The Short Inca Trail
Two days on the original stone road, from Km 104 to the Sun Gate
- 2 days
- 2,720 m max
- Moderate
- Cusco to Cusco
The last twelve kilometres of the Inca Trail in a single day, through Wiñay Wayna to the Sun Gate, then a hotel bed in Aguas Calientes and the citadel with a guide the next morning. No camping, no 4,000 m pass.
The Inca Trail has a reputation for being a four-day commitment, and that reputation keeps a lot of people off it who would have loved the walk. The short trail exists for exactly those people.
You join the road at Km 104, where the train stops in the middle of nowhere and lets you off, and you walk the final stretch — the part with Wiñay Wayna on it, and the part that ends at the Sun Gate. It is one day’s effort rather than four, the highest ground is lower than Cusco, and you sleep in a hotel.
What it is not is a lesser arrival. Inti Punku can only be reached on foot from the trail, so however full Machu Picchu is the following morning, you will have seen it first from above, from the road it was built to be approached along.
What you'll see
You walk in through the Sun Gate
Inti Punku is reached on foot or not at all, and only from the trail. Everyone arriving by train sees the citadel from below. You see it from above, first.
Wiñay Wayna to yourself
The finest ruin on the whole trail — terraces, fountains and ritual buildings stacked down a mountainside — and on a weekday afternoon there may be a dozen people there.
One day of walking, not four
Six to seven hours on day one and that is the hard part over. No second dawn start, no 4,215 m pass, no third night in a tent.
A hotel and a hot shower
You come off the trail, get on a bus, and are in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes by evening with dinner booked.
Two goes at the citadel
The upper terraces in the late afternoon light of day one, when the crowds have gone, and a full guided tour at sunrise on day two.
The Short Inca Trail: 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 and the Sun Gate
Twelve kilometres and six to seven hours on the trail, climbing from 2,000 m to 2,720 m and finishing by walking into Machu Picchu from above.
- 03:45We collect you from your hotel or flat in Cusco. Pick-ups run until about 04:15, and we can collect from the Sacred Valley instead.
- 05:45Ollantaytambo station at 2,792 m, an hour and three quarters through Chinchero and down into the valley.
- 06:40The train along the Urubamba, about ninety minutes, to a request stop in the middle of nowhere.
- 08:10Km 104. You meet your guide, warm up, and present permits at the Chachabamba checkpoint, where the rangers check every name.
- 08:45Chachabamba itself, a small ritual site by the river, then the climb begins.
- 12:00Wiñay Wayna at about 2,700 m, after three hours of ascent. Your box lunch, carried up from Km 104, is eaten among the terraces.
- 13:00Two hours on a broadly level path along the mountainside towards Inti Punku.
- 15:00The Sun Gate at 2,720 m, and the view down onto the citadel. Then a forty-five minute descent into the site.
- 16:00The upper terraces for the classic photograph, with the day's crowds already leaving and, if the weather holds, the sun going down behind you.
- 17:30Bus down to Aguas Calientes, thirty minutes, and into your hotel at 2,050 m.
- 19:00Dinner at a restaurant in town, included, and the plan for the morning agreed with your guide.
- Meals
- Box lunch and dinner
- Night
- 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
Day 2
The citadel at sunrise, then back to Cusco
On the first buses, two and a half hours inside with your guide, and an afternoon of trains and transfers. No walking beyond the site itself.
- 05:00Early breakfast at the hotel.
- 05:30The first Consettur buses, twenty-five minutes up the zigzag road.
- 06:00Into the sanctuary as it opens, with the sun coming up over the ridge you walked along yesterday.
- 06:30Guided tour of the citadel, about two and a half hours across the temples, plazas and terraces.
- 09:00Bus back down, free time in Aguas Calientes, and lunch wherever you fancy.
- 14:30The panoramic tourist train to Ollantaytambo, departing somewhere between 14:30 and 15:20.
- 16:00Your driver is waiting outside the station with your name on a sign.
- 17:45Dropped at your hotel in Cusco.
