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Inja Expeditions

Secure your Andean adventure with Inja Expeditions. Explore Salkantay, the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and more with a local team in Cusco. Plan your journey today!

SACRED VALLEY & MACHU PICCHU 2 DAYS

The Ultimate Inca Tour This package is a combination of the popular day tour of the Sacred Valley and the classic train tour to Machu Picchu, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. We offer you incredible amounts of beauty and history o…

5.0 (12 agency reviews) Cusco, Peru Local support
From
US$500 per person
Book Now
Duration 2 Days & 1 Nights
Group Size Up to 12
Distance -
Difficulty Easy
Departures Daily departures
Ideal For For Everyone
THE EXPERIENCE

SACRED VALLEY & MACHU PICCHU 2 DAYS

MACHU PICCHU TOURS · Cusco, Peru

The Ultimate Inca Tour

This package is a combination of the popular day tour of the Sacred Valley and the classic train tour to Machu Picchu, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. We offer you incredible amounts of beauty and history over an exciting 2-day trip.

This adventure includes a full-day tour of the Sacred Valley, a trip to Aguas Calientes, a night of rest in a comfortable hotel, and dinner at the best restaurant in Aguas Calientes. The next day, after a visit to the fantastic city of Machu Picchu, where you’ll have the opportunity to climb Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Mountain and learn all the secrets of the Incas, we’ll board the train.

Itinerary

Day-by-day information for this experience.

Day 01: Cusco | Pisac - Urubamba - Ollantaytambo - Aguas Calientes

Epic Day Out in the Sacred Valley of the Incas

We’ll pick you up from your hotel at 7:00 am and go to Pisac in the Sacred Valley to visit the first archaeological site of the route. The architecture and engineering of the Incas here is truly astounding. We’ll enjoy a guided tour of the Písac complex that’ll last around 2 hours. Then, we’ll head down to visit one of the most colorful traditional markets in the entire region. Take advantage of the excellent prices and buy directly from the producers! You’re sure to find many souvenirs and gifts for friends and family back home.

Our next stop is Urubamba, where we’ll arrive around midday. In this quiet place, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy some of the best Peruvian food in a buffet lunch in a nice restaurant. There’ll be plenty of dishes to choose from to give you a taste of the region with fresh ingredients.

The last archaeological destination of the tour is 30 minutes from Urubamba in Ollantaytambo. This site was built from pink granite rocks and is another impressive example of Inca engineering. Here you’ll be able to appreciate the second-largest Inca stone preserved to date (90 tons), which was used as part of the Temple of the Sun. You’ll discover all the secrets of Ollantaytambo on a guided tour of this fascinating place.

Later, we’ll go to the train station, where you’ll board the Expedition Train heading to Aguas Calientes. During the trip, you’ll see pretty glaciers and snowy peaks, as well as fertile green valleys and Inca agricultural platforms on both sides of the valley. Once in Aguas Calientes, you’ll head to your hotel to check-in.

You’ll have some free time to unwind this afternoon and evening, you’ll get to enjoy a delicious dinner in the best restaurant before heading to bed for the night.

We offer a selecon of well-located hotels in the town with very comfortable and tasteful decorated rooms. You’ll find them impeccable with clean rooms and beds as well as adequate toilets and showers. It’s a perfect place to rest before the most important day of your trip!

  • Single, Double, Matrimonial, and Triple rooms
  • Dining room and kitchen
  • Toilets and warm showers
  • Wi-Fi


DAY FACTS

  •  MEALS: Buffet Lunch and Dinner
  • ACCOMMODATION: Hotel in Aguas Calientes
  • DIFFICULTY: Easy
  • HIGHEST ELEVATION: 3,440 m / 11,286 ft
  • AGUAS CALIENTES ELEVATION: 2,040 m / 6,693 ft
Day 02: Aguas Calientes | Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo - Cusco

Discover Machu Picchu’s Secrets on the Ultimate Guided Tour

We’ll wake you up very early to enjoy your breakfast without being rushed at 5:00 am. This way, we can board one of the first buses that leave for Machu Picchu (2,430 m / 7,972 ft). This means you’ll beat the large crowds and get to enjoy the complex in peace as the sun comes up and casts a stunning orange glow over the huge stones.

At the entrance to the Inca city, you must show your entry ticket and your passport. If you’re a student, you must carry your student card with you. You won’t be allowed inside without these.

Feel the powerful energy of this fantastic archaeological site as soon as you enter. You’ll feel the happiness of observing how the golden light of the sun gradually covers all the corners of Machu Picchu. Learn all its secrets and mysteries during a guided tour, where you’ll also learn a lot about its history and local flora and fauna. Our guide will take you for approximately two hours through the most significant areas.

