Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu
Two days, starting and ending in Cusco
- 2 days
- 3,762 m max
- Easy
- Cusco to Cusco
Chinchero, Moray and the Maras salt pans on day one, then Machu Picchu at your own pace on day two. No trekking.
Two days is the shortest sensible way to see the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu together. The alternative, a single very long day from Cusco, means four hours on a train and about ninety minutes at the citadel.
This way you cross the high ground while you are fresh, sleep low in Aguas Calientes, and walk into Machu Picchu in the morning rather than at the end of a day that started at four.
What you'll see
Chinchero and Moray
An Inca weaving town at 3,762 m, then the concentric terraces at Moray, which the Inca used to trial crops at different temperatures.
The Maras salt pans
Around 3,000 shallow pools stepped down a hillside, worked by the same families for generations and still harvested by hand.
Machu Picchu, unhurried
A full guided circuit rather than a rushed morning, because you slept in Aguas Calientes the night before.
Lunch in Urubamba
A proper Andean buffet in the valley, with vegetarian and vegan dishes as standard rather than on request.
One night at lower altitude
Aguas Calientes sits at 2,040 m. After a day at 3,762 m, most people sleep better for it.
Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu: 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, the Sacred Valley, and down to Aguas Calientes
A long but easy day. You cross the highest ground of the whole trip before lunch, then lose 1,700 m of altitude on the train.
- 06:30We collect you from your hotel or flat in Cusco. Pick-ups run until about 07:00.
- 08:30Chinchero — the weaving town, its colonial church built on Inca foundations, and the highest point you will stand on during these two days.
- 10:30Moray, where circular terraces drop into the ground like an amphitheatre. Each ring sits at a different temperature.
- 12:00The Maras salt pans, fed by a spring that has run salty since before the Inca.
- 13:30Buffet lunch in Urubamba.
- 16:00Ollantaytambo. You board the tourist train down the Urubamba gorge.
- 18:30Arrive in Aguas Calientes. We walk you to your hotel.
- Meals
- Lunch
- Night
- 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
Day 2
Machu Picchu, then back to Cusco
An early bus up, a full guided circuit, and an afternoon train back. You are in Cusco for dinner.
- 07:00Breakfast at the hotel, then the Consettur bus up the switchbacks to the citadel.
- 08:00Guided tour of Machu Picchu on Circuit 2, roughly two and a half hours.
- 11:00Free time inside the sanctuary, within the rules of your circuit.
- 14:30Train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo.
- 17:00Private transfer from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.
- 19:00Dropped near the Qoricancha on Avenida El Sol, or at Plaza Regocijo, depending on traffic.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Not included — you are back in Cusco
What the price covers
Before you set off
- Briefing at your hotel or over WhatsApp, whichever suits you
- Certified guide, English and Spanish, for both days
- Storage for your main luggage while you are away
The Sacred Valley
- Guided visits to Chinchero, Moray, the Maras salt pans and Ollantaytambo
- Every entrance fee for those four sites
- Buffet lunch in Urubamba
Trains and the night in Aguas Calientes
- Tourist-class train, Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes
- One night in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
- Breakfast on day two
- Tourist-class train, Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo
- Private transport, Ollantaytambo back to Cusco
Machu Picchu
- Return Consettur bus between Aguas Calientes and the citadel
- Your Circuit 2 entrance permit, secured when you book
- Guided tour of the citadel
Not included
- Breakfast on day one, before we collect you
- Dinner on day one in Aguas Calientes
- Lunch on day two, after the citadel
- Travel insurance
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
- Anything personal — snacks, souvenirs, drinks
Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
The peak behind the classic photograph. Permits are limited and go early.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
Higher and longer than Huayna Picchu, but less of a scramble.
- +£45
Vistadome train, one leg
Panoramic glass roof instead of the standard tourist carriage.
- +£40
Private guide at the citadel
Your own guide inside Machu Picchu rather than a shared group.
As a private trip
Your own guide and vehicle, on your dates. Per person — the more of you there are, the less it costs each.
| Group | Each |
|---|---|
| 2 people | £635 |
| 3 people | £605 |
| 4 people | £565 |
| 5 people | £520 |
| 6 people | £480 |
What to bring
Papers and the day bag
- Your original passport — they check it at the gate
- A small daypack
- A refillable water bottle
- Some cash for tips and the market stalls
Sun and skin
- High-factor sun cream
- Sunglasses with UV protection
- A sun hat
- Insect repellent for Aguas Calientes
- Any medication you take
Clothes
- T-shirts you can layer
- A light jacket for the morning
- A change of clothes for day two
- A rain poncho
Feet
- Comfortable walking shoes, already worn in
- Socks that breathe
Questions we get asked
Which Machu Picchu circuit will I be on?
Circuit 2, which is the one we would pick ourselves. It combines the classic view from above with a route through the Main Plaza and the Temple of the Three Windows. Circuit 1 is shorter and built around the panorama. Circuit 3 is the flattest, taking in the Temple of the Sun. You choose the circuit when you book and the Ministry of Culture does not allow changes afterwards, so it is worth a conversation before you commit.
Will the altitude be a problem?
This trip is gentler than it looks on paper. Chinchero, at 3,762 m, is the highest you will stand, and you are there before lunch on day one. By evening you are sleeping at 2,040 m in Aguas Calientes, and Machu Picchu itself is 2,430 m — nearly a kilometre lower than Cusco. If you have had a couple of days in Cusco first, most people are fine.
How far in advance should I book?
Further than you think. Machu Picchu releases a fixed number of permits per circuit per day, and the trains alongside them. In the May to September window, popular dates go months ahead. If you have fixed holiday dates, tell us early.
What are the different trains?
They all run the same track. Expedition is the standard tourist carriage with large windows and is what the price includes. Vistadome adds a glass roof, air conditioning and table service. The Hiram Bingham is a different proposition entirely — 1920s Pullman carriages, dinner and a bar, at a price to match. We can quote any of them.
What happens if it rains?
The tour runs. You are on the edge of the cloud forest, where rain arrives without much warning in any month, so we ask everyone to bring a poncho and dress in layers. Machu Picchu in mist is not a consolation prize.
I am vegetarian or vegan. Will there be food for me?
Yes, and not as an afterthought. The buffet in Urubamba always has several Peruvian vegetarian and vegan dishes. Tell us about coeliac disease or allergies when you book and we will arrange it ahead.
Where does the tour actually end?
In central Cusco at about 19:00, near the Qoricancha on Avenida El Sol or at Plaza Regocijo, depending on the traffic coming into the city. If you have a flight that evening, tell us before you book — it is usually too tight.
Ask us about Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu
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.