You only need two days for the Luxury Short Inca Trail, but you still get the real deal. No four day slog. Just the best parts of the classic route, wrapped in comfort. Perfect if your schedule is tight.
Day one starts with a train ride to kilometer one hundred four. You step off and right onto the trail. The path winds through cloud forest, cool and green. You pass a couple of small ruins half hidden by vines. Nothing huge, but they make you stop and look. After a few hours of steady walking, you reach Inti Punku. The Sun Gate. And there it is, Machu Picchu below you. First glimpse. Breathtaking. You just stand there.

All of day two is Machu Picchu. Your private guide meets you at the entrance. No big groups. Just you and the expert. You walk the main areas, the temples, the terraces. The guide explains how water ran through stone channels, how the Incas cut rocks to fit without mortar. Two hours fly by. You ask questions. You get answers.
You stay in a nice hotel the night before the hike and the night after. Food is ready when you are. The train back follows the river, mountains sliding past the window. Two days. Done. You experience the Luxury Short Inca Trail, walked the stones, stood at the Sun Gate, explored the citadel. And you did it without roughing it.

TOUR PRICE

Group Services

Luxury Short Inca Trail

Prices from ^$ 940 ^USD Per Person

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Luxury Short Inca Trail Hike: 2-Day Premium Adventure

You see the Inca Trail without four full days.
Great if you only have a weekend free.
Still hits the big spots people talk about.

Day One

Someone knocks on your Cusco hotel door around four in the morning. A driver loads you into the van. The ride to Ollantaytambo is quick and quiet, streets still asleep. You grab coffee at the station, then board the train. It rolls along the river until Km 104. Boots hit the ground and the Short Inca Trail starts.
The day stretches sixteen kilometers over eight hours. First ruin is Chachabamba, small but perfectly tucked into the hillside. You keep climbing. Wiñaywayna appears next, terraces bright green, water still running through old channels. Late afternoon the path crests at the Sun Gate. Machu Picchu glows below in sunset light, the whole valley turning gold.
You walk the last stretch down the hill. Aguas Calientes waits at the bottom. Dinner, shower, bed. The river keeps you company all night.

Day Two

Breakfast comes early in Aguas Calientes. You finish, then hop the first bus up the switchbacks. Your private guide is already at the Machu Picchu gate, coffee in hand. Three hours slip by as you wander quiet plazas and narrow stone streets. The guide explains how they channeled water through the rock and cut granite so tight you can’t slip a knife between blocks.
Lunch is at the fancy lodge right by the entrance, quick and relaxed. The afternoon Vistadome train pulls out with huge windows. The river runs silver beside the tracks the whole ride. You roll into Ollantaytambo as the sun drops. A van waits to take you straight to your Cusco hotel, door to door around seven at night.
That is the Luxury Short Inca Trail wrapped up. You saw the ruins, stood at the Sun Gate, toured Machu Picchu without crowds, and got home with no sore back.

Luxury Short Inca Trail – Full Itinerary

Day 1: Cusco – Km 104 – Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes

Your adventure begins early with hotel pick-up in Cusco at 4:00 a.m., followed by a 2-hour drive to the Ollantaytambo Train Station. If you are staying in Ollantaytambo or the Sacred Valley, the pick-up will be approximately 2 hours later.

At Km 104 you hop off, show your real passport at the checkpoint, and sit for breakfast. Chefs lay out a full picnic. Warm porridge, fresh fruit, eggs, coffee. You eat while the guide points out Chachabamba across the valley. Twenty minutes later you are there. The guide talks about its role as a control point. Sun hits every terrace.

The real climb starts. Four hours steady uphill through cloud forest. Orchids hang. Moss everywhere. Around noon Wiñay Wayna opens up. Terraces drop in perfect rows. Water still runs in old channels. You walk the temples, the houses, the fountains. Walls fit tight.

Lunch is ready nearby. Trout, potatoes, quinoa salad, cold juice. You sit on logs. Legs rest. Porters smile. One hour left to the Sun Gate. You climb. Inti Punku appears. Machu Picchu sits quiet below between three and four in the afternoon. Almost empty. Just your group. You stare.

Last hour downhill to the citadel gate. Bus waits. Drops you in Aguas Calientes. Check into El Mapi or similar. Four stars. Dinner in town. Day one done. You walked the Luxury Short Inca Trail, saw two ruins, stood at the Sun Gate, ate well, slept in a real bed.

