We will begin the 1-day Inca trail tour by picking you up from your hotel in Cusco at 4:00 am and transfer you on our private transport to the Ollantaytambo Train Station (If you prefer to start in Ollantaytambo, we will pick you up at your hotel at 5:30 am).

Before boarding the Expedition Class Train at 6:10 am in Ollantaytambo, we will provide your box lunch, which you carry in your daypack. Then, you and your tour guide will take the train for 1 hour 30 minutes to the beginning of the Inca Trail, called km 104 (2,000 m / 6560 ft. above sea leave).

After passing the Inca Trail checkpoint, your tour guide will take you to visit the first archaeological center, called Chachabamba. This site was one of the last shelters used by the Incas pilgrims before they reached Machu Picchu. The Chachabamba Inca site features several fascinating buildings, and your guide will be delighted to share the history with you.

Afterward, your Inca Trail trek starts with steady ascent for around 3 hours, climbing the original Inca stone step, with several outlooks points where you will stop to have an expansive view of the Urubamba River. Along the way, your guide will help you to identify the different types of flora and fauna in this unique area. After passing a spectacular waterfall, you will arrive at Wiñay Wayna Archaeological Site, located at (2,650 m / 8,694 ft above sea level). Most hikers stop here to be amazed by its exquisite architecture.

At the astonishing archaeological site of Wiñay Wayna, you’ll see many water sources for rituals, Sacred places dedicated to the natural deities like the Rainbow Temple, and beautiful agricultural platforms overlooking the Urubamba River. Wiñay Wayna (Quechua for “forever young”) is the perfect place to learn a little more about the impressive history of the Incas, take time to relax, be silent, and connect with the Mother Earth through birdsong or the wind’s refreshing touches.

After exploring the archaeological site of Wiñay Wayna, you will walk for 5 minutes to the lunch spot and have time to eat your delicious box lunch provided by our company, admiring the surrounding tropical flowers, then relax and recharge your energies. You will also see the campsites where people doing the classic Inca Trail spend the night before reaching Machu Picchu.

After lunch, you will have a mostly flat walk to Inti Punku, best known as the Sun Gate, from where you will have your first view of the impressive architecture of this majestic Inca City. Although the hour-long walk is a gentle up and down, it ends with a set of steep stairs carved directly into the bedrock by the Incas. Once you reach the stairs you will know you are almost at Inti Punku.

The Sun Gate, also called Inti Punku in Quechua, is located at (2,720 meters/2,924 feet above sea level) provides the first views of the magnificent Machu Picchu, in all its brilliance and majestic monumentality, it is difficult to put into words the impact of seeing this ancient, sacred and world-famous Site.

After taking some time to enjoy the views and take those important photos, you will walk downhill following the footsteps of the Incas on the Inca Trail for about an hour toward Machu Picchu ruins. Once there, take some time to enjoy the views, take memorable pictures and fill your spirit with the energy of this place. You will then have a 1-hour guided tour through this incredible ancient city and visit temples, terraces, palaces, priest’s houses, the intihuatana, the industrial sector, and the farming fields.

Once we end this magical experience in one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, we will walk down to the main entrance of Machu Picchu from where we will take the bus to Aguas Calientes, also called Machu Picchu Pueblo. In the afternoon, you will take the Expedition train back at 6:20 pm to the train station in Ollantaytambo and private transportation back to Cusco and we will drop you off at your hotel around 10:00 pm. If you upgrade to the Vistadome, you will depart Aguas Calientes at 6:10 pm. End of the Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in 1 Day.

• Meals: Box lunch
• Hiking distance: 12 km / 7.46 miles
• Walking time: 6–7 hours
• Lowest elevation: 2,040 m / 6,693 ft.
• Highest elevation: 2,720m / 8,924 ft.
• Physical rating: Moderate