Short Inca Trail with Camping, 2 Days
Km 104 to the Sun Gate, then a tent by the Urubamba instead of a hotel
- 2 days
- 2,700 m max
- Moderate
- Cusco to Cusco
The final stretch of the Inca Trail from Km 104, through Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna to the Sun Gate and into the citadel in the late afternoon. Then a night camped by the Urubamba and a second visit on a different circuit the next morning.
The short Inca Trail is the best value walk in Peru — one day on original Inca paving, the arrival through the Sun Gate that only trail permits allow, and none of the camping at 4,000 m that the four-day trek involves.
This version keeps the camping but puts it in the right place. Instead of a hotel room in Aguas Calientes, you sleep in a tent near the Urubamba, with the camp pitched and dinner cooked before you arrive. It costs less than the hotel version and, for people who came to Peru to be outside, it is the better night.
The two citadel visits are the part worth understanding. An Inca Trail permit brings you in on Circuit 1, the panoramic upper route. Circuit 3 the next morning is the lower sector — the temples and fountains. Most visitors have to pick one.
What you'll see
Two entries to the citadel
Circuit 1 in the late afternoon on day one, arriving on foot through the Sun Gate when the site has thinned out, and Circuit 3 with a guide the next morning.
Camping, not a hotel
The night is spent in a tent near the Urubamba with the camp already pitched and a chef cooking. Quieter and cheaper than a room in Aguas Calientes.
Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna
The two Inca sites on this stretch, the second of them among the finest on the whole trail.
Picnic meals cooked on the trail
A trekking chef makes breakfast and lunch fresh on the route rather than handing out a boxed sandwich.
One day of walking
Ten kilometres and six to seven hours, all of it on day one. The rest of the trip is the citadel.
The Vistadome home
The panoramic train back to Ollantaytambo and a private transfer to your hotel.
Short Inca Trail with Camping, 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
Km 104, Wiñay Wayna, the Sun Gate and the citadel
Ten kilometres and six to seven hours. Collection at 04:00 in Cusco or 05:30 near Ollantaytambo, the Expedition train to Km 104, then the climb to 2,700 m and down into Machu Picchu through Inti Punku in the afternoon.
- Meals
- Picnic breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping near the Urubamba, 2,000 m
Day 2
Machu Picchu with a guide, then home
Coffee at the tent and breakfast at camp, then the bus up for the guided visit on Circuit 3 — temples, plazas, terraces and sacred spaces. Lunch in Aguas Calientes at your own choosing, then the Vistadome train. You are at your hotel around 19:30.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Not included — you are back in Cusco
What the price covers
Before you set off
- Safety briefing the day before the trek
- Collection from and return to your hotel in Cusco
- All transport across the two days
- Professional English-speaking guide
Trains, buses and permits
- Expedition train from Ollantaytambo to Km 104
- Return on the comfortable Vistadome train
- Return bus between Aguas Calientes and the citadel
- Inca Trail permit and Machu Picchu entrance on Circuit 1, for day one
- A second Machu Picchu entrance on Circuit 3, for day two
The camp
- One night camping near the Urubamba, with the tents pitched before you arrive
- Dining tent with tables and chairs
- Comfortable sleeping tents and a sponge mattress
- Porter support for the camp and the logistics
- Satellite phone, first-aid kit and oxygen
Meals
- Picnic breakfast and picnic lunch on the trail, cooked by a trekking chef
- Dinner at camp
- Breakfast at camp on day two
Not included
- Lunch on day two, after the citadel
- A sleeping bag, trekking poles and an inflatable mattress, all available to hire
- Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain
- Travel insurance
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
Short Inca Trail with Camping, 2 Days: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£15
Sleeping bag hire
The camp is low, at 2,000 m, but the nights are still cool. Worth hiring rather than packing one.
- +£15
Trekking poles
A pair for the trek. The descent from the Sun Gate is steep.
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
About two hours there and back, on the morning of day two.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
About three hours there and back, on a broader path.
What to bring
Papers and money
- The original passport your permit was issued against
- Your student card, if you are claiming a reduced rate
- Cash in soles for lunch on day two and tips
- Your medication and any personal first aid
On your back
- A daypack of 20 to 30 litres — everything you need for two days goes in it
- A refillable water bottle
- A head torch for the camp
- A camera and a power bank
Clothes
- Walking boots or trail shoes, broken in before you fly
- Trekking trousers and hiking socks
- A fleece for the early start and the evening
- A waterproof jacket or a poncho
- A change of clothes for day two
Sun and skin
- High-factor sun cream
- Sunglasses with UV protection and a sun hat
- Insect repellent, which the cloud forest demands
- Lip balm
Questions we get asked
How is this different from the short trail with a hotel?
The walking is the same — Km 104, Chachabamba, Wiñay Wayna, the Sun Gate, and the citadel twice. The night is the difference. This version camps near the river with tents pitched and a chef cooking. The hotel version puts you in a room in Aguas Calientes with a hot shower. This one costs less and is a better night for anyone who actually likes camping; the other is the obvious choice if you do not.
How hard is the walking?
Ten kilometres and six to seven hours, climbing from about 2,000 m to 2,700 m at the Sun Gate on Inca staircases. Moderate, and all of it on day one. There is no altitude problem — the highest point is well below Cusco.
Why do I get two circuits?
Because the Inca Trail entry and an ordinary entry are different tickets. You come through the Sun Gate on Circuit 1, which gives the observatories and the panoramic views, and you return the next morning on Circuit 3 for the lower citadel — the Temple of the Sun, the Twelve Niches, the storehouses and the Temple of the Condor. Two visits, two entirely different halves of the site.
What time does the day actually start?
Collection at about 04:00 from a Cusco hotel, or about 05:30 if you are staying near Ollantaytambo, to make the early train. Staying in the Sacred Valley the night before buys you an hour and a half in bed and we can arrange it.
Do I need a permit?
Yes. The short trail uses the same government permit system as the four-day trek, issued in your name and tied to one date. There are fewer permits than people assume and in high season they go months ahead.
Is the trail ever closed?
Every February, for maintenance, along with the rest of the Inca Trail network. Machu Picchu itself stays open, so we would move you to a train itinerary rather than lose the trip.
What is the camp actually like?
Tents already standing when you get there, sleeping tents with a sponge mattress, a dining tent with tables and chairs, and a chef. Bring or hire a sleeping bag — it is not included.
How much luggage can I bring?
A daypack, and no more. Your main luggage stays in Cusco. There is no porter service carrying personal gear on this itinerary, so pack for two days and nothing else.
Ask us about Short Inca Trail with Camping, 2 Days
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