Inca Day Tour to Machu Picchu from Cusco
Description
Walk along the mystical Inca Trail to Puerta del Sol, from where you will have the first view of Machu Picchu. Explore the Inca sites along the Inca Trail, especially Wiñay Wayna, the second largest Inca ruin, and enjoy lunch after touring the archaeological site of Wiñay Wayna. The Voyager or Expedition train ride offers spectacular views of the Sacred Valley and takes just over an hour to reach km 104. Experience the Machu Picchu Citadel, where your guide will explain the entire history of this amazing and mysterious Inca city. Enjoy the sunset and take the iconic picture of Machu Picchu, when in the afternoon there are no more crowds.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your guide will pick you up at your hotel in Cusco at 4:00 a.m. in our private transportation to Ollantaytambo train station.
You will take the Expedition train for about 1 hour and 10 minutes to kilometer 104 (2,100 m / 6,927 ft) on the Cusco–Machu Picchu route, where you start the walk and pass through the main control.
You will begin a moderate hike of about 3 hours to the impressive archaeological site of Wiñay Wayna (2,650 m / 8,747 ft), enjoying views of the Urubamba Valley, several Inca sites and the link to the classic 4-day Inca Trail. After the guided tour of the important Inca ruins of Wiñay Wayna, you will head to the Wiñay Wayna camp for lunch and rest. After enjoying Wiñay Wayna, you will continue the climb to Puerta del Sol (Inti Punku), at 2,730 m / 9,007 ft, from where you will have the first panoramic view of Machu Picchu in all its glory.
Then you will walk downhill for about 1 hour until you reach the citadel of Machu Picchu, where you will visit one of the most important mystical and spiritual centers in the world with your guide.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(6)
Ripped me off. Changed my trip from the one day hike to a regular Machu Picchu trip and only refunded me $100. I could have booked a regular tour with another tour company for like $200. With this one they swindled me out of $430. I tried reaching out to them well before I even arrived in Peru because you have to include the pick up location for your hotel and they were unresponsive to the point I was going to report fraud. That is when I am finally able tó make connection and they say they will call me back bc it was very early in the morning. Understandable. When they call me back it's 2 days before the day trip and they are asking to move the booking to another day which I cannot bc I'm near the end of my trip and have other tours on each day. They then say they can't don't the hike bc and say they can change it to the 1 day tour. I was extremely upset but at that point didn't really have a choice bc you have to book Machu piccu tickets early or they may sell out. So I reluctantly agree but remind them they need to give me money back and make the price fair. What I was supposed to get for the already over priced booking: - hotel pickup and drop off - Train & bus tickets - Inca Trail & Machu Picchu tickets - Huayna Picchu ticket box lunch What I got for $430 - hotel pick up and drop off - train and bus to Machu piccu - Machu piccu tickets So to them the value of the box lunch, Inca trail tickets, the actual hike, and the Huayan Picchu tickets was only worth $100. Thats a rip off I had to fight to get the $100 back. They wanted me to come down to their office after the tour (around 8pm) to talk about the process which I was not willing to do. I was traveling solo and in the last few days of my trip and did not feel comfortable going down there to go back and forth with men about the price. I also suspect they were trying to give me the money back in soles rather than my original payment method which I was also unwillingly to do bc I was leaving Peru the next morning.
