2 Day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (Tour Privado)

We used Andean Great Treks for the Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (1 day). First Andean Great Treks was amazing, I did so much research for the Short Inca Trail (1 and 2 day) from various outfitters and Andean seemed to be the most reasonable and provided many extra’s that the others didn’t (namely a porter to carry your lunch / bottle of water and the return ticket on the Vistadome train). I found some reviews, but still was unsure. Luckily, they were Amazing! From the minute I did the checkin with Elmer to the whole day on the trail, my family was amazed at the level of service we received and the thoroughness of how organized they were for the whole tour along with answering any questions we had. In short if you are looking to do the Inca trail and are reading this review, just stop looking and book with this company, you will get amazing service and more than other operators are offering. ! More details of our trip, our guide was Geraldo and our porter was Alex. Geraldo was extremely knowledgeable about Machu Picchu, the Inca trail, along with the history and area (wildlife, traditions etc). He was very patient and just a really genuine good person). Alex was also very kind and took up an amazing box lunch and water for our family. We started the hike on the first train (which I would recommend as you have more time to spend on the trail and take pictures at top of Machu Picchu, but more importantly you get further up the trail before the heat really intensifies. (Geraldo confirmed it gets very hot). After the hike to oversee Machu Picchu we got to tour inside the actual ruins. From there we had dinner with Geraldo and took the train back to Ollantaytambo, with a driver waiting for us to give us a ride to Cusco. What we did learn about Andean Great Treks is Elmer used to be a guide and started this company, thus he really knows the ins and outs of what makes a great experience (which is not the case for every operator). Secondly Geraldo said he really enjoys working for Andean and fills it is a great company which I also really appreciate. Tidbits: We stayed the night before in Ollantaytambo so that we could wake up 2 hours later and catch the train instead of Cusco (you have to get up super early if you are in Cusco). The 1 day Inca Short Trek was amazing, and it was nice to be able to see inside Machu Picchu when it was sunny (morning is usually overcast), I would recommend that, but the town of Aquas Calientes is really cool, thus the 2 day would also be really cool (just know that you will go back up to Machu Picchu in the morning of the second day when 80% of the tourists are there. If you want to still stay the night in Aquas Calientes (I really recommend) Maybe work out something with Elmer to see if they can book your return ticket on train and taxi the following day. I fully recommend Andean Great Treks and feel you will be more than ecstatic working with them.

Great service from Elmer in setting up and organising the trip - very responsive over WhatsApp and email and all my questions were answered quickly. On the day, he got us on the train, with our lunch and the Inca Rail staff made sure we got off at the 104km mark. Javier guided us on the hike to Machu Picchu and was very knowledgeable and made sure we got up in good time to do the tour of Machu Picchu on the same day. Lunch was both generous and good - 5 fruits, a chicken empanada, quinoa bowl with chicken and rice, a salad and a snack bar. I’d highly recommend Andean Great Treks

Everything was perfect, from the office to the super Guide, Juve he was very careful with us ! Thank you! Raccomandatet!

Let me start with the good. Guide The experience we had with our tour guide Osman was awesome! He was very knowledgeable of all the plants, spoke great English and was friendly and accomodating. He even had visual aids to help us understand the history of the Inca Empire. I didn't see any other tour guides with this. Hands down, 5 stars for him! Trail The trail is breathtakingly beautiful. You will not be disappointed with your views. That being said, it was HARD. I picked this tour because it was only 1 day of the Inca trail and it was marked as easy on their website. For reference, I work out 4 days a week and I'm a relatively fit 29 year old and I hike quite often. I was not prepared for the altitude to affect me as much as it did. I struggled harddddd. I had to stop quite a bit because I just couldn't breathe. I was hyperventilating pretty much the entire time. I live at sea level in Houston so I'm sure I'm probably the worst case scenario. It was a lot of steps up, up, up and then down, down, and then back up. For like 7 hours.... For me, it was strenuous! If you're accustomed to high altitude I would say its probably more of a medium level. It's definitely not easy. Machu Picchu wow... this place was just so much bigger than I imagined it would be. Ive seen pictures but I was still blown away. Absolutely worth the trip. *pro tip: bring an apple for the llamas. The Bad The hotel we got set up with in Aguas Calientes, Sun Palace Inn, after our grueling hike was the absolute worst hotel I've ever stayed in. And I'm not a fancy hotel girl. The 2 other couples with us had the same thoughts. The staff was unhelpful and not friendly. It was loud and there was no hot water. Ill write a separate review of that place. There was also a lot of confusion with the tour company. We went to the office the day before our hike and paid our remaining balance and re-confirmed everything. We got our bus tickets but were told our tour guide would have tickets for the inca trail / machu picchu. When we arrived, he did not... there was a moment of panic before we found out that another couple in our tour had ours. Thankfully they didnt throw it or anything. Another situation we had was we had arranged for the machu picchu portion of our tour to be with the 2 other couples we were traveling with (they didnt do the hike). We were told this was no problem but it caused a lot of stress. we went back and forth with 3 tour guides before they figured it out. All in all, we had a great trip but portions of it could have been better. I would recommend asking about the hotel they're putting you at prior to booking.

