Machu Picchu, outside of Cusco, Peru, was the religious center of the Incan empire and, today, it is the most visited site in South America. It was built in the 15th century, abandoned during the conquest of the Spaniards in the region (although the Spaniards never found the site), and rediscovered in 1911 by some local people who then notified Hiram Bingham, an American explorer. Today, it is known for its incredible destination nestled in the steep Andes mountains, its incredible stone architecture, and its representation of the ingenious engineering and technological knowledge of the Incan empire. There are a variety of options to consider when looking into visiting Machu Picchu, including the Classic Inca Trail, a 1-day tour, and our recommendation of the Short Inca Trail.
There are three ways to visit Machu Picchu today. The first option is the most traditional hike to visit the site but we will focus on the other alternatives during most of this article.
- Classic Inca Trail – This 4-day/3-night hike with camping follows the original and traditional Inca trail. This is the most popular trek and is often reserved months in advance. As soon as you know your travel dates, check the availability of this hike if it interests you.
- Day Tour – The 1-day tour is the quickest and most popular way to visit the site. This can be done as an independent experience or in conjunction with an alternative trek (such as Lares or Salkantay). While popular, it may not be the best option as you may not have enough time to visit and appreciate this magical site and will be battling some crowds. You can read more about this option below and the best way to visit Machu Picchu in just one day.
- Short Inca Trail – This 2-day/1-night hike can be done with either camping or a hotel. This can be done as an independent trek or in conjunction with an alternative trek (such as Lares or Salkantay). The structure of this trek allows you to visit Machu Picchu with much fewer crowds and gives you time to take in the entire experience. You can read more about this option below and why we recommend it so much.
The Classic Inca Trail
The most sought after way to hike to Machu Picchu is to take the Classic Inca Trail, typically a 4 day / 3 night trek that follows the pilgrimage that Incans did historically to reach Machu Picchu. This hike is popular because of its historical and spiritual importance. The hike starts in the Sacred Valley and ends on the third day at the Sun Gate and the entrance to Machu Picchu. The hike does go up to an elevation of 13,800 feet (4,200 m) so we recommend spending at least 5 days in Cusco prior to the hike to get adjusted to the elevation.
Finally, on the fourth day you will get a guided tour of Machu Picchu to see the various important sites throughout the archaeological complex. You can also choose to hike up to two of the mountains within the Machu Picchu complex, Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, but you need a separate permit ticket to do either of these hikes.
Important Information
Due to the popularity of the Inca Trail, there are a limited number of permits available to try to mitigate the effects of over tourism on the trail. If you want to hike the Classic Inca Trail, make sure to reserve your spot as soon as possible. Permits cannot be transferred to another person. And if there are no permits available for the time that you want to visit Machu Picchu, look at some of the alternatives listed below.
Today, the Inca Trail has been outfitted with bathrooms for hikers to use throughout the trail. Different Inca Trail operators have designated spots throughout the trail that they stop at for lunch or sleeping. To help with your hike, organizations provide porters, chefs, and guides, which means that you really only have to hike the trail and do not have to worry about carrying clothes or food. (It is important to tip your porters, chefs, and guides!) We recommend using Alpaca Expeditions for your experience to Machu Picchu (and a bonus is that they provide portable toilets throughout the trail so you do not have to use the facilities that everyone else uses on the trail!)
The Blueprint Travelers Hiking Staples
Blueprint Travelers Recommendation: Alpaca Expeditions
Because of all the people that are part of making your Inca Trail experience a success, it is important to choose an organization that properly supports their employees, which is why we recommend doing this trek with Alpaca Expeditions. Unfortunately, many companies try to cut costs by not treating their porters and chefs humanely, taking advantage of their economic situation. Alpaca Expeditions goes above and beyond to elevate their employees.
Because Alpaca Expeditions takes care of their employees, their employees have the full capacity to ensure that all guests are well taken care of, with some of the best chefs, porters, and guides that you will find on the Inca Trail.
Visiting Machu Picchu in One Day
It is possible to visit Machu Picchu in one day, which can be done as an individual excursion or be completed in conjunction with an “alternative trek” such as the Lares Trek or Salkantay Trek. (However, we recommend visiting Machu Picchu with the Short Inca trek, either as an independent excursion or as an additional part to the Lares trek.)
If you are not visiting Machu Picchu as part of a larger experience, you will wake up early in the morning in Cusco and get picked up from your hotel. From here, you will be driven to Ollantaytambo to take the train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. (If you are visiting Machu Picchu as part of another experience, you will most likely spend the night in Aguas Calientes before going to the archaeological site.) Finally, you will take a bus up to Machu Picchu and get a tour of this archaeological site. You follow a circuit to visit a variety of areas within the site and learn about the Incan population that lived and visited this magical place.
If you reserve a hike to Huana Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain, this is the time that you do that hike. These are not required hikes and are quite challenging due to the steepness of the mountains and the number of stairs that you will climb, but they have great views of this World Wonder and the surrounding mountains. These hikes need to be reserved in advance, especially when traveling during the peak season.
Finally, you end your day with lunch in Aguas Calientes before taking the train to Ollantaytambo and finally a bus back to Cusco. Visiting Machu Pichu in this way is a long day and it may not allow you to fully take in this beautiful destination.
Travel Tip
If you only have one day to visit Machu Picchu on your trip, consider going to Aguas Calientes the night prior and booking a tour that leaves directly from Aguas Calientes. By spending the night in Aguas Calientes, you eliminate much of the morning transportation time and you will get to visit Machu Picchu earlier than the vast majority of tourists.
The 2-Day Short Inca Trail is Worth It!