If you choose to climb Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Mountain, additional entrance fees are required. Then, you will return to Aguas Calientes by bus.

In Aguas Calientes, you’ll find a place to have lunch and board the Train heading to Ollantaytambo, where a colorful spectacle of dances and traditions will amaze you. From there, you’ll travel to Cusco on our transport. We’ll drop you off at the door of your accommodation. The time of your arrival will depend on the time of your train ticket.


DAY FACTS

  • MEALS: Breakfast
  • DIFFICULTY: Easy
  • ACTIVITY DURATION: 2 hours
  • MACHU PICCHU CITADEL ELEVATION: 2,430 m / 7,972 ft
  • OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES: Moderate to Challenging (2-4 hours)
  • MACHU PICCHU MOUNTAIN ELEVATION: 3,000 m / 9,843 ft
  • HUAYNA PICCHU MOUNTAIN ELEVATION: 2,720 m / 8,924 ft
  • HUCHUY PICCHU MOUNTAIN ELEVATION: 2,497 m / 8,192 ft

Inclusions

Services included and excluded from the trip.

¿What Is Included? 

Permits & Entrance Tickets

Machu Picchu Circuit 2 offers the most complete and popular route through the citadel, making it the most requested. Although included in this experience, availability is limited, so we strongly recommend booking at least three months in advance.

If Circuit 2 is unavailable, we will arrange Circuit 3-B, which explores the lower area of the citadel, including the urban sector and key ceremonial sites. If this is also sold out, Circuit 1-B will be arranged, covering mainly the upper panoramic area with the iconic postcard viewpoint.


High Quality Service & Safety

Pre-departure Briefing

Experienced Tour Guide

Our official tour guides speak English and Spanish and are professionally trained and certified. We choose them for their experience, responsibility, unbridled passion for exploring, and pride in sharing our culture and history. In every experience, they will keep you safe and comfortable so you can enjoy your time worry-free!

Medical Kit or First AID Kit

All Salkantay Trekking guides have received specialized training in first aid. We hold mandatory training sessions with our guides every February. Your guide will always carry a first aid kit to face basic emergencies (altitude sickness, travelers’ diarrhea, cuts, scrapes, etc.) as well as oxygen. If necessary, we’ll evacuate you from the path as quickly as possible and ensure that you arrive at a clinic for treatment.

Customer Service 24/7

We have telephone service available 24 hours/day for ease of communication with Salkantay Trekking leading up to your tour.


Accommodation

Hotel in Aguas Calientes

You will spend one night in a comfortable hotel in Aguas Calientes, including luggage storage while you visit Machu Picchu. Accommodation is in double, twin, and triple rooms.


Meals

  • Day 1: Buffet Lunch in the Sacred Valley and Dinner in Aguas Calientes Vegetarian, vegan, or special menus are available at no extra cost.
  • Day 2: Breakfast at the hotel


Transportation

Transfers

  • Day 1: You will be picked up from your hotel to explore the Sacred Valley. Then, you’ll be transported to Ollantaytambo train station, where you’ll take the train to Aguas Calientes.
  • Day 2: Transfer from Ollantaytambo train station to your hotel in Cusco.

Train Tickets

  • Day 1: From Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (Expedition Train).
  • Day 2: From Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (Expedition Train).

Round-Trip Bus Ticket Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu.


WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED? 

Boleto Turistico or Cusco Tourist Ticket

This ticket is required to access many of the most popular attractions in Cusco and the Sacred Valley, including archaeological sites and museums (Applies to Day 1).

  • From PEN 70.00 (US$ 20.00) to PEN 150.00 (US$ 45.00) per person.

Huayna Picchu Mountain

You can climb the famous mountain you always see in the photos behind the archaeological site of Machu Picchu. It’s 45 minutes uphill, and coming back down can be scary if you fear heights. You can take this excursion once your guided tour to Machu Picchu ends. The permit must be issued at least one month in advance due to high demand. Consider that there could be changes to protect your integrity, mainly due to weather conditions.

  • The ticket for Huayna Picchu Mountain has an extra cost of US$ 60.00 per person.

Machu Picchu Mountain

Machu Picchu Mountain is another of the mountains that surround the archaeological site of Machu Picchu. It offers less steep, wider, and visually less frightening trails than Huayna Picchu, and it takes 1.5 hours to reach the top. This walk requires an entrance ticket which we can secure for you if we have time in advance.