Our family of two adults and two teenagers (12 and 16) started our adventure by having Elmer giving us a good explanation of the tour while we were in Cusco. His instructions were very accurate and allowed us to be well prepared for the challenge. We picked the Short Inca Trail as it promised a good balance of trekking and adventure, but we expected it to be doable with kids. We want to thank Osman for an experience of a lifetime. Osman was absolutely the BEST tour guide we ever had (kids say it was fun eating Dorito Dust with you!). Osman was very committed and diligent, making sure we were safe and entertained during the entire walk. He taught us about flora and fauna, about Incas and their heritage, a bit of Quechua (Wawqui!!). We were fortunate to have someone authentic, genuine, and fun like Osman. Thanks goes to the Eco Path Trek for having such a good guide.

Everything was perfectly planned and executed! Trip included transportation to the train, train ticket, inca trail pass, lunch, hotel, dinner, private tour of MP, return train, and transportation back to Cusco. An incredible value! Our guide Javier was knowledgeable, funny, helpful, and friendly. It ended up just being 3 of us (me, my friend, and our guide Javier). We were able to go at our own (fast) pace, enjoy all the sights without the annoyance and lag of a large group. This trip exceeded my expectations.

The night before this trip I was really scared that I would not be able to complete the trek as I hadn't trained and am definitely not in the best shape! We had been down trekking in the rainforest in Puerto Maldonado a few days before which I found really challenging, so I was losing sleep about the hike up to Machu Picchu, not helped by spending hours trawling through horror stories on the internet about failed attempts! It ended up being one of the best things I've done as a traveler! It was challenging in the best way possible and our guide Osman was phenomenal. My friend was faster than me so he spent the time in between us both, always checking on us and encouraging us. He was very patient, kind and knowledgeable about the history of the Incas as well as the flora and fauna around us. The catch phrases of 'slowly, slowly!', 'zigzag, zigzag' and 'short break?' stayed with us throughout our trip. He even came to dinner with us to celebrate our victory and on another trek around the mountains near Cusco on his day off! One of the best aspects was arriving at the Inca sites to find literally no other people there as the trek is timed really well. Our photos were fantastic because they were just us! I could not recommend Eco Path Trek more highly and also advise that you request Osman as a guide. It was comparatively one of the cheaper companies, but the service was first rate - from booking, to paying at the office, to the trek itself. Thank you so much for our unforgettable Inca experience!

My daughter and I signed up for the short 2- day Inca Trail trip and would highly recommend Eco Path for anybody interested. We stayed in Ollantaytambo the night before, so we didn't have to get up too early to make the trip from Cusco. We were picked up at our hotel, and from that point forward, they handled everything. The trek was challenging for us, there is a lot of climbing in the first part, but our guide Osmán was patient and focused on enjoying the journey, and we never felt rushed. Osmán had a lot of information to share about the Inca and the areas we passed. The second section of trail was beautiful and full of so many wild orchids! On day 1, we made it to the Sun Gate to see Maccu Picchu from above, and then were able to go down and take a quick look at Maccu Pichu from the top. We got a chance to take a quick rest in the local hot springs after arriving, then then next day we got the Machu Picchu tour itself as well as some time to explore on our own. Our return trip included a cab to Cusco, and Eco Path took us all the way to our AirB&B instead of to the central drop off point, which was much appreciated since we had our suitcases at that point! Osmán was a great guide! He was patient, knowledgeable, and fun. This is a great way to see Maccu Pichu and is more budget friendly than a lot of options out there.

We did the hike with Javier, and we had a great time with him! The hike itself is challenging. The meals were very basic, so bring food with you!! But the price of this company is the lowest of them all! Javier was patient, knowledgeable and friendly! Good English too! Would recommend this company!!