
Our short Inca Trail 1 Day is a wonderful option for those who don’t have time or desire to hike the full length of the classical 4 day Inca Trail. With beautiful landscape, a great variety of flora and fauna on display and a visit to the Inca Trail’s most beautiful archeological site Wiñay Wayna (For Ever Young), you enjoy all the best bits of the Inca Trail condensed into a one day walk. Covering a distance of just 10km / 6.3 miles.
This short Inca Trail 1 day allows you to visit the most magnificent ruins such as Chachabamba and Winawayna, and then enter on foot through the Sun Gate as the Incas did. Once you finish trekking, you will spend in the afternoon at Machu Picchu (Seven Wonders of the Modern World) with a private guide.
We will leave Cusco at 04:00 am to begin the one-day Inca Trail. We drive for approximately an hour and a half to Ollantaytambo where we will take our train to kilometer 104, where our walk begins. Our walk today takes us through the most wonderful stretch of the Classic Inca Trail 4 Days.
We will visit beautiful Inca sites, see a variety of flora and fauna and enjoy the stunning panoramas of the Andes. Walking 10 km of the trail, our hike begins in the Sacred Valley and continues along a paved Inca trail to the archaeological site of Winay Wayna before continuing towards Machu Picchu via the Puerta del Sol (Inti Punku). After visiting Wiñay Wayna, we will have our box lunch.
After enjoying our food. We will walk through the lush, green cloud forest that covers the mountain and see a wide variety of plants, flowers, orchids, and birds along the way. We may see some larger mammals like viscachas (rabbit-like chinchillas) and spectacled bears (if we’re really lucky).
After a full day of hiking, we will arrive at the Puerta del Sol (Inti Punku) in the afternoon and get our first views of Machu Picchu spread out on the mountain ridge.
The afternoon light is great for taking photos and with fewer tourists on site, it is the perfect time to take beautiful photos of the site. After passing through Puerta del Sol we will continue walking for about 45 minutes to reach Machu Picchu.
Once you arrive at Machu Picchu, you will first go to the Guardia hour where you will take a postcard photo of Machu Picchu. The good thing is that there are few people in the place of the photo, which helps to enjoy Machu Picchu much better. Then you will leave Machu Picchu to use the bathroom and then re-enter at 3:00 p.m. and you will have a 1 hour and a half guided tour of Machu Picchu.
You will see all the most important parts of Machu Picchu. Finally, we will take the bus at 16:30 to Aguas Calientes where you will have dinner, then we will take a train at 18:20 back to Ollantaytambo, and then our van back to Cusco. We will transfer you to your hotel at 10:30 p.m.
We want to make your trip to Peru as memorable and easy as possible. In this section you will find quick answers to all those questions you had about Short Inca Trail 1 Day to Machu Picchu in one place. Please read the following information carefully; will help you with any questions about our services.
All briefings take place at your hotel at 6:30 p.m., one night before the tour begins. If you cannot attend, you must coordinate another schedule at the (Peru Travel Luxury) offices. These meetings last approximately 30 to 45 minutes and there they will give you a small canvas bag, in which you will store all the belongings that you intend to take on the walk and that will not be in your backpack.
The trek has to be paid for in full by at least 7.30 pm two days before departure. For example, if your tour departs on a Wednesday, then you must come to our office before 7.30 pm on Monday.
It would be much appreciated if you pay the trek balance in cash US dollars or local currency. You can withdraw some money from several ATMs along Avenida Sol (either in US dollars or local Peruvian Soles). You can pay by credit card or PAYPAL online, but you will have to pay an 8% service charge, charged by VISA and PAYPAL. We do not accept bank checks or payment of the balance by traveler’s checks.
Of course! During the travel, your main luggage can be stored at our office(you can organize briefing day or by email) or at your hotel, both free of charge.
Any equipment that you are not going to need on the trek can be stored safely in your hotel. Nearly every hotel will provide this service. Don’t leave items of value with your bags, put them in the hotel safe and obtain an itemized receipt (In the unlikely case of theft many insurance companies require that you have a copy of the receipt itemizing all the items). Best put items such as credit cards inside a sealed, signed envelope for extra peace of mind.
Peru Travel Luxury company can pick you up from your hotel, as long as it’s in the Historic Center of Cusco. The pickup time will be coordinated with your guide in the briefing. The pickup time may vary between 30 and 45 minutes due to traffic. Cusco is a very old city, therefore, it has many narrow cobbled streets. Some hotels and Airbnbs may be located on streets without access to cars or on long, steep slopes, making it difficult to transport luggage. We strongly recommend that you book accommodation with good access.
Group tours are made up of different types of people. Physical conditions and ages can vary. By agreeing to be part of a group tour, you also accept that some people may be faster or slower than you. Therefore, each person can go at their own pace on the route. It may be the case that a group wishes to modify the tour; however, it will be the guide who decides, after consulting with all the participants, if said modifications can be made.
Strikes and demonstrations are usually frequent in Peru and this may interrupt some of our tours. Roads can be blocked and train tracks can be taken over. However, we will try to keep your excursion as planned, even if it means leaving the night before the scheduled date. Under these circumstances, tours may also be cancelled. In case of changes or cancellations, all situations will be coordinated with you by our operations department. Your safety is our highest priority and our decisions will be made to protect it.
You’re responsible for your objects during the tour. Please pay attention to where you leave your things and remember to take everything once you leave our trucks, tents, or restaurants.
Overall this was an amazing experience. It is an amazing way to learn more about the Incas and really experience the Inca Trail. Our guides, Roy and Carlos, were in charge of managing our experience. They kept us informed about what we would do each day. And he walked with our group at the rest stops to make sure we not only made it but had an enjoyable hike. The tent and equipment provided were great. I especially appreciated that we had our own bathroom tent, which is really very important. This was a 20th anniversary trip for my husband and I and we had a great time. I highly recommend the luxury travel company to Peru.