Sacred Valley & Short Inca Trail, 3 Days
Pisac, Moray and Maras, then Km 104 to the Sun Gate
- 3 days
- 3,300 m max
- Moderate
- Cusco to Cusco
A full day in the Sacred Valley — Pisac, Moray, the Maras salt pans and Ollantaytambo — then the Short Inca Trail from Km 104 to the Sun Gate, and a guided morning inside the citadel. Two hotel nights, no camping, and the citadel twice.
Three days is not long in Cusco, and most people spend them choosing between the Sacred Valley and a trek. This itinerary refuses the choice.
Day one is the full valley circuit — Pisac and its market, Moray, the Maras salt pans, Ollantaytambo — finishing with a hotel in the valley rather than a drive back to Cusco. Day two is the Short Inca Trail from Km 104, thirteen kilometres of original road ending at the Sun Gate in the afternoon light. Day three is the citadel with a guide, on a different circuit from the one you arrived on.
The catch is the permit. This trip depends on a government Inca Trail permit in your name, and those sell out months ahead between May and September. Everything else here can be arranged at short notice. That cannot.
What you'll see
The two things people come to Cusco for
The Sacred Valley circuit and the Inca Trail arrival, in three days, without a tent. Very few itineraries manage both.
Moray and the Maras salt pans
Concentric agricultural terraces where the Inca trialled crops, and thousands of hand-worked salt pools stepped down a hillside.
Km 104 to the Sun Gate
Thirteen kilometres of original Inca road through Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna, reaching Inti Punku in the late afternoon when the citadel has emptied.
Machu Picchu twice
Circuit 1 on arrival through the Sun Gate on day two, then a two-and-a-half-hour guided visit on Circuit 3 the next morning.
You sleep in Ollantaytambo
Night one is in the valley rather than back in Cusco, so day two starts late enough to be civilised and you are already near the station.
Picnic meals on the trail
Breakfast and lunch on the Inca Trail cooked by a trekking chef, not handed out in a box.
Sacred Valley & Short Inca Trail, 3 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
The Sacred Valley, ending in Ollantaytambo
About nine hours, all of it easy and most of it in a vehicle. An alpaca farm, the Taray viewpoint, the Pisac ruins and market, a buffet lunch, then Moray, the Maras salt pans and the living Inca town of Ollantaytambo.
- Meals
- Buffet lunch
- Night
- Hotel in Ollantaytambo
Day 2
Km 104, Wiñay Wayna, the Sun Gate and the citadel
Thirteen kilometres and six to seven hours, climbing to 2,720 m. The Expedition train from Ollantaytambo to Km 104, a picnic breakfast at the checkpoint, Chachabamba, the climb to Wiñay Wayna, and the Sun Gate in the afternoon.
- Meals
- Picnic breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner
- Night
- 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
Day 3
Machu Picchu with a guide, then home
The bus up for a guided visit of about two and a half hours on the lower circuit — temples, terraces and sacred spaces — with an optional peak if you booked one. Then the Vistadome train and a van back to Cusco.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Not included — you are back in Cusco
What the price covers
The Sacred Valley day
- Collection from your hotel in Cusco at 07:00
- An alpaca farm, the Taray viewpoint, the Pisac ruins and market
- Moray, the Maras salt pans and Ollantaytambo
- Every entrance fee for the Sacred Valley sites
- Buffet lunch in the valley
- One night in a comfortable hotel in Ollantaytambo
The Inca Trail day
- Expedition train from Ollantaytambo to Km 104
- Your Inca Trail permit and Machu Picchu entrance on Circuit 1
- Picnic breakfast and picnic lunch cooked on the trail
- Dinner in Aguas Calientes
- One night in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
The citadel and home
- A second Machu Picchu entrance on Circuit 3 for the guided morning visit
- Three bus journeys between Aguas Calientes and the citadel
- Return on the panoramic Vistadome train, and a van to Cusco
Throughout
- Professional English-speaking guide for all three days
- All transport across the three days
- Safety briefing, first-aid kit, oxygen and communications support
Not included
- Any meal not named in the itinerary
- Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain
- Travel insurance
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
- Anything personal — drinks, souvenirs, the hot springs
Sacred Valley & Short Inca Trail, 3 Days: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
About two hours there and back on day three. Book well ahead.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
About three hours there and back, on a broader path.
What to bring
Papers and money
- The original passport your Inca Trail permit was issued against
- Cash in soles for the market at Pisac and for tips
- Your medication and any personal first aid
On your back
- A daypack of 20 to 30 litres for the trail day
- A refillable water bottle
- A camera and a power bank
- An overnight bag for two hotel nights
Clothes
- Walking boots or trail shoes with grip for day two
- Comfortable clothes you can layer for the valley day
- A fleece for the mornings and evenings
- A waterproof jacket or a poncho
Sun and skin
- High-factor sun cream — the UV at 3,300 m is unlike anything at home
- Sunglasses with UV protection and a sun hat
- Insect repellent for Aguas Calientes
- Lip balm
Questions we get asked
Who is this trip for?
People with about a week in Cusco who want both the Sacred Valley and a real Inca Trail arrival, and who do not want to camp. It is the most efficient three days on this site. What it is not is a trek — there is one day of walking, on day two.
How hard is the walking day?
Thirteen kilometres and six to seven hours, climbing from about 2,000 m to 2,720 m on Inca staircases. Moderate. Altitude is not a factor — the highest point of the walk is well below Cusco. The highest ground of the whole trip is on day one in the valley, at about 3,300 m, and you are in a vehicle for most of it.
Why do I get two entries to the citadel?
Because an Inca Trail arrival and an ordinary visit are separate tickets. You come through the Sun Gate on Circuit 1, the panoramic upper route, on day two. On day three you go back in on Circuit 3 for the lower citadel — the Temple of the Sun, the Twelve Niches, the storehouses and the Temple of the Condor. Most visitors see one or the other.
Do I need an Inca Trail permit?
Yes. The short trail uses the same government permits as the four-day trek, issued in your name and tied to one date. In the May to September window they go months ahead, so this itinerary needs booking well before you fly.
Is the trail ever closed?
Every February, for maintenance. Machu Picchu itself stays open, so we would rework the trip around the train rather than cancel it.
Why does night one have to be in Ollantaytambo?
Because the Km 104 train leaves early and Ollantaytambo is the station. Sleeping in the valley rather than going back to Cusco turns a four o'clock start into a reasonable one, and it is one of the better decisions in this itinerary.
How does this compare with your Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu two-day trip?
The two-day trip covers Chinchero, Moray and the salt pans and reaches the citadel by train. This one covers more of the valley — Pisac and the market as well — and reaches the citadel on foot through the Sun Gate, which no train ticket allows. It costs more, takes a day longer, and needs a permit booked months in advance.
Is there much walking on day one?
Not much. Pisac, Moray, Maras and Ollantaytambo all involve walking around sites on uneven ground, but the distances are short and the vehicle does the work. It is graded easy.
Ask us about Sacred Valley & Short Inca Trail, 3 Days
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