HIGHLAND ADVENTURES
Llamas laying down at Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu Express

One hotel in Cusco, and Machu Picchu as a day out from it. The first afternoon runs through the city's Inca foundations, the Qorikancha temple and the stonework at Sacsayhuaman. The second day crosses the Sacred Valley to Chinchero, Moray and the salt pans of Maras. The third starts early for the train down the Urubamba, and you are back in the same room that night.

1–4Cusco3Machu PicchuOllantaytamboChincheroMarasMoray10 milesRoadRail

The trip

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Cusco

    Guided tour of Cusco & ruins of Sacsayhuaman and Puka Pukara

    Cusco sits at 11,150 feet, so the first few hours are yours to settle in and the sightseeing waits until afternoon. It starts at Qoricancha, where the Spanish built a church straight onto the Temple of the Sun, then climbs to Sacsayhuaman, the fortress above the old capital, with the whole city open below. Last is the little lookout fort at Puka Pukara, out where the road turns down toward the Sacred Valley.

    Overnight in Cusco

  2. Day 2 · Cusco

    Sacred Valley: Pisac Market and Ollantaytambo

    A full day down into the Sacred Valley, which runs lower and warmer than Cusco. The morning is Pisac, market stalls filling the square and Inca terraces curving around the hillside above it. Then the stone stairs at Ollantaytambo, the one place the Inca turned back Spanish cavalry, by flooding the plain below the fortress. Back in Cusco by evening.

    Overnight in Cusco (Breakfast, Lunch)

  3. Day 3 · Cusco

    Machu Picchu Day Trip

    Machu Picchu as a day out from Cusco, by train down the Urubamba valley past river and cloud forest. An early start puts the citadel in view by late morning, when the mist lifts off the terraces and the stonework at 7,970 feet appears all at once. A guide walks the temples and plazas, then the afternoon is open for wandering in Machu Picchu Town below the ruins. The evening train carries the day back up the valley to Cusco.

    Overnight in Cusco (Breakfast)

  4. Day 4 · Cusco

    Departure

    If the flight out is late enough, there is a last morning in Cusco: the steep lanes of San Blas, the artisan workshops, the market stalls off the main square. Then the transfer to the airport and your onward connection.

    Meals: Breakfast

End of the adventure. Until the next one, bon voyage!


On the ground

Where you stay

  • Cusco (3 nights)

The package

What's included

  • 3 nights accommodation
  • Meals: 3 breakfasts and 1 lunch
  • All ground transfers
  • Guided tours and excursions
  • Entrance tickets and permits

Not included

  • Flights in and out of Cusco (CUZ)

Pricing

What moves the price

Season, hotel standard, and train class move the price most. Peak dates (Inti Raymi, Fiestas Patrias, Christmas and New Year) carry supplements.

Prices shown are for 2026-2028. Inquire to check rates for future years.


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Machu Picchu Express4 days from $800 / personCheck my dates