- 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
- Collection from your hotel or flat in Cusco, or from Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, Yucay, Pisac or Calca
- Private transport to Ollantaytambo station
- Free storage of your main luggage at our Cusco office for the two days
Permits, entry and guiding
- Every government permit required for the Short Inca Trail, issued in your name
- Machu Picchu entrance, including access to the classic panoramic viewpoint
- Certified bilingual guide, English and Spanish, on the trail and in the citadel
Trains and buses
- Tourist train from Ollantaytambo to the Km 104 trailhead
- Consettur bus down from the citadel to Aguas Calientes on day one
- Consettur bus up and down again on day two
- Panoramic tourist train from Aguas Calientes back to Ollantaytambo
- Private transfer from Ollantaytambo to your hotel in Cusco
The night and the meals
- One night in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
- Box lunch carried with you on the trail
- Dinner at a restaurant in Aguas Calientes on day one
- Breakfast at the hotel on day two
Not included
- Breakfast on day one, before we collect you
- Lunch on day two, in Aguas Calientes
- Bottled water, extra snacks and drinks
- Travel insurance
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Anything personal — souvenirs, the hot springs, laundry
The Short Inca Trail: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£45
Vistadome train, one leg
Panoramic glass roof and table service on the return instead of the standard carriage.
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
The peak behind the citadel, climbed on day two. A separate permit, booked well ahead.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
Higher and longer than Huayna Picchu, but a broader path and less of a scramble.
What to bring
Papers and money
- The original passport your permit was issued against
- Your student card, if you are claiming the reduced rate
- Cash in soles for lunch, water and tips
- Your medication and a small personal first-aid kit
On your back
- A daypack of 20 to 30 litres — everything you need for two days goes in it
- A refillable water bottle
- A camera and a power bank
- A change of clothes for the hotel
Clothes
- Walking boots or trail shoes, broken in before you fly
- Trekking socks and trekking trousers
- A fleece for the early start and the evening
- A waterproof jacket or a poncho
- A sun hat and sunglasses with UV protection
Sun and skin
- High-factor sun cream
- Insect repellent, which the cloud forest demands
- Lip balm
- Your own toiletries
Questions we get asked
How does this compare with the four-day trek?
You walk the last twelve kilometres of the same road, arrive through the same Sun Gate, and see Wiñay Wayna, which is the best ruin on the trail. What you miss is Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m, the remote sites of days two and three, and three nights of camping. One day of walking instead of four, a hotel instead of a tent, and a little under two thirds of the price. For most people visiting Peru once, it is the better bargain.
How hard is the walking?
Moderate, and the numbers are honest about it — six to seven hours, twelve kilometres, and about 700 m of climbing on Inca staircases in the first three hours. There is no technical ground and no serious altitude. If you walk the South Downs or the Peak District at weekends you will be comfortable. If your knees object to long descents, mention it, because the drop from the Sun Gate is steep.
Will the altitude be a problem?
Less than in Cusco. The highest point on this trek is around 2,720 m at the Sun Gate, which is nearly 700 m below the city you slept in. Even so, spend at least two days in Cusco or the Sacred Valley before you walk — acclimatising is about the nights before, not the day itself.
Do I need permits, and when should I book?
Yes, the same government permit system covers the short trail, issued in your name and tied to one date that cannot be changed. There are fewer of them than people assume, and between May and September they go months ahead. Book as soon as your dates are fixed.
Is the trail ever closed?
Every February, for maintenance, along with the rest of the Inca Trail network. Machu Picchu itself stays open that month, so we would move you onto a train itinerary rather than lose your trip.
What happens to my luggage?
It stays in Cusco, stored free at our office or at your hotel. You carry your own daypack on this trek — there are no porters on the short trail — so take two days' worth of essentials and nothing more.
Can I book before my new passport arrives?
Yes. We can hold the booking against your current passport or ID, but the permit is issued against a document number and the rangers check it at Chachabamba. Send us the new details at least two days before you walk so we can have the permit corrected.
Will there really be time at the citadel on day one?
Enough for the upper terraces and the classic view, not for a full circuit — you arrive between 15:00 and 16:00, after the site has begun to empty, and the light is the best of the day. The proper guided tour is the following morning, which is the way round we would choose anyway.
Can you collect me from the Sacred Valley?
Yes, from Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, Yucay, Pisac and Calca, with a minimum of two people. It also buys you an hour in bed, since you start much closer to the station.
Is there a reduced rate for students or children?
Yes. Under-18s and university students pay about £20 less per person. The student rate needs a physical plastic card with your university, your name, your photograph and an expiry date valid when you trek — digital cards and ISIC cards are refused at the government checkpoints, and you must be under 25. Send us a photograph of it when you enquire.
When is the best time to walk it?
May to September for clear skies and firm ground, which is also when permits are scarcest. April and October are the sensible compromise. November to March is wet, the stone is slippery underfoot, and February is closed altogether.
Ask us about The Short Inca Trail
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.