Day 1: Cusco – KM 104 – Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes.
At 3:40 am, our staff will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco to take you to Ollantaytambo train station. Then you will journey by train to the start of the Short Inca Trail 2-day, KM – 104 of the railroad, where you will pass the control accompanied by your authorized official guide for the Inca Trail.
Start to enjoy your adventure visiting the archaeological site of Chachabamba, then continue on an ascending path until you reach Wiñaywayna another beautiful archeological center strategically located. Here, take a short break to enjoy your cold lunch and then continue among the humid forest enjoying the abundance of biodiversity (flora and fauna) until you reach the highest point of the route, sun gate (2,720 meters / 8,922 feet).
From Sun gate, appreciate the scenic beauty of the Andes, steep mountains covered with the green and white mantle, deep valleys formed by the Urubamba River. Also, marvel at the first impact of the Inca city of Machupicchu.
After all, go down to the main gate of Machu Picchu to board the bus to Aguas Calientes. At 18:30 hours, your guide will take you to an excellent restaurant for you to enjoy Peruvian food and finally spend the night in a 2-star hotel or in another category.
Shuttle to Ollantaytambo Kilometer 104: 2½ hour by bus from Cusco.
Walking Distance: 11km. / 6.7 mile.
Trekking Time: 6½ to 7 hour approximately.
Climate: Moderate
Acomodation: Hostel.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner.
Maximum Altitude: 2730 masl. / 8792 ft Inti Punku (sun gate).
Minimum Altitude: 2100 masl. / 6900 ft.
DAY 2: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Cusco
After an early morning breakfast, we continue hiking the Inca Trail for about 2 hours up to the mysterious city of Machu Picchu that we enter for the early morning best photos opportunities. Then our Tour Guide shows us around the Incan city and explains us about its history and purposes. After the guided tour, we are given the opportunity to climb up for about 45 minutes to Huayna Picchu or to Machu Picchu Mountain (peaks above Machu Picchu serving to take some panoramic pictures of the Inka city). Then, we are given time off to spend and explore Machu Picchu on our own.
The 2 day Inca Trail ends up with a train ride to Ollantaytambo (alternatively to Poroy), from where we are taken by van back to Cusco.
Machu Picchu is both, the best and the least known site of the Incas as it is not mentioned in any Spanish conquistador´s chronicle so that contemporary archaeologists can not do anything more than just speculate on its functions. Local Quechuan farmers had known about Machu Picchu for centuries before an 11-year-old boy showed the American historian Hiram Bingham (who was in a search of Vilcabamba) this site on the 24th of July 1911. At that time, all the rest of the world became aware of its existence. However, the site was covered with thick vegetation so Hiram Bingham along with his team returned and within the years of 1912 and 1915 cleared its surface. Over the years, plenty of work has been done on excavating and studying the site. Despite these efforts, many unanswered questions remain.
Distance Travelled: 6 Km. / 3.7 mile
Hiking time: 3 to 4 hours approximately.
Machu Picchu guided tour: 2½ hour.
Climate: tropical warm.
Shuttle to Cusco:3 hours by train and bus from Aguas Calientes to Cusco.
Meals: Breakfast.
Maximum Altitude: 2429 masl / 7972 ft.
Minimum Altitude: 2040 masl / 6692 ft.
