Undoubtedly, Machu Picchu is Peru’s top touristic destination, one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World. In 2017, we can also offer you our packages to Machu Picchu by train, 1-day and 2-day options so you either use them as an alternative for the 4-day Classic Inca Trail or you may want to add them to your other Cusco tours!
Machu Picchu by train 1 day
This short alternative to the 4-day Inca Trail in 2017 is a 1-day incredible train journey to Machu Picchu, you will have the most wonderful sights of the Andes; on your way to Machu Picchu you will see rivers, high and majestic mountains and the amazing cloud forest, while feeling the incredible energy of nature in this region, a quite relaxing and invigorating energy.
Enjoy the best landscapes of Machu Picchu in a 1-day train trip
You will be picked up at your hotel early in the morning for a bus ride until the wonderful Ollantaytambo district and archaeological site; from the Ollantaytambo station you’ll ride by train (Expedition class or Vistadome if requested) until the Aguas Calientes village, nearby the Machu Picchu site. From Aguas Calientes what follows is a bus trip until the Machu Picchu archaeological complex, for a 2 and a half hours professionally guided tour; afterwards there will be free time for you to continue touring the Machu Picchu citadel at your own pace!
Here’s a good tip: there are some very interesting places at the Machu Picchu citadel which aren’t usually included on tours due to schedule issues, so you may use your free time to check them out!
Returning from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes is by bus; from there to Ollantaytambo again a very comfortable, landscape-watching train journey, and from Ollantaytambo to Cusco city you will go again by bus.
This train-based tour of course is highly recommended for people who don’t have much time left but still want to do some more traveling in Cusco in 2017; it is indeed a great alternative to the 4-day Inca Trail or a package that you may add to your other tours here in Cusco.
Machu Picchu by train 2 days
Now if you have more time available, we can recommend you the 2-day, 1-night tour to Machu Picchu by train as a top alternative to the classic 4-day Inca Trail in 2017!
The tour begins in Cusco city in the morning, when you’ll be picked up from the hotel for a bus ride to the Ollantaytambo district (2 hours); along the way there are many wonderful, majestic mountainous landscapes typical of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. At the Ollantaytambo station you will board an Expedition train to the village of Aguas Calientes (another 2 hours of beautiful traveling).
Are you ready for the 2-day trip to Machu Picchu?
Arrival at Aguas Calientes will be around noon, for checking in at the hotel and have a typical Peruvian lunch (not included); on day 1 the rest of the afternoon is free for travelers, so if you prefer not staying at your hotel room, there are some great places you could go, like the amazing Butterflies Research and Interpretation Center (Centro de Investigación e Interpretación de Mariposas de Machu Picchu) which is at a close walking distance from Aguas Calientes. At the Butterflies House -as it is also called- you can visit a prepared area where typical Andean butterflies can be seen quiet on the branches or flying around beautiful, lush vegetation; there are also daily brief talks conducted by the Center specialists about butterflies’ biology and their ecological importance. On day 1 you will spend the night at an Aguas Calientes hotel.
Next day begins early in the morning, you will take the first bus to Machu Picchu and have the amazing 3-hour, professionally guided tour of the site; afterwards, there will be free time for you to explore the site at your own leisure, like taking a lot pictures or explore places regular tours don’t include. The section back from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes is done by bus; then, from there to the Ollantaytambo district you will take the Expedition train again and finally return to Cusco city by bus, with an arrival time estimated 10 pm.
Although the Classic, 4-day Inca Trail is sold-out until late November 2017, we are not short at all of top alternatives for you here at TOUR IN PERU! Please contact our professional staff for booking your Machu Picchu by train travels in 2017!