Day 1 Summary:

Minimum altitude: 2,000 m (6,561 ft)
Maximum altitude: 2,720 m (8,923 ft)</li>
Hiking distance: 13 km (8 miles)
Hiking duration: approx. 7 hours
Meals included: Picnic breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: 4-star hotel (El Mapi or similar)
Difficulty: Moderate

Day 2: Discover Machu Picchu and Head Back to Cusco

You wake up in Aguas Calientes. This is the main day. You eat a quick breakfast at the hotel, just enough to start moving. At six thirty you take the bus and wind up the switchbacks to Machu Picchu. Arriving early means fewer people around. If the weather holds you see the sunrise over the ruins, the light bright and the site quiet. The early start is worth it.

Your private guide meets you at the gate. The tour lasts two or three hours. You walk the agricultural terraces first, then the Temple of the Sun, the royal quarters, the main plaza. The guide explains water systems, stone cutting, astronomy. Questions welcome. No rush.
After the guided part you get free time. Wander alone. Or hike Huayna Picchu if you booked the ticket ahead. Limited spots. Same for Machu Picchu Mountain. Steep but the views crush everything.

Lunch is at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, steps from the entrance. Sit outside if the weather holds. Food is solid, service quick. You eat slow, legs happy to rest.
Bus down to Aguas Calientes in the afternoon. You have a couple hours. Walk the town, buy a souvenir, sit by the river. Nothing planned. Just relax.
Vistadome train leaves later. Big windows. River slides by. Mountains too. You reach Ollantaytambo, hop in the van, and roll into Cusco around seven. Hotel door. Trip over. You finished the Luxury Short Inca Trail. Saw the Sun Gate yesterday. Toured the citadel today. Memories locked in.

Max altitude: 2,400 m / 7,874 ft
Guided tour: 2–3 hours
Meals: Breakfast at the hotel, lunch at Sanctuary Lodge
Difficulty: Moderate

Included/Not Included

Included

Pre-departure briefing at your hotel
Pick up and drop off back at your hotel
Transfers to and from the train station
1-night 4-star hotel with breakfast
1 picnic Breakfast, 1 picnic lunch
1 dinner at a restaurant in Aguas Calientes
1 Lunch at Machu Picchu hotel
Inca Trail and Machu Picchu admission tickets
The bus rides in Machu Picchu (3 times)
Expedition train to Km 104
Vistadome train to return to Ollantaytambo
Satellite phones, an oxygen tank, and a first-aid kit
Luggage storage on request

Not included

Not included:
>Huayna Picchu Mountain
Machu Picchu Montaña
Tips

Travel Insurance

Optional hikes after the guided Machu Picchu tour:
Huayna Picchu Mountain – US$68 per person. It takes 2 hours roundtrip and requires advanced booking.
Montaña Machu Picchu – US$68 per person. Also known as Machu Picchu Mountain, the climb takes about 3 hours.

INCA TRAIL HISTORY

The Incas built the Tawantinsuyu empire that translates to four regions joined as one. From a valley near Cusco they spread across western South America in under a century. Roads made it possible. These roads formed the Qhapaq Ñan. Stone paths, rope bridges, and way stations linked the land. The Short Inca Trail is part of that network. You walk the same stones past old farms and small temples. Five hundred permits go out each day. Book months. The lasts six hours and you sleep in Aguas Calientes. Next morning a guide shows you around Machu Picchu with some history about the place.

Best Time to Hike the Short Inca Trail

The area sits in cloud forest. Weather shifts fast. Rain or mist can start any moment.

Dry months fall between May and September. Little rain, open sky. Nights get cold high up. June to August draw the most hikers so spots fill very quickly.

Wet months run from December to April. January and February see heavy showers. Paths turn slippery. The long trail closes in February for repair. Machu Picchu stays open.

Try April, May, or late September to November. Conditions stay fair and crowds thin.

Your Luxury Short Inca Trail Experience

It starts with an early train from Cusco to Km 104. You hike right away. Chachabamba comes first, then Wiñayhuayna with its terraces and running water. The last climb reaches the Sun Gate. Machu Picchu sits below. You enjoy the view. A bus takes you to Aguas Calientes. You stay in a four star hotel.
Day two begins with hotel breakfast. Early bus up. Private guide tours temples, plazas, and water systems. You learn Inca history and culture. Lunch at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge. Afternoon Vistadome train back. Van to Cusco. Hotel by seven. You finish the Luxury Short Inca Trail in comfort.