Machu Picchu Train Tour & Sacred Valley 2 days / 1 night

Itinerary

Day 1: CUSCO – PISAC – OLLANTAYTAMBO – AGUAS CALIENTES

Stop At: Sacred Valley of the Incas, 0051 Peru
Private transport will collect you from your hotel around 8am and drive you through the Sacred Valley, stopping to explore the Pisac Ruins, Pisac Market, and Ollantaytambo Ruins along the way to the train station. You will stop in Urubamba between the sites where you can eat at a restaurant of your choosing. You will take the train to Aguas Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu, which is a lovely scenic ride that takes you through part of the Sacred Valley with views of the river and glacial mountains. Depending on the time of train arrival you may have time to explore the town, visit the local handicraft market, and take a dip in the local hot-springs (around 25 soles, open until 9pm, bring a bathing suit, towel, sandals). Dinner will be provided around 7:00 or 7:30pm at a local restaurant. You will stay in a comfortable hotel in Aguas Calientes to rest up before tomorrow’s early exploration of Machu Picchu!
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant in Aguas Calientes
Accommodation included: Overnight in a hotel in Aguas Calientes, shared double room (single room can be requested at a fee)

Day 2: AGUAS CALIENTES – MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO

Stop At: Santuario Historico de Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu Peru
Wake up call and breakfast is very early (Approx 4am) in order for us to take one of the first (5:30am, 25 min ride) buses directly to Machu Picchu (2,400 m/7,875 ft). Once we arrive at Machu Picchu you will show your entrance ticket and passport. If you are a student you must bring your ISIC card to the entrance or you will not be permitted entrance. From the entrance, it is a 15-minute walk to the famous views from the South Zone of the farming terraces at the end of the Inca trail. Enjoy watching the sun rise over the ruin site and the fascinating tour of Machu Picchu with your guide who will unfold the mysteries of this magical site, explaining the history and flora/fauna. Your guide will spend about 2.5 hours relating interesting and amazing stories, explaining temples and special sectors. Your tour of Machu Picchu will finish between 9 and 9:30am after which you will have a little free time to take photos and explore. The new rules for 2019 have split the entrance times into three slots per day. Our tour includes the first ticket (6-10am) so at 10am you would need to exit the ruin site unless you choose to purchase an extra time slot (or two). If you wish to do one of the extra hikes within Machu Picchu (Wayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain) you would need to prepurchase a permit as well as an extra time slot in Machu Picchu (these new rules are dictated by the Peruvian government and we are sorry for the inconvenience). After you are done exploring the ruin site, either at 10am or later if you’ve booked more time, take one of the many, frequent buses down to Aguas Calientes. There are many restaurants to choose from and your guide can also help suggest a nice place to eat. After grabbing a bite to eat you will take the train back to Ollantaytambo where private transport will drive you back to your hotel in Cusco.

Helpful Info:

There are no bathrooms in the ruin site. There are bathrooms right outside the entrance, cost is 1 sol per entrance, and they provide a little toilet paper. If you leave close to the time your ticket expires it is likely they will not permit re-entry.
You are allowed to take in a small backpack (under 20L)
They are no longer allowing box lunches to be brought into the ruin site. We recommend bringing extra snacks (we provide snacks too) or going down to Aguas Calientes for lunch and returning depending on how much time you’ve booked in Machu Picchu
They no longer allow plastic water bottles so please come prepared with water bladders/reusable water bottle(s)
If you have large, professional, bulky camera equipment, please note you need to get a permit for these (e.g. large tripods or giant lenses that can’t be placed in a daypack).
Please do not climb on or deface the rocks or leave trash/debris of any kind.
Our recommendation is to add one extra time slot to allow for more time in the Ruin Site (with or without an extra hike).
Machu Picchu Entrance Times: in 2019 there will be 3 time slots with only 2800 people allowed to enter Machu Picchu each day (down from 4000 in 2018)

First Entrance: 6am to 10am
Second Entrance: 9am to 1pm
Third Entrance: 12pm to closing
Note: there will potentially be 4-5 entrance times in 2020
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Early breakfast at your hotel
No accommodation included on this day.