Machu Picchu · Two days, one night · English-speaking Indigenous Quechua guides
Machu Picchu,with someone who knows it.
Most visitors see the citadel in a rush between trains. You travel down the valley by rail, sleep beneath the mountains, and walk into Machu Picchu in the morning with an English-speaking Indigenous Quechua guide, raised in the language of the people who built it. Your transfer from Cusco, rail both ways, a night in Aguas Calientes with breakfast, the bus to the gate, admission and a closing meal are all included.
Choose your datesWhy travel with us
What makes the difference.
An English-speaking Quechua guide.
Not a voice reading from a script. Someone raised in this language and these mountains, who can tell you what the stones were for and why they still matter to the families who live beneath them.
Everything held for you.
Rail, admission, your transfers, your hotel and the bus to the gate are arranged before you arrive. You come with nothing to solve and everything to notice.
Time, not a timetable.
A night beside the river means the citadel in the morning, unhurried, instead of a race against the last train. That is the difference between seeing Machu Picchu and being with it.
The journey
Seven chapters, two unhurried days.
From the quiet of Cusco to a night beside the river, with the citadel at the heart of it.
The road down through the pass.
A car collects you from your hotel and carries you down to the valley. The altitude drops nearly a thousand metres, and the air softens as you go.
The Urubamba runs beside you.
The valley narrows, the peaks close in above the track, and there is nothing to do but watch the river and the mountains turn past the window.
Sleep where the mountains rise on every side.
Aguas Calientes sits in a gorge where the river is loud and the cliffs climb straight up into cloud. Your room is waiting at Hotel Ferré Machu Picchu or Hotel Santuario Machupicchu. The evening is yours: the hot springs that gave the town its name, a slow walk by the water, an early night before the mountain.
Your guide meets you in town.
After a buffet breakfast, your English-speaking Indigenous Quechua guide meets you, and the bus climbs through the cloud forest to the gate while the day is still young.
Where the stones begin to speak.
You walk your circuit with a guide raised in this language and these mountains. The drainage cut beneath the stone. The angle at which the sun enters the gate. How a family lived here at two thousand four hundred metres. There is room to stop, to ask, and to hear what one wall is saying before you move on.
Gathered at the table.
Back in Aguas Calientes, the afternoon is yours to wander and rest while the morning settles. After the citadel, we sit down together in Aguas Calientes for a closing meal, a place to speak about what the mountain showed you. Depending on when we finish, it is a late lunch or an early dinner, always before your train back.
Home by rail and road.
The evening train carries you back up the valley, and the car brings you into Cusco late that night.
Exact times are set against your date. Rail timetables and admission circuits change through the year, and circuits are never guaranteed, so we confirm the exact shape of your two days, including your circuit, after you book.
The citadel, with someone who knows it
“The stone does not need help. It needs someone who knows what it is saying.”Why the guide matters
Gerson Barrios Zea, co-founder, at Vinicunca in the high country above Cusco.
Who you go with
A guide who speaks Quechua.
A ticket gets you through the gate. An English-speaking Indigenous Quechua guide opens the conversations along the way.
Gerson Barrios Zea
Co-founder · Peru expert guide · Quechua liaison
Born and raised in Peru and formally trained in tourism, Gerson has guided the Inca Trail, the Sacred Valley and the country’s sacred sites for years.
His deepest gift is fluency in Quechua, the ancestral language still spoken in these mountains. It lets him speak directly with the Quechua families and communities you meet along the way.
No vague promises
Everything the journey needs.
Included
- ✓ Hotel pickup in Cusco and the drive to and from the train
- ✓ Expedition-class rail to Aguas Calientes and back
- ✓ One night at Hotel Ferré Machu Picchu or Hotel Santuario Machupicchu, with breakfast
- ✓ Bus up to the gate and back down
- ✓ Machu Picchu admission
- ✓ English-speaking Indigenous Quechua guide through the citadel
- ✓ A closing meal together
Not included
- – Lunches
- – Tips
- – Travel insurance
- – A private room, available for $50
Request your date
Tell us your day. We’ll do the rest.
We check permits, tickets and your guide for the date you want, then write to you by email to confirm, usually within a day. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
Before you go
Good questions.