Dear Roam683379, Thank you for sharing your feedback! We truly regret to hear about the frustration and disappointment you experienced during your recent booking with us. Your concerns are completely valid, and we sincerely apologize for not delivering the experience you initially expected. Due to unexpected limitations in availability for the Inca Trail and Huayna Picchu permits, which are controlled by government agencies. We were unfortunately unable to secure the original itinerary. We understand this change was a major inconvenience, especially so close to your departure from Peru. While we did our best to offer an alternative that included Machu Picchu entry, transportation, and full logistical support, we acknowledge it was not the tour you originally planned and booked. In light of this, we provided a partial refund based on the difference in cost between the original hike (which included the Inca Trail and Huayna Picchu access) and the revised one-day experience. We understand that this refund may not have met your expectations and apologize for any confusion or discomfort surrounding the reimbursement process. We also deeply regret the lack of timely communication early in the process. This is an area we are actively working to improve. Your feedback helps us identify those gaps and make the necessary changes to ensure future travelers have a smoother, more transparent experience. We appreciate you taking the time to bring this to our attention and we’re genuinely sorry for the inconvenience caused during your trip. If you would like to speak with a member of our management team directly, we would be happy to continue this conversation and seek a more satisfactory resolution. Best wishes, Customer Service Manager Inca Trail Specialist
The guide who gave us the one day tour was very nice and knowledgeable. My bad review is more so for the business side. I booked for a one day hike and the price was pretty astronomical compared to other companies but it was the only one day hike I could find last minute so I reluctantly booked it. I was not able to confirm my pick up location so reached out to the tour company several times with no response to the point I began to wonder if I had been defrauded. Once I was in Peru I called, a few days before the actual tour, trying to get to the bottom of things. They called me back 2 days before my tour asking me to to do a full day tour instead of the hike. I was very disappointed by this and expressed this to the tour company. Because I didn't really have a choice, it was 1 day tour or potentially no Machu Picchu I had to do the one day tour but with the caveat they return some of my money and the price should be fair. They're already price gauging at $530 for the one day hike but avg prices on the high end for the full day tour is 230-330. They only returned $100 so they over charged me by about $200 for just the full day tour which did not include any food or anything. Book with someone else. You can do a 4 day hike for 227 including meals and lodging etc. Don't get ripped off like I did. I gave them the opportunity to do the right thing and they didn't. Very upset. Very disappointed.
Hello dear Heather, Thank you very much for sharing your experience. We're truly glad to hear that you appreciated the guide and found them knowledgeable and kind, that’s something we work hard to deliver consistently. That said, we are sincerely sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction with the logistical and pricing aspects of your tour. We understand how frustrating it must have been to face uncertainty regarding your pickup and to experience last minute changes to your itinerary. Please know that your booking was made under very short notice, and due to limited availability for the one-day hike, we had no option but to offer the full-day Machu Picchu tour as an alternative — a decision we do not take lightly. We do our best to honor each traveler’s original request, but sometimes, due to high demand and limited permits (especially for hiking), we must propose other options. Regarding the refund, we issued a partial reimbursement based on the difference in cost between both services. However, we understand you feel the amount should have been more, and we will review this internally to evaluate how we handle similar situations moving forward. Your feedback is valuable, and we take it seriously. We are committed to improving our communication and pricing transparency so that future travelers feel fully informed and confident at every step of their booking. Thank you again for taking the time to provide your review. We hope you still carry positive memories of your time at Machu Picchu. Warm regards, Inca Trail Specialist team!
We did not have enough time to hike the classic inca trail and we reserved the 1 day inca trail from cusco. Everything was great, the box lunch, the train beautiful and our guide very friendly. Pehaps in the future we will get back to hike with you again! Thanks for the great service...Mauro
Thanks so much, Sir. We are glad you have a good time on your hike to Machu Picchu with our guide. We really appreciate it, let us know in advance if you get back to Peru. Regards,
Magical trip to Machu Picchu with Inca Trail Specialist!: Thank you so much for all the Service we provide. Our guide was magnificent, gave us a lot of information. Inca Trail Specialist is the official site for visiting Inca Trail!
Hola Thomas, Gracias por su valioso opinion! Le agradecemos por haber dejado esta experiencia que le brindo la agencia local que esta especialiazado solo en el Camino Inca. Muchas gracias por compartir su vacacion con los viajeros que vienes a hacer el legendario Camino Inca. Saludos,
We arrived in Cusco after quarantine and had the opportunity to book the 1 day but FREE Inca trail. We do not pay Inca and Machu Picchu road tickets, except train and bus tickets. The truth we knew the ancient way of the Incas. Excellent Service and recommend to everyone.
Hola Stacy, Gracias por hacer conocer su experiencia de Camino Inca a Machu Picchu de 2 dias! Justamente despues de la pandemia no tuvo precio para el ingreso y aprovechamos para ustedes disfrutaran. Por lo tanto, estamos contentos por su opinion en compartir con los viajeros del mundo. Saludos,
We hired the Inca Trail Service to Machu Picchu for a day with Inca Trail Specialist which was very great! We went with my partner and other travelers from several countries. Our guide was very punctual, he taught us the history of Peru and Machu Picchu. Thanks Mauro!
Muchas gracias por su mensaje! Nos alegra que hayan disfrutado de su viaje con nosotros. Mauro es uno de los buenos guias que tiene la empresa Inca Trail Specialist. Mucha gracias.
