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Days
6
Price from
2075CAD
Map of One Day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu including Peru

Hike the Inca Trail and discover Cusco, the Sacred Valley and magnificent Machu Picchu.

Shrouded in mystery and surrounded by incredible natural beauty, Machu Picchu stands among the world's most extraordinary archaeological sites. Explore it in depth on this 6-day journey from Cusco, where the treasures of Peru's complex heritage shine like diamonds in the Andean mist. Venture into the verdant Sacred Valley to uncover incredible ruins and meet local residents, then hike the short version of the Inca Trail, watching in awe as the great lost Inca city comes into view from Sun Gate.

Start
Cusco, Peru
Finish
Cusco, Peru
Destination
Peru
Style
Peregrine
Theme
Independent Experiences
Code
PSODX
Physical rating
Trip rating
4 reviews
Ages
Min 16
Group size
Min 1, Max 4

Why you'll love this trip

  • This concise itinerary is an excellent option for those wanting to experience trekking in Peru, but don’t want to do the full four days.

  • Visit Machu Picchu not once but twice, entering the first time through the Sun Gate at the end of the trek, then the following morning for a guided tour.

  • Travelling independently is a dream in destinations like these. Your itinerary is flexible, and you still get the benefit of local guides – as well as a greater chance of having the views from Sun Gate all to yourself.

  • There's so much more to this trip than Inca ruins. Discover Peru's cultural heartland on a walking tour of Cusco, and travel into the lush Sacred Valley for lunch with a local community.

Is this trip right for you?

  • This trip visits places that are at high altitude, and as a result some people can suffer from altitude sickness, regardless of age or physical health. Please see the ‘Medical and Health Information’ section of the Essential Trip Information for details.

  • The trek involves hiking approximately 15 kilometres, the first ten of which are uphill on steep terrain. A moderate level of fitness is recommended for this trip.

Itinerary
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Arrive in Cusco, the historic heartland and former capital of the Inca Empire. Your trip begins today in Cusco with an airport arrival transfer. Your local guide will welcome you this evening at approximately 6 pm at your hotel and explain the next few days' activities. Cusco is a favourite destination of many visitors to Peru, so if you arrive early, be sure to do some exploring. This is a city steeped in history, tradition and legend and is a perfect base for visiting Inca ruins or to enjoy outdoor activities. Take the time to acclimatise to the altitude (3,450 m) and explore the many Baroque churches and ancient temples that dot the city.
Accommodation
  • San Agustin Plaza Hotel or similar (1 night)
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

Enjoy a walking tour of Cusco today (approximately 4 hours). You'll be picked up from the hotel at around 8 or 9 am (depending on what you decide with your guide the evening before). You'll stop in at the remains Koricancha, a masterpiece of stonework which was once the richest temple in the Inca Empire and was covered heavily in gold. Head to the cathedral to see its silver-coloured neoclassical altar and impressive art collection. Stroll down the plaza to see the Stone of Twelve Angles, a marvel of Inca masonry. Lastly, wander through the San Pedro Market and browse its eclectic array of colourful vegetables, succulent meats, local cheeses and artisan chocolates – as well as local oddities such as frog soup. Your city tour comes to an end just in time for lunch. Later, as night falls, perhaps head to the main square and enjoy beautiful views of the lit-up city. There are no shortage of lunch options in and around the square.

Accommodation
  • San Agustin Plaza Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Cusco - Coricancha Temple entrance fee
  • Cusco - Cathedral Entrance Fee
  • Cusco - Full Boleto Turistico Pass (access to 16 archaeological sites, transport & guides not included)
  • Cusco - Leader-led orientation Walk
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
Special Information
Multiple sites are visited on today's walk, but the schedule and order of sites visited is flexible and also will depend on which hotel you’re staying at.

Head to the Sacred Valley for a full day of sightseeing and an overnight stay. Located between the towns of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, the Sacred Valley was treasured because of its climate, fertile land and the presence of the Urubamba (Sacred) River. Notice the evidence of the Incas' engineering skills in the ruins of ancient aqueducts, irrigation canals, dams on the Urubamba River, imposing sets of terraces and centres of worship dedicated to Pachamama (Mother Earth). Visit the stone fortress of Sacsayhuaman, whose massive stone blocks paint an awesome picture of the Incas' sophistication engineering. You will also visit a local community and sit down to some lunch with the locals. If it happens to be market day, you will be able to wander the stalls and hunt down beautiful hand-painted beads and ponchos. Continue to the town of Ollantaytambo and its archaeological site, east of the Plaza de Armas. The upper terraces of the site offer great photo opportunities of the squared grid town below.
Accommodation
  • Hotel Tika Wasi Valley or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Sacred Valley - Community visit & lunch
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch

This morning you'll wake up quite early in preparion to take an early train (depending on availability the train may depart between 6 and 8am) You will take the train from Ollantaytambo to KM104 which is the beginning of the trek. Begin the trek by crossing the Vilcanota/Urubamba River, and we'll enter the Inca Trail at approximately 9 am. Shortly after, it's on to the Inca ruins of Chachabamba. While this is one of the easiest treks around the Cusco region, you still need to have a reasonable level of fitness to complete it. After an upwards climb, we arrive at Wiñay Wayna ('Forever Young') (2,680 m). Many visitors consider this impressive complex to be the best sight on the whole trail. Continue for about an hour further to Inti Punku (The Sun Gate) (2,730 m) from where you will have your views of Machu Picchu (2,400 m). Arriving late in the day, you may be lucky enough to enjoy the view by yourself. Depending on what time you arrive to Machu Picchu, you'll have some time to go on a guided tour and take a few pictures. Tomorrow morning you'll visit Machu Picchu for the second time accompanied with your guidde. Afterwards, take a bus down to your hotel in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town).
Accommodation
  • Hatun Inti Classic or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Day Trek to Machu Picchu
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
Special Information
Trek Distance: The overall trek distance is approximately 10km and will take anywhere between 5-7 hours depending on fitness and pace.

At 5:30 am, take the bus back up the winding road to Machu Picchu. On this second visit to the ruins you'll have free time to explore and take any photos you may have missed yesterday. Spend time taking in the extraordinary architecture of the many temples, palaces and living quarters. The mortar-free design is particularly earthquake resistant and the stones are so precisely cut that to this day not even a knife fits between them. In the afternoon, you will return by bus and train to Cusco and spend the night there. In the evening, perhaps head out for a final dinner in the city.

Visiting Machu Picchu:
According to Machu Picchu visiting regulations, all visitors must follow a pre-determined route within the site. This route must be followed in one direction only and once the guided visit commences exiting and re-entering the site is not permitted. Once the guided visit concludes, visitors must exit the site and personal exploration of Machu Picchu is not permitted.
Accommodation
  • San Agustin Plaza or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Second guided visit of Machu Picchu
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Your Independent Experience comes to an end today after breakfast. You will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.
Accommodation
  • Hotel Casa Andina or similar (1 night)
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
Special Information
At Peregrine we are always looking for ways to improve our trips, and your feedback is invaluable to us and our guides. It tells us what we're doing right, what you believe could be done better and what improvements you feel could help future travellers choose and enjoy Peregrine. At the end of your trip we ask that you to take a few minutes of your time to complete our on-line feedback form. Just go to http://www.peregrineadventures.com/tour-feedback for our easy to fill out questionnaire. We’d love to hear what you have to say!

Meals

5 breakfasts, 2 lunches

Transport

Bus, Private vehicle, Train

Accommodation

Hotel (5 nights)

Included Activities

  • Cusco - Coricancha Temple entrance fee
  • Cusco - Cathedral Entrance Fee
  • Cusco - Full Boleto Turistico Pass (access to 16 archaeological sites, transport & guides not included)
  • Cusco - Leader-led orientation Walk
  • Sacred Valley - Community visit & lunch
  • Day Trek to Machu Picchu
  • Second guided visit of Machu Picchu

Dates & availability

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Important notes

PERMIT FOR ONE DAY INCA TRAIL
Please note, a permit is required to trek the One-Day Inca Trail. We require full passport details to request this permit.

TREK DAYS DURING FEBRUARY
The One Day Inca Trail is closed for maintenance during the month of February. During this time we recommend booking our 5-day Machu Picchu Experience as the itinerary is very similar, without the trekking.

PASSPORT DETAILS REQUIRED
Full passport details are required at the time of booking in order to purchase entrance fees to certain sites. Additionally on certain trips it's needed to book bus, train or flight tickets. Delays to provide this information may result in booking fees or changes to your itinerary.

Recently, Peruvian authorities released a new list of regulations for visiting Machu Picchu. The main points impacting our visits are:
1. Tickets are now only valid only for one entry, that means that passengers cannot leave the site and re-enter as we have in the past.
2. Once passengers begin on a chosen circuit (there are three options) they cannot walk backwards and once they finish the circuit they must leave the site. They cannot explore afterwards.
3. The two allotted times to visit are 6 am–12 pm and 12–4.30 pm.
4. It is techincally mandatory to have an official site guide (not our local leaders) to visit the site. However, as there are not enough official guides to cover the large amount of people visiting, authorities are being flexible.
We encourage passengers to explore the upper part of Machu Picchu (Sun Gate and Inka Bridge) before their guided tour starts. Your leader will provide more information on what the group options are at the welcome meeting.

Essential trip information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

View Essential Trip Information

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