A Machu Picchu Tour In 2 Days
James Bustamante is Native to New York but born to Peruvian parents. He has been traveling throughout Latin America since early 2003 and finally made his home in Peru. James has made his way by eating and traveling through almost every country in Central and South America.
Last Updated on July 31, 2023 by James Bustamante
A Machu Picchu Tour 2 Days is one of travelers’ most requested trip itineraries. It includes an overnight stay in the small town of Aguas Calientes before visiting the Inca citadel and taking the Machu Picchu hike. Below we go over in detail what a 2-day tour itinerary looks like, what activities take place, and the timestamps of when we will arrive and return.
2 Day Machu Picchu Tour Outline
We begin by putting together the brief outline of a 2-day tour to Machu Picchu. Check out the step-by-step itinerary listed below.
Itinerary
- Cusco Pickup and transportation to the Ollantaytambo Train station.
- Train ride via PeruRail to Aguas Calientes.
- Arrival to Aguas Calientes – Exploration of the town – Overnight stay.
- Shuttle to Machu Picchu
- Machu Picchu Tour
- Additional Hiking Routes in Machu Picchu
- Return to Aguas Calientes
- Train to Cusco
Day 1 of Machu Picchu Tour 2 Days
On day one, we begin our trip in the Inca capital of Cusco, Peru. Transportation will be set to pick you up at 5:00 am. This day is focused on travel and exploration of a couple of towns.
It All Starts in Cusco
Cusco was the capital of the Inca empire and still houses its descendants today. If you have a day or two to spend in Cusco before the Machu Picchu Tour 2-day tour, we suggest taking a Cusco city tour. The full-day experience starts bright and early with a pickup at your hotel at 8:20 am and ends in the Cusco city center by 6:00 pm.
The Cusco tour will include visits to museums, cathedrals, and Inca places of worship within the city. The tour also includes touring the rural areas surrounding the city, Inca ruins, and fortresses like Sacsayhuaman.
Train to Aguas Calientes
We arrive at the town of Ollantaytambo at 6:45 am and head to the train station to check in and wait for boarding. If you are still tired from the early pick-up, you can visit the coffee shops and stores scattered around the station. You can also walk around the town and visit one of the local coffee shops. Both the station and the town itself have good coffee and local snacks you can have while you wait for the boarding call.
Ollantaytambo has an impressive set of ruins that include a sundial. If you have a few extra days to spend in the area, a trip to Ollantaytambo to see the ruins would be a great addition to your itinerary. It is part of a full-day tour that includes other ruins in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Once we finally board the train, the person in charge will help you find your seat. The ride from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes will take 1 hour and 45 minutes. Take this time to relax and take plenty of pictures of the Urubamba landscapes. This train ride is considered one of the most beautiful in the world, so take this time to practice your photography skills. As we ride to a lower elevation, the surrounding views change from highland to cloud forest in minutes.
Overnight Stay in Aguas Calientes
We reached Aguas Calientes by 9:45 am. Upon arriving at the tiny town of Aguas Calientes, you immediately notice how different the humidity levels and scenery are from the highland city of Cusco. Most travelers with issues adapting to Cusco’s dry and high-altitude position might feel immediate relief upon leaving the train.
This is mainly due to the elevation change between the two destinations. Aguas Calientes feels and looks more like a rainforest than a town in the highlands of Peru. The fact is that this precise location is considered a “cloud forest,” which is a point where the Andes mountains merge with the Amazon rainforest. This creates a unique and much more comfortable area. You still have mountains; however, much more greenery and wildlife surround you.
Once leaving the train station, we will walk to the hotel to check in and leave our luggage behind. Take the rest of the day to explore this tiny town; if you have time, visit the hot springs that are a 10-minute from the village center.
If you need anything, such as insect repellent or sunblock, you can visit one of the many stores or drug stores that are located on just about every corner. Many restaurants also serve local cuisine and more international dishes like burgers and pizza if you aren’t feeling brave. There is a wide assortment of vegetarian and vegan options as well.
