Short Inca Trail With Hotel

What Is Included

The listing states that the $585 covers a fully guided tour on the trail and in Machu Picchu, a professional English speaking guide, all entry fees for the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, all transportation during the tour, a night at a 4-star hotel in Machu Picchu town, plus lunch, dinner and breakfast. A first aid kit and oxygen tank travel with the group and all diets are catered for. The return train is Vistadome on earlier dates, and from later dates both journeys run on Expedition class, so check which class applies when you pick a date.

The guide carries all tickets for the group, so you only need to bring your original passport. That matters, because trail permits are issued to one person on one passport and are non-transferable.

What You Pay On The Day

Very little should come out of your pocket beyond tips and travel insