The Best 2 Days Inca Trail Tour – Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
The Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is an iconic trek that takes travelers on a journey from the ancient city of the Incas, Cusco, to the famous hilltop citadel of Machu Picchu. This 2-day trek is ideal for those who don’t have the time or energy for the full 4 or 5-day trek but still want to experience at least a part of the famous trail that has captured the imaginations of so many for so long.
The 2-day Inca Trail still follows the last 16km of the 4-day trail but at a more relaxed pace. Travelers will still get to visit impressive ruins, enjoy amazing mountain scenery, lush cloud-forest, and rich subtropical jungle, and of course walk a section of the famous Inca paving stones. The highlight for most when arriving at Machu Picchu is to watch the sunrise over the ancient city from the Sun Gate. It’s a fitting end to the trek and a great photo opportunity!
1. Highlights of the Inca Trail
Let’s check out the main highlights of this fantastic hike. As your complete luxury vacation package includes beautiful mountain lodges at the start and end of your trek, you get to avoid the craziness of camping at these campsites compared to the 4 and 5 day treks. More time to relax and enjoy the stunning setting and views. Not 15 minutes onto the trail you will take a short side trail to “the waterfall”, it’s an amazing 15-foot high Incan waterfall where you’ll be able to grab some great photos. Wiñay Wayna ruins is a site that’s only seen on the final day of the classic Inca Trail.
On our 2-day trek, you will camp right near these ruins on the first night. It’s one of the best-preserved ruins and a great example of classic Incan architecture. Then of course there is the destination of Machu Picchu itself. Never does it fail to impress first-time visitors that have seen countless photos of the site beforehand. As you exit the final Inca Trail control point in the morning sunshine, you’ll make your way to a lookout perched high above the “Lost City’s” central buildings. With striking views, you’ll have plenty of time to take photos before heading to the ruins for your guided tour.
2. Itinerary for short inca trail to machu picchu
Your 2-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu starts in the small village of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley where you catch the afternoon train to KM104 (the actual start of the Inca Trail). It is here that you must show your passport and the trekking permits, and from here you cross the Vilcanota River and follow the trail along the river’s right shore. After about 3 hours of trekking, you reach the fascinating archaeological site of Chachabamba, located at 2250 m.a.s.l. This site was one of the last shelters of the Inca Pachacutec when he was fleeing from the Manco Capac’s rebellion in the late 15th century.
You then ascend a rather steep path for an hour to the beautiful archaeological site of Winay Wayna located at 2700 m.a.s.l. (The name means “forever young” and is named after a variety of pink orchid which grows here). You camp here on the first night and on that night you can visit the impressive and well-preserved Inca site just a few minutes from the campsite. At approximately 4 pm that day, you will walk to the Sun Gate (Inti Punku), and get your first view of Machu Picchu. The following day you will descend to Machu Picchu to take in the sights and then return to Cusco in the afternoon by train and bus.
You then ascend a rather steep path for an hour to the beautiful archaeological site of Winay Wayna located at 2700 m.a.s.l. (The name means “forever young” and is named after a variety of pink orchid which grows here). You camp here on the first night and on that night you can visit the impressive and well-preserved Inca site just a few minutes from the campsite. At approximately 4 pm that day, you will walk to the Sun Gate (Inti Punku), and get your first view of Machu Picchu.
The following day you will descend to Machu Picchu to take in the sights and then return to Cusco in the afternoon by train and bus. Note: The camping and 1st-day itinerary for the 2-day Inca Trail and the shortened 3-day Inca Trail are the same.
3. What to Expect from short inca trail to machu picchu
When I inquired about the availability of their two-day hike to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu, I received the following itinerary about what to expect. On the first day of the Inca Trail, we were to start at 7 am with a drive through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to the trailhead at Chilca. This is where we were to have the only rigorous hiking on the Inca Trail. The first three hours of the trek involves a climb of 1,200 meters (about 4,000 feet) to the highest pass at Warmiwañusca (Dead Woman’s Pass).
This climb, the most difficult day of the trip as the climb is 90% of the time straight up, takes you from the high puna, through the cloud forest and finally to the rainforest; during the climb, the scenery changes every two hours. After the pass, it is a two-hour hike down to the Inca ruins of Pacaymayu to camp on the second night. Due to the rigorous climbing and descending, we were told we were to be given the option of a hotel stay at Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu instead of camping on the third night.
4. Summary of short inca trail to machu picchu
The two-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is the best option for those wanting to experience the Inca Trail but have time constraints. With the top guides and the best itinerary, we will make this experience unforgettable. It is a lifetime experience one should not miss.
Hike the amazing “royal” Inca road to Machu Picchu with Andean stone steps and through the site ‘Inti Punku’ or the Sun Gate, so named because it is here that the sun first rises over Machu Picchu. It is a one-day hike that follows the last portion of the Classic Inca Trail. On the second day, you have a full guided tour of Machu Picchu with plenty of extra time to explore on your own.
This 2-day trip will enable you to hike the last portion of the Inca Trail and arrive through the Sun Gate without the physical demands of the longer treks. With an afternoon train return to Cusco or to stay the night in Aguas Calientes, you can enjoy the hot springs and have more time to visit Machu Picchu.This trail features enigmatic sites and stunning Andean scenery. Ideal for those with limited time, it offers a direct route to Machu Picchu. Our service includes transportation, entrance fees, meals, equipment, bilingual guides, and excellent customer service.