Visiting Machu Picchu with a 2 day short Inca trail experience is an amazing alternative option to the Classic Inca trail. Actually, this is the option for visiting Machu Picchu that we recommend over any of the other options because the experience makes Machu Picchu feel even more magical and gives you a rich cultural experience. The short Inca trail hike can be done in conjunction with an “alternative hike”, such as the Lares Trek, or can be done as an experience independent of a larger hike.
We recommend doing the Short Inca trail with Alpaca Expeditions and the description below describes that experience.
The Short Inca Trail Experience with Alpaca Expeditions
If you are doing the Short Inca trail as part of a larger experience (with the Lares trek or Salkantay trek), your day will start in Ollantaytambo. If you are doing this as an independent experience, your day will start very early in the morning where you will be picked up directly from your hotel in Cusco. You will hand over your pre-packed duffel bag to a porter to be transferred to your accommodations for the evening, and board on the first train towards Aguas Calientes. (You are required to attend a briefing at the Alpaca Expeditions office in Cusco the evening prior to the experience where you will receive the duffle bag and other necessary materials for your hike.) During the train ride, you can take in the beautiful landscape between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes.
Starting the Short Inca Trail Hike
The train makes a few stops along the way to its final destination of Aguas Calientes. For the Short Inca Trail, you will get off the train at Kilometer 104 to start the hike. It will take you up through the jungle forests of the mountains in this region where you will hopefully have some incredible views of the surrounding landscape, weather permitting. The hike starts at an elevation of 2,100 meters (6,889 feet) and goes up to 2,720 meters (8.923 feet) at its highest point. We recommend spending a few days in Cusco prior to the hike to start to get adjusted to the elevation.
Soon after you start your hike, you will reach your first archaeological stop of the day, Chachabamba. This site is exclusively visited by those who are doing the Short Inca trail and cannot be explored when doing the Classic Inca trail. Your guide for this trek will also be your historian and can give you information about the history and purpose of each archaeological site along the way. The entire trail was a religious pilgrimage for those of the Incan time and had numerous archaeological ruins where people would perform ceremonial rituals and rest before arriving at Machu Picchu. It is thought that Chachabamba was tied to water and potentially purification because of the fountains found on the site.
After a few hours of hiking uphill, you will reach the next archaeological site of the day, Wiñay Wayna, or mini Machu Picchu. This site is named for the beautiful orchids that are all around this area and means “Forever Young”. It is thought that this site was an agriculture hub to support the people of Machu Picchu due to its great amount of farming terraces in comparison to its few homes.
Lunch on the Inca Trail
After visiting the archaeological sites, you will arrive at a campsite where lunch will be prepared for you by the incredible chef team of Alpaca Expeditions. They make sure you are well fueled for the hike and have sufficient energy when visiting Machu Picchu.
The Final Hike to Machu Picchu
To end the hiking portion of the experience, you will head up the “Gringo Killer” stairs (a set of stairs that is the final challenge for hikers and is often challenging for people who are not fully accustomed to the altitude), and make your way to the Sun Gate, where you can catch the first glimpse of Machu Picchu in the distance. Intipunku, the Sun Gate, was the entrance into Machu Picchu and had a special alignment with the movement of the sun. On the winter solstice, the sun’s rays align perfectly between the Sun Gate and the Sun Temple that could be found in Machu Picchu. For those who don’t visit on the winter solstice, it is your welcome to this magical place.
PERSONAL BLUEPRINT TRAVELERS ANNECDOTE
Arriving at the Sun Gate is where we truly realized the value of this two-day experience. First, only 200 permits are given daily to do the short Inca Trail and it is rarely sold out, which means that there would be very few people on the trail. This is compared to the 500 permits that are given to the four-day classic Inca trail hike which is always sold out and the 5000 daily Machu Picchu visitors. Second, we got to watch the sunset over this World Wonder and the only other people who had this opportunity were those who hiked the short Inca Trail that day as well due to the logistics of all the different hikes and visitors to the site.
When arriving at the platform that lies above Machu Picchu at the end of the day, there will not be very many people around you, given the time of the day and the logistics of the people who have access to this part of the Machu Picchu archaeological site. Finally, you will take the bus down from visiting Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes where you will stay for the evening, either at a camp site or at a hotel depending on the option you choose. We recommend staying at a hotel due to its proximity to the bus stop in Aguas Calientes.
A Glimpse into the Camping Option of the Short Inca Trail
If you do choose the camping option, you will hike to and from the bus stop to reach the camp grounds. Alpaca Expeditions has their own private campgrounds with showers and toilets provided. Here the chefs will prepare your dinner, which will be another large feast.
Visiting Machu Picchu on Day 2 of the Short Inca Trail
After breakfast you will head back to the bus stop in Aguas Calientes to take an early bus to reach Machu Picchu before too many tourists arrive. On this day, because you will have already seen the site from the platform above Machu Picchu, you will start the day by entering the site and exploring the grounds. There are a few different circuits that visitors are ushered on based on how they are visiting Machu Picchu (a day tour versus the short Inca Trail versus the classic Inca Trail or Salkantay trek). Because of this, you may not experience too many people or groups in the areas that you are exploring.
You will have the opportunity to see the agricultural terraces, the homes of nobility, the homes of the common people, some temples, and more and your guide will give you history and information about the archaeological site.
If you reserve a hike to Huana Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain, this is the time that you do that hike. These are not required hikes and are quite challenging due to the steepness of the mountains and the number of stairs you will climb, but they have great views of this World Wonder and the surrounding mountains. These hikes need to be reserved in advance, especially when traveling during the peak season.
Returning to Cusco
Finally, you will end your day with lunch in Aguas Calientes before taking the train to Ollantaytambo and finally a bus back to Cusco. In Aguas Calientes, you will have time to get a nice lunch and walk around the town and market to do some final souvenir shopping.
