Luxury Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu, 2 Days
Chinchero, Moray and Maras privately, then the citadel and the Observatory train
- 2 days
- 3,762 m max
- Easy
- Cusco to Cusco
Two days run entirely privately — the upper Sacred Valley through Chinchero, Moray and the Maras salt pans with a chef-prepared picnic lunch, a four-star hotel at the foot of the citadel, and Machu Picchu the next morning with your own guide before the Vistadome Observatory train.
The two-day Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu trip is the most popular itinerary in Peru for a good reason: it is the shortest way to see both properly. This is that trip run as a private one.
The route is the upper valley — Chinchero, Moray, the Maras salt pans, Ollantaytambo — and the difference is in how the day feels. No coach, no fixed forty minutes at each site, and a lunch a chef has prepared and laid out somewhere worth sitting rather than a buffet with four vehicles outside.
The second morning is the one that matters. A private guide inside the citadel sets a pace that suits you and answers your questions, which on a site as busy as Machu Picchu is worth more than it sounds.
What you'll see
Private only
This itinerary is not sold as a group departure. Your guide, your driver and your vehicle, on your timings, for both days.
Chinchero and its weavers
The weaving town at 3,762 m, with Inca terraces and a colonial church built on an Inca palace, and a women's cooperative still using natural dyes and alpaca wool.
Moray and the Maras salt pans
Concentric terraces the Inca used to trial crops, and thousands of hand-worked salt pools stepped down a hillside. Both at your own pace.
A picnic lunch made by a chef
Laid out somewhere in the valley worth sitting in, with fresh local ingredients, rather than a buffet stop.
A four-star hotel at the foot of the citadel
You sleep in Aguas Calientes and go up in the morning rather than trying to do everything in one day from Cusco.
The Observatory train home
Panoramic glass, an open-air carriage, music and refreshments on the return leg.
Luxury Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu, 2 Days: day by day
Times are what we actually aim for, not a best case. Traffic into Cusco and the train timetable move them by a little.
Day 1
Cusco through the upper valley to Aguas Calientes
Private pickup in Cusco and a day through the upper Sacred Valley — Chinchero and the weaving cooperative, Moray, the Maras salt pans and Ollantaytambo — with a chef-prepared picnic lunch, then the train down to Aguas Calientes.
- Meals
- Picnic lunch and dinner
- Night
- Four-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
Day 2
Machu Picchu, then the Observatory train
Breakfast at the hotel, the bus up, and the citadel with your private guide on the best circuit available for your date. Lunch near Machu Picchu, then the Vistadome Observatory train and a private vehicle back to your hotel in Cusco.
- Meals
- Breakfast and lunch
- Night
- Not included — you are back in Cusco
What the price covers
Private service
- Private pickup from your hotel in Cusco
- Private transport for the valley day and the return from Ollantaytambo
- A private professional guide for both days
- Full coordination and support throughout
The Sacred Valley
- Guided visits to Chinchero, Moray, the Maras salt pans and Ollantaytambo
- A visit to a women's weaving cooperative in Chinchero
- A chef-prepared picnic lunch in the valley
Trains, buses and the citadel
- Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes
- Return bus between Aguas Calientes and the citadel
- Machu Picchu entrance, with Circuit 2 requested by default
- A private guided tour inside the citadel
- Lunch near Machu Picchu after the visit
- Vistadome Observatory train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo
The night
- A handpicked four-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
- Dinner in Aguas Calientes and breakfast at the hotel
Not included
- Any meal not named in the itinerary
- Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain
- Hotel upgrades or special room categories unless agreed in advance
- Travel insurance
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
Luxury Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu, 2 Days: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
About two hours there and back on day two. Book well ahead.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
About three hours there and back, on a broader path.
What to bring
Papers and money
- Your original passport — checked at the citadel gate and on the train
- Cash in soles for the weavers at Chinchero and for tips
- Your medication and any personal first aid
Day to day
- A small daypack, 25 litres at most for inside the sanctuary
- A refillable water bottle
- A camera and a power bank
- An overnight bag for one night
Clothes
- Comfortable walking shoes, already worn in
- Layers — Chinchero at 3,762 m is cold in the morning and Aguas Calientes is warm
- A fleece or light jacket
- A rain poncho
Sun and skin
- High-factor sun cream
- Sunglasses with UV protection and a sun hat
- Insect repellent for Aguas Calientes
- Lip balm
Questions we get asked
How does this compare with your standard Sacred Valley trip?
The standard two-day trip covers Chinchero, Moray, the salt pans and Ollantaytambo in a shared group, with a buffet lunch and a three-star hotel, and finishes with the ordinary tourist train. This one runs the same ground privately, with a picnic lunch cooked by a chef, a four-star hotel and the Observatory train home, and a private guide inside the citadel. Same route, considerably different day.
Is it really only sold privately?
Yes. There is no group version of this itinerary, so the price is per person on a private departure and it falls as your party grows. Tell us how many of you there are when you enquire.
How much walking is there?
Graded easy. Chinchero, Moray, Maras and Ollantaytambo all involve walking on uneven Inca ground, and the citadel has a fair number of steps, but the distances are short and the vehicle does the travelling.
Does the altitude matter?
Chinchero at 3,762 m is the highest ground and you are there in the morning of day one, before descending all day. You sleep at 2,040 m in Aguas Calientes and the citadel is 2,430 m — both well below Cusco. Give yourself a couple of nights in Cusco beforehand and this trip is the easy part.
Which circuit will I get?
We request Circuit 2, the most complete route, by default. If it has sold out we secure the best remaining route and tell you which. The Ministry of Culture controls the allocation and caps it daily.
Can I add a peak?
Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, one or the other, booked well in advance and subject to your entry time. Ask when you enquire so we can check it against your date.
When should I book?
Three to four months ahead for May to September, driven by the citadel ticket rather than the hotel.
Ask us about Luxury Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu, 2 Days
Tell us your dates and we'll come back with availability, the circuit we'd recommend, and a firm price. No deposit to ask, and we answer within one working day.