  • The ticket for Machu Picchu Mountain has an extra cost of US$ 60.00 per person.

Day 1: Breakfast

Day 2: Lunch in Aguas Calientes and Dinner in Cusco

Travel Insurance

Tips for our staff

Tipping is usual on any excursion to Peru. Although we pay good salaries to our team, something extra is always welcome.

Additional costs or delays beyond our control

Landslides, bad weather conditions, itinerary modifications due to a safety concern, illness, pandemic, government policy changes, political instability, strikes, acts of God, etc.

Before You Go

Practical information to help you prepare for the journey.

We want to make your trip to Peru as memorable and carefree as possible. In this section, you’ll find the answers to all your questions about traveling with Salkantay Trekking. Please read the following information carefully – it will also help you with any questions about our services.

Briefing or Informative Meeting

The evening before your trip, our staff will contact you to provide full instructions on the tour (between 6 to 8 p.m., by phone call and Whatsapp).

Please make sure you are available at that time. If not, please contact us by email or phone to schedule a different time or visit the Salkantay Trekking Office.

Trek Balance Payment (in Cusco)

The tour has to be paid in full at most 2 days before your departure. Otherwise, your reservation will not be confirmed.

It would be greatly appreciated if you pay the tour balance (US dollars or Peruvian soles) at our office in Cusco. You can withdraw money from several ATMs located in the historical center. We also accept payments by CARD or PAYPAL online, but please note this is subject to a 5% fee (charged by Niubiz and PayPal). We do not accept bank checks or traveler’s checks as payment methods.

Can I store my luggage at your office?

Of course! During the trip, you can store your main luggage for free at our office (arrange it with us on the briefing day or by email).

You can also safely keep any equipment you won’t need for the tour in your hotel. Almost every hotel offers this service. Please do not leave valuable items in your bags; put them in the hotel safe and ask for an itemized receipt (in the unlikely case of theft, many insurance companies require that you have a copy of the receipt). For extra peace of mind, place items like credit cards inside a sealed and signed envelope.

Pick up of guests

Please note:

  • All pickups are within Cusco City, but we recommend booking a hotel in the historic center for its convenient location.
  • Our guide or staff will confirm the pickup time the day before the tour.
  • Due to traffic conditions, the pickup time may vary between 30 and 45 minutes.
  • Cusco is an old city and has many narrow cobbled streets. Some hotels and Airbnbs are located on streets without car access or on long, steep slopes, making it difficult to transport luggage. For such reasons, we strongly advise you to book accommodation with good access.

Return to Cusco

Returning from Machu Picchu requires quite a bit of logistics, but don’t worry. Everything is included in your tour!

  • In Machu Picchu, you’ll board a bus that’ll take you for 25 minutes to the small city of Aguas Calientes. The buses are boarded according to arrival.
  • In Aguas Calientes, you’ll board a train to Ollantaytambo (or Poroy). Your guide will give you the train tickets where the boarding time will be shown. Make sure you’re on the platform 30 minutes early. The train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo takes 1:45 hours.
  • Once you arrive at the station, our representative, identified with the Salkantay Trekking clothing, will be waiting to transfer you to Cusco or directly to your hotel. The trip from Ollantaytambo to Cusco takes 1:30 hours.
  • In Cusco, depending on your hotel’s location, we’ll take you to a smaller car from our company (Hyundai H1) to transfer you faster to your hotel.

Group Tours

Group tours are made up of different people with varying physical conditions and ages. By agreeing to be part of a group tour, you acknowledge that some people may be faster or slower than you. Therefore, each person can go at their own pace on the route.

In some cases, a group may want to modify the tour; however, the guide will be the one who decides, after consulting with all participants, whether such changes are possible.

Strikes and demonstrations

Strikes and demonstrations are usually common in Peru, which may interrupt some of our tours. Roads and train tracks can be blocked or taken over. However, we will try to keep your trip as originally planned, even if it means leaving the night before the scheduled date.

In case of changes or cancellations, our operations department will coordinate everything with you. Your safety is our highest priority, and we will make our decisions to protect it.

Lost objects

Please pay attention to where you leave your belongings and remember to take everything once you leave a place or a transport. You’re the only one responsible for your objects during the tour.

Packing List

Recommended items for a comfortable and well-prepared trip.

  • Valid Passport
  • Extra money (recommended soles)
  • Personal medication
  • Water bottle or CamelBak – (optional water purifying pills)aa
  • Sunblock: factor 70 or more
  • Insect repellent
  • Personal Care Products
  • Hiking boots or shoes (preferably waterproof)
  • Light footwear or sandals
  • Trekking pants (*)
  • Trekking socks
  • Shorts
  • Waterproof gaiter
  • Long sleeve t-shirts
  • Warm jacket
  • Waterproof jacket
  • Raincoat or rain poncho
  • Sun hat to protect neck and face
  • Neck gaiter or buff
  • Sunglasses with UV protection
  • Trekking poles
  • Medium trekking backpack (15 - 25 liter)
  • Camera and charger
  • Power bank
  • Snacks: Energy bars, chocolate, candies, dried fruits, etc.
  • Bathing suit
  • Towel

Pricing

Rates and important commercial information for this tour.

Starting From US$ 500

per person

Frequently Asked Questions

General travel information for Inja Expeditions guests.

Booking with Inja Expeditions is simple. First, choose the tour or trekking experience you are interested in and send us your travel details, preferred date and number of passengers. Our team will confirm availability and provide the corresponding booking instructions. Once the required deposit or payment has been received, we will send you a confirmation with the details of your reservation. We recommend checking all passenger information carefully after receiving your confirmation.

For multi-day treks, the briefing allows you to meet your guide and review the most important details before departure. We will explain the itinerary, weather conditions, recommended equipment, pickup time, luggage arrangements and any specific considerations for your route. It is also a good opportunity to ask last-minute questions and make sure you are fully prepared for the experience.

For selected multi-day programs, luggage storage can be coordinated before departure. Travelers normally take only the items required for the trek and leave their main luggage securely stored until they return. Please confirm this service with our team before your departure, as arrangements may vary depending on the itinerary.

Water arrangements depend on the specific itinerary. For many multi-day treks, travelers should begin the first day with their own drinking water and additional safe water is provided or made available during the route. Your trip briefing will explain exactly how water is managed on your chosen trek. We strongly recommend carrying a reusable water bottle or hydration system.

Yes. We recommend carrying some Peruvian soles in cash, especially on trekking routes and in remote areas where cards may not be accepted. You may need cash for snacks, drinks, optional activities, local services, hot springs, tips or unexpected transportation. The amount you need will depend on the length and type of your trip.

Tips are completely optional and should reflect your satisfaction with the service you receive. If you feel your guide, cook, muleteers or support team provided excellent service, a gratuity is always appreciated. There is no mandatory amount, and our team can provide general guidance during the pre-trip briefing if you wish.

Group size depends on the tour, season and number of confirmed travelers. Inja Expeditions aims to keep groups comfortable so guides can provide personal attention and travelers can enjoy the experience without feeling part of an excessively large group. The expected group size can be confirmed before you book.

For trekking programs, you should carry a small daypack with the personal items you need during the day, such as water, sunscreen, rain protection, a warm layer, camera and snacks. Depending on the trek, Inja Expeditions may also provide or coordinate a duffel bag for additional belongings transported by the support team. Weight limits vary by route and will be explained before departure.

Electricity and internet access vary considerably between routes and campsites. Some accommodations or camps may offer charging points and limited Wi-Fi, sometimes for an additional fee, while remote sections may have no connectivity at all. We recommend bringing a fully charged power bank and downloading any important information before leaving Cusco.

A group tour allows you to share the experience with other travelers who have booked the same departure, making it a social and generally more economical option. A private tour is reserved exclusively for you and your companions, allowing greater flexibility with pace, attention from the guide and certain logistical details. Private tours are especially suitable for couples, families and groups of friends looking for a more personalized experience.

Bathroom and shower facilities depend on the route and the type of accommodation used each night. Some campsites provide basic bathroom facilities, while certain locations may offer hot showers for an additional local fee. On routes that include a hotel night, standard bathroom and shower facilities will normally be available. Please review your specific itinerary for exact details.

On certain trekking routes, especially Salkantay and Ausangate, horses may be available for assistance on specific sections of the trail. Availability depends on location, weather and local operators, so this service cannot always be guaranteed at every point of the trek. If you are concerned about your fitness or altitude, please let us know before departure so we can explain the available options.
Why you'll love it

Tour Highlights

Tour the Sacred Valley of the Incas and learn why this astounding place was so important to the ancient civilization.
Visit the Pisac and Ollantaytambo archaeological complexes and appreciate the beauty of the Inca architecture, the quality of its hydraulic engineering, and the impressive cultivation platforms.
Observe the incredibly beautiful Andes and the stunning landscapes throughout.
Explore one of the most energetic places on the planet, Machu Picchu. Discover its secrets and be in awe of the amazing architecture.
Travel along one of the prettiest railways in the world.
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