After we are done exploring Aguas Calientes, you can head over to your hotel and relax for the day. Get a good night’s sleep because our Machu Picchu tour starts at 7:00 am the following day.
Day 2 of Machu Picchu Tour 2 Days
Day 2 of the Machu Picchu tour in 2 days is focused on exploring the stone city of the Inca. This touring day begins early with transportation to Machu Picchu fro Aguas Calientes. In the afternoon, after the expedition in Machu Picchu, we take a return train to Cusco.
Shuttle to Machu Picchu
Our guide and the rest of the group will pick you up at your hotel by 5:45 am. Make sure to have a good breakfast at your hotel, though we have a full day of exploration ahead of us, and you will need the energy.
The shuttle will have everyone aboard by 6:15 am, and we will depart Aguas Calientes by 6:30 am. The drive up the mountain takes us on a winding path that permits some truly magnificent photography of the valley below and the mountains surrounding us.
The ride will take around 20 – 25 minutes, depending on weather conditions in the valley. Once we reach the entrance gates of Machu Picchu, we will quickly get off the bus and wait for the guide to organize the group.
Guided Machu Picchu Tour
We will finally enter Inca City by 7:00 am. The guided tour of the complex is indeed an exciting event and the culmination of traveling all the way to this off-the-beaten-path location. We start by having the guide check your tickets at the gate; make sure to have your passport on hand so the clerks can match your permit with your identification.
Once we are in the complex, the guide will walk you through the entrance path, where we will catch our first glimpse of Machu Picchu. The entire guided tour will last 2.5 hours, and the guide will take you through several floors, temples, and places of worship that the Inca used. Some of the impressive Inca ruins you will see included in this Peru tour package are:
- The Temple of The Sun
- The Temple of The Condor
- The Temple of the Three Windows
- The IntiPunku Sundial
Once the guided tour is finished, you will have time to explore the city on your own, or if you made a reservation, take one of the additional hiking routes in the Machu Picchu complex.
Additional Machu Picchu Hiking Routes
You can take two additional hiking routes once you finish your Machu Picchu guided tour. Both are quite popular, and both need additional permits to be booked at least 30 – 60 days in advance to ensure availability.
The first is the hike to Huayna Picchu (Wayna Picchu), a steep hike up a set of stairs (called the stairs of death). The entire hike is very vertical and is not recommended for anyone afraid of heights. The trek up to the peak will take almost two hours and allow you to visit the temple of the moon.
The next hike is the Machu Picchu mountain trek which also takes around 2 hours to complete. This route seems like a minor climb; however, the elevation is superior to Huayna Picchu.
It can be described as a winding hike up the mountainous path with lovely views. Once you reach the top, you can look down on Machu Picchu and see Huayna Picchu across the landscape.
Amazing photography possibilities exist for anyone with the stamina to take on one of these additional mountain peaks.
Return to Aguas Calientes
Once we finish with our full day in Machu Picchu, we leave the complex, our shuttle will be waiting for our group and will take us back to Aguas Calientes.
Make sure to have your passport stamped at the gate, and it might be your only chance ever to have a Machu Picchu stamp on your passport. We leave by 1:20 pm and arrive back in Aguas Calientes by 1:40 pm. Take the next two hours to get lunch at one of the Aguas Calientes restaurants.
Train to Cusco
We board the return train to Cusco by 3:30 pm and head back up to the Peruvian highlands for almost two hours before reaching our destination.
The ride back is also quite beautiful, but since the afternoon and evening set quickly, the views are not as visually appealing as on the previous ride. We reached Cusco by 5:30 pm, at this time, you will head back to your hotel in order to get a well-deserved rest.
Conclusion
A Machu Picchu tour in 2 days gives you an extra 24 hours to focus on travel in comparison to the Machu Picchu day trip. It is a more versatile package that will permit the trip to not seem rushed at all. For more information on Machu Picchu travel options, contact our expert travel advisers today!