Is the hotel included?
Yes. Your night in Aguas Calientes is at Hotel Ferré Machu Picchu or Hotel Santuario Machupicchu, both chosen by our team, with a buffet breakfast. Prices are based on two guests sharing a room. If you are travelling alone, or would simply like your own room, a private room is $50.
Can I come on my own?
Of course. Your guide is just as present for one guest as for twelve. Add a private room for $50 and the rest is the same.
When do I meet my guide?
On the morning of day two, in Aguas Calientes, before the bus up to the citadel. On day one, a driver takes you from your Cusco hotel to the train, and the journey down the valley is yours to enjoy.
Is the train included?
Yes, PeruRail Expedition to Aguas Calientes and back, with panoramic windows the whole way. The timetable is confirmed against your date, because availability moves through the year.
Can I upgrade the train?
Yes. The Vistadome Observatory car adds an open-air balcony carriage, live Andean music and local snacks on board. Ask when you book and we will confirm the supplement for your date.
Which part of Machu Picchu will I see?
Entry is by fixed circuits, each with its own route and timed slot, and only so many are released each day. We aim for our two favourites. Circuit 3 walks the royal sector of the lower citadel, which most visitors never reach. Circuit 2 gives you the classic view from the upper terraces, then leads down through the heart of the citadel. If the classic photograph matters most to you, tell us and we will aim for Circuit 2. No one can guarantee a circuit, so if both are gone for your date, we tell you exactly what is available before you travel.
How far ahead should I book?
We recommend booking 30 days or more ahead, because hotels and citadel tickets fill early, and we need at least 15 days. From May to September the best circuits go weeks in advance. Travelling sooner? Write to us at [email protected]. Places sometimes come free, and we’ll tell you honestly what is possible for your dates.
Do I need my passport?
Yes, your original passport. Train and Machu Picchu tickets are issued to the passport you give us when you book, and the name and number must match at the gate. A photo or a copy will not be accepted.
How much luggage can I bring on the train?
One small bag each, up to about 8 kilograms. Leave your larger luggage at your Cusco hotel, which nearly every hotel will hold for you, and travel light.
What can I take into Machu Picchu?
A small daypack only. Food, walking poles, umbrellas, tripods and drones are not allowed inside the citadel. The restrooms are just outside the entrance, and once you are in there is no re-entry, so use them before you go through the gate.
What should I pack?
Layers, because the morning can be cool and the middle of the day warm. A light rain jacket, sunscreen, a hat, insect repellent for the riverside, comfortable shoes with good grip on stone, a refillable water bottle, and a little cash in soles.
When is the best time to go?
April to October is the dry season, with clear mornings, and June to August is the busiest. November to March is greener and quieter, with afternoon rain. Every month has its beauty, and we will help you plan for yours.
Can I climb Huayna Picchu?
Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain are separate routes on their own tickets, limited each day, and they are the first to sell out. Ask us when you book and we will tell you what is available for your date and what it adds.
What if my plans change?
Changed your mind right after booking? Cancel within 48 hours of booking, with your Experience at least 30 days away, and you receive a full refund. After that, Machu Picchu tickets and Inca Trail permits are issued by the Peruvian government in your name and cannot be refunded, so the schedule is: 30 days or more before your Experience, a full refund less any tickets or permits already issued, and we tell you the exact amount; 15 to 29 days, 75% refunded; 8 to 14 days, 50%; 3 to 7 days, 25%; less than 72 hours or a missed departure, no refund. The $50 private room follows the same schedule. With 30 days' notice we move your date at no charge from us, subject to availability. If we cancel, or weather, a rail suspension, a strike or a site closure does, you choose a full refund or a new date. Write to us at [email protected].
Will the altitude affect me?
Less than you might expect. Cusco sits at 3,400 metres, but Aguas Calientes is at 2,040 and the citadel at 2,430, so this journey takes you lower, not higher. Give yourself a day or two in Cusco first, drink plenty of water, and take the climbs at your own pace.
How much walking is involved?
The site is steep and built on terraces, with uneven stone and stairs throughout. You should be comfortable walking and climbing at altitude for several hours, at your own pace.