief showers during the rainy season

We will pick you up from your hotel at 4:30 a.m.  and travel by tourist bus to Ollantaytambo train station, where you will board the 6:40 a.m  train to Aguas Calientes.

The 6:40 a.m. train will arrive at the Aguas Calientes train station at 8:10 a.m. You will be picked up and taken to the bus station. Once at the bus station, you will take a 20 minute bus ride to the entrance of Machu Picchu.

At Machu Picchu, you will have a two hour guided tour of the ancient city. After you finish exploring Machu Picchu, you will take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes, where you can eat lunch before boarding your return train back to Ollantaytambo in the afternoon. In Ollantaytambo, transportation will be waiting to bring you back to Cusco by approximately 10:00 pm.

• Tour Start Time: Approximately 4:00 am
• Arrival in Cusco: Approximately 10:30 pm
• Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging
• Weather : Warm and humid; insect repellent recommended.

We will pick you up from your hotel and bring you to the airport for your flight to Lima

At Inka Trail Backpacker, we offer you the basic and essential version of the popular treks in the region. We are a 100% local company that wants to provide everything you will need at the real cost of operations—never unfair upcharging! That is why our slogan is “Fun, Not Fancy Trip.”

Inka Trail Backpacker has been a Licensed Inca Trail Tour Operator since 2014. All companies managing the Inca Trail must be certified and have an Inca Trail operators license. This license is issued annually each December; Inka Trail Backpacker is licensed through the year of  2027.

Our license as an Official Travel Agency is under the name Inka Trail Backpacker E.I.R.L. Our License as an Inca Trail Operator is under the name of INKA TRAIL BACKPACKER E.I.R.L We also work with partner company licenses, such as QESWACHAKA PERU TOURS  E.I.R.L and GRUPO CAMINOS DEL PERU E.I.R.L. For tourists ‘protection, getting the permit for the Inca Trail from the government is a complicated and stringent process: in order to guarantee an Inca Trail Permit for all the tourists that have decided to book their adventure with us, we are registered to book using any of the above mentioned company licenses. We are all registered on the official government web site: www.machupicchu.gob.pe.

As a traveller, you know that one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences of going to new places is meeting people along the way. When you book a tour with us, you can be confident that your group will be filled with similar travellers looking for adventure in the Peruvian Andes. Our groups provide a great opportunity to meet new people and bond with them in an exciting environment. You never know who you will meet!

We are really proud of the work we do for our community. This is a main focus for our company. We have worked with villages directly to help supply them with needs, buy all our food from local farmers and markets, and serve the freshest ingredients.

Our team of guides are all local to the Cusco area and speak both Spanish and English fluently. Many of them also speaking Quechua (the native language of Peru). With degrees in tourism and with two years minimum of experience under their belts, they are full of energy, information about the native flora and fauna, and the Inca sites, with a vast knowledge of ready sourced stories and legends told by the Andean people.

Group size depends on the day´s activity: the Sacred Valley Tour will have about 25-30 people, and Machu Picchu will have sixteen people maximum.

If you plan to renew or change your name on your passport between making your trek booking and starting your trek, you can book your trek or tour with your current passport number or name, but you must send us a copy of your old passport and a copy of your new passport when you have them. We can then make the change with the government before you arrive. The extra cost to make the change is US$25 per person. (This will cover the change in number or name for your Inca Trail Permit,

Entrance, and train.)

If you do not advise us of the change or do not want to pay the fee, bring the original of both passports (the old and new one). You can enter Peru with your new passport but you must show the government authorities your old passport in order to enter the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu or train. If you cannot do so, you will not be allowed to start your trek by the government officials. All names and numbers must match!!

Tips for porters, cooks and guides are always welcome. The porters are also very grateful for small gifts, such as clothing and school equipment for their children. A normal amount for the group to tip is S/60-80 for each porter and S/120 for the chef. The group will pool money for the tip, this is not an individual amount.

If Inka Trail Backpacker fails to confirm the reservation, your payment will be refunded in full.

A participant must declare if he/she has any sickness or medical disorder and must bring his/her own medication. We recommend that you meet with a doctor before you book the trek if you have questionable health.

You can leave any of your belongings at your hotel or hostel you were previously staying in. These hostels/hotels usually have a secure, locked room where you can store your belongings. If you do not trust your hostel, we would be more than happy to securely store your belongings for you.

Every traveller has their own expectations for accommodation and that is why we offer you the option to book your own hostel independently. The hostels that Inka Trail Backpacker books are considered basic and if you wish to upgrade to a hotel you need to either do this yourself or ask us to book the new hotel for you.
If you wish to book a hostel independently, a US $10 discount is given per person off the tour price. You can use this money to pay for an alternative hostel.

We recommend that you book your trek approximately two months in advance. This allows you maximum choice in selecting the details of your day at Machu Picchu; morning entrances to the site are extremely popular and sell out quickly. Although it is possible to book your trek closer to your expected travel date, your options will be more limited.

Yes, transportation to and from the airport is included in your tour.

The train travels between the town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley and Aguas Calientes, a small town located fifteen minutes below the Machu Picchu complex. The journey from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes is an hour and forty minutes. (The return journey will be about three and a half hours, because the drive from Ollantaytambo station to Cusco is about an hour and forty minutes.) From Aguas Calientes, it is either a fifteen minute bus ride or hour hike up to Machu Picchu. There is no direct train from Cusco to Machu Picchu. Although there is an additional station located at Poroy, about 25 minutes from Cusco, it is not always open. Train service from Ollantaytambo, meanwhile, is constant and reliable. Furthermore, taking the train from the Poroy station extends the total length of your journey between Cusco and Aguas Calientes to more than four hours, instead of three and a half.

A tip is customary, but the amount is at your discretion and whatever you feel is appropriate based on the service you have received; please remember to always be courteous and respectful with our guides.

There is no minimum group size; however, if a group is especially small (fewer than four people), we reserve the right to combine tours and activities with groups from other tour operators in order to keep costs down. We will not combine you with a group from another country.

All of our guides are bilingual and speak both Spanish and English.