Train to Km 104, a day on foot via Wiñay Wayna and through the Sun Gate into Machu Picchu.
The short answer
The short Inca Trail starts at Km 104, reached by train from Ollantaytambo, and walks via Wiñay Wayna to the Sun Gate and into Machu Picchu in the afternoon. The one-day tour returns to Cusco around 9:30 p.m.; the two-day tours add a hotel night in Aguas Calientes and a guided visit the next morning.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before is offered only by AB Expeditions and Action Peru Treks, and the Action Peru Treks tour leaves out the hotel.
Every tour here walks the same stretch from Km 104 to the Sun Gate. They differ in the night in Aguas Calientes, the train class back and how much of Machu Picchu the listing covers.
Tap a column header to re-sort. The Machu Picchu column repeats what each listing names; nothing is added.
| Photo | Tour | Length | Train | Night in Aguas Calientes | Machu Picchu (listing) | Group | Cancellation | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Short Inca Trail with a hotel night Alpaca Expeditions | 2 days | Expedition out; Vistadome back through January 2027, Expedition both ways from March 2027 | 4-star hotel | Entry included; guided tour on day 2 | Up to 14 | All sales final | ★ 5.0 (4,075) | $585 per person | Book now |
|
Two-day Inca Trail with Vistadome TreXperience | 2 days | To Km 104; Vistadome back | 3-star hotel, twin room | Circuit 1 on day 1, guided tour on day 2 | Up to 16 | All sales final | ★ 5.0 (2,111) | $590 per person | Book now |
|
Two-day shared Inca Trail AB Expeditions | 2 days | Expedition both ways | 3-star hotel | Ticket for Circuit 1 and Circuit 3 | Up to 8 | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 5.0 (545) | $670 per person | Book now |
|
Short Inca Trail, 2 days and 1 night Action Peru Treks | 2 days | Round trip, class not named | Not included | Entry via Circuit 3; bus up on day 2 not included | Up to 15 | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 5.0 (337) | $600 per person | Book now |
|
Inca Trail in one day TreXperience | 1 day, about 16 hours | Expedition both ways, back at 6:20 p.m. | None, back in Cusco around 9:30 p.m. | Afternoon tour on Circuit 1 | Up to 15 | All sales final | ★ 5.0 (89) | $550 per person | Book now |
Prices and ratings are loaded from GetYourGuide and Viator once a day; on treks the price shown is the cheapest option, which may leave out the sleeping bag, the hiking poles or the return train class you want.
Pick the day you want to go, or the first and last day you are in Cusco. We read the booking calendar of each tour and show the ones that still take bookings. For Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, book early: entry tickets, trains and trail permits are limited.
In the next 7 days, 4 of 5 tours on this page still have places.
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Days: Day trip
Open a card for the itinerary, the pickup, what is included and what is not, as the operator gives them.
Night in a 4-star hotel in Aguas Calientes and a guided tour on day 2; Vistadome back only through January 2027.
Pickup at 4 am in Cusco and the train from Ollantaytambo to Km 104, where the hike starts. After about three hours you reach Wiñay Wayna for lunch, then continue to the Sun Gate and down to Machu Picchu, before the bus to Aguas Calientes and a night in a 4-star hotel. On day two an early bus goes up for a 2-hour guided tour; after lunch in town you take the train to Ollantaytambo and the driver returns you to your hotel in Cusco.
The title promises Vistadome. For tours through January 2027 you go out on Expedition and return on Vistadome; from March 2027 it is Expedition both ways. Inca Trail and Machu Picchu entry are included. Not included: breakfast on day one, lunch on day two, and a single room supplement for solo travelers. Pickup is also possible in Urubamba or Ollantaytambo.
Hotel pickup in Cusco at 4 am, or in Urubamba or Ollantaytambo; send the hotel name after booking.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Circuit 1 in the afternoon, guided tour the next morning, 3-star hotel, Vistadome back to Ollantaytambo.
Pickup around 4 am in Cusco (5:30 am near Ollantaytambo) and about 1.5 hours by train to Km 104, with a picnic breakfast at the trailhead. You visit Chachabamba, climb about 4 hours to Wiñay Wayna for lunch and continue to the Sun Gate, then follow Circuit 1 in the late afternoon. After the bus down there is dinner in Aguas Calientes and a night in a 3-star hotel. On day two the first buses take you up for a 2 to 3-hour guided tour; the Vistadome train brings you to Ollantaytambo and you are in Cusco around 7:30 pm.
You see Machu Picchu twice: Circuit 1 on the afternoon of day one and the guided tour on day two. The hotel is a shared twin room for 2. Entrance tickets and meals are in the included list, while the excluded list also names 'entrance fees' and 'meals', which conflicts. Only a daypack goes on the trail; a small carry-on bag can be sent to the hotel.
Pickup from hotels and Airbnbs in Cusco's historic center around 4 am, or in Urubamba and Ollantaytambo around 5 am.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Groups of up to 8, Expedition train both ways, 3-star hotel; free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Pickup at 4 am, about 1.5 hours to Ollantaytambo for breakfast and the train to Km 104. The walk covers about 15 km of the Inca Trail, with a picnic at Wiñay Wayna and the Sun Gate in the afternoon, then the bus to Aguas Calientes, dinner and a night in a hotel. On day two the 5:30 am bus goes up for a guided tour of about 2 hours; after lunch in Aguas Calientes the train takes you to Ollantaytambo and the driver to your hotel in Cusco, around 7:30 pm.
The Inca Trail permit, a Machu Picchu ticket for Circuits 1 and 3, the Expedition train both ways, three bus tickets and a 3-star hotel (Tara Machu Picchu or similar) are included. Meals are 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 1 dinner, with a vegetarian option. The guide speaks English, and the booking data has only an adult band from age 18.
Hotel pickup in Cusco at 4 am.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Trail and Machu Picchu entry via Circuit 3; the hotel in Aguas Calientes and the bus up on day 2 are extra.
Early pickup in Cusco and the van to Ollantaytambo, then about an hour by train to Km 104. From the checkpoint you pass Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna and walk another 1 to 2 hours to the Sun Gate, reached around 4 pm, before going down to Aguas Calientes. On day two an early bus goes up for a 2-hour tour, with Huayna Picchu at 10 am for those with a ticket, then the Expedition train to Ollantaytambo or Poroy and a transfer to your hotel in Cusco.
The title says 2 days and 1 night, but the hotel in Aguas Calientes is not included, nor are dinner on the first night and the bus up on day two. Included are Inca Trail and Machu Picchu entry on Circuit 3, the train both ways, the bus down on day one, a packed lunch and the guide. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before; bookings need at least 2 people aged 6 or over.
Hotel pickup in Cusco early in the morning.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Km 104 to the Sun Gate and an afternoon tour on Circuit 1, back in Cusco around 9:30 p.m.
Pickup around 4 am in Cusco (5:30 am in the Sacred Valley), 1.5 hours to Ollantaytambo and 1.5 hours on the Expedition train to Km 104 at Chachabamba, reached around 8 am. After the passport check you hike about 4 hours to Wiñay Wayna for a guided visit and lunch, and reach the Sun Gate around 2 pm. An hour's walk down leads to the viewpoint and an afternoon guided tour on Circuit 1.
Around 5 pm you head down to Aguas Calientes for the 6:20 pm Expedition train and a private van, back in Cusco around 9:30 pm. Inca Trail and Machu Picchu entry are included (the excluded list also says 'entrance fees', which conflicts), as are breakfast, lunch and the bus down.
Pickup from hotels, Airbnbs and other places in Cusco and the Sacred Valley; wait in the lobby at 4 am in Cusco.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
All these tours start the same way: pickup in Cusco around 4 a.m., a drive of about 1.5 hours to Ollantaytambo and the train along the Urubamba river to Km 104. The train stops there only for hikers. At the checkpoint at Chachabamba you show your passport, visit the small Inca site next to it and start climbing through cloud forest.
TreXperience gives about four hours uphill to Wiñay Wayna, a large terraced site where lunch is served; Alpaca Expeditions says about three. AB Expeditions puts the whole walk at around 15 km. From Wiñay Wayna the path continues to the Sun Gate, reached around 2 p.m. on the one-day tour, and then down to the classic viewpoint above the citadel. This is the last section of the four-day Inca Trail, so you arrive the way the four-day hikers do, but in the afternoon instead of at sunrise.
The one-day tour by TreXperience has you on the move for about 16 hours: a guided walk through the citadel on Circuit 1 in the afternoon, the Expedition train back at 6:20 p.m. and a van that reaches Cusco around 9:30 p.m. The two-day versions add a night in Aguas Calientes and a second visit the next morning, with a guided tour of about two hours. That second morning is the reason most people pick two days: the first visit comes at the end of a long hike, the second with rested legs.
On the second morning you can add Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain if you have booked the separate ticket in advance; no listing here includes it. What each circuit shows is explained on the page about Machu Picchu circuits.
The hotel night is where these tours differ most. Alpaca Expeditions books a 4-star hotel, TreXperience and AB Expeditions a 3-star one; TreXperience puts two people in a twin room. Action Peru Treks does not include the hotel in Aguas Calientes, the dinner on the first night or the bus up to the citadel on day two, so budget for them on top.
On the train, read the inclusions rather than the title. Alpaca Expeditions names the Vistadome in its title, but its inclusions give the Vistadome back only for departures through January 2027 and the Expedition both ways from March 2027. TreXperience returns on the Vistadome, AB Expeditions on the Expedition, and Action Peru Treks does not name the class. The TreXperience listing names the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu tickets under inclusions and a general line "entrance fees" under exclusions; the itinerary describes both visits, so the tickets are part of the tour.
The hike has no high pass. The listings still exclude travelers with spinal injuries, pregnant travelers and those with poor cardiovascular health, and most ask for a moderate level of fitness. Action Peru Treks describes its tour as suitable for all fitness levels, which sits oddly with several hours uphill on stone steps. The tours start from Cusco before dawn, so give yourself a few days there first; see the page on altitude.
The short route needs the Inca Trail entry, booked through the operator with your passport details, and it closes with the rest of the Inca Trail network in February; the 2026 works included Wiñay Wayna. The Alpaca Expeditions listing names departures through January 2027 and from March 2027. If your dates are full, the routes without an Inca Trail permit still reach Machu Picchu, and without any hike the Machu Picchu day trips by train or overnight tours by train remain.
AB Expeditions and Action Peru Treks allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The tours by Alpaca Expeditions and TreXperience are final sales with no refund. Check the cancellation terms on each tour before you pay.
At Km 104 of the railway, near the Inca site of Chachabamba. You reach it by train from Ollantaytambo after an early pickup in Cusco.
AB Expeditions puts it at about 15 km. TreXperience gives about four hours uphill to Wiñay Wayna, then the walk on to the Sun Gate and down to the citadel.
On the two-day tours by Alpaca Expeditions, TreXperience and AB Expeditions, yes. Action Peru Treks lists the hotel, the first dinner and the bus up on day two as not included.
The Inca Trail network closes in February for maintenance, and the 2026 works included Wiñay Wayna on this route. Plan for March or later, or take the train to Machu Picchu instead.
Three nights in tents from Km 82, with Dead Woman's Pass.
No hiking: train and bus from Cusco and back the same evening.
Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in two or more days by train.
Which part of the citadel each circuit covers.
All routes from Cusco with days, height and nights.
Two questions, and the finder suggests a tour from Cusco with two alternatives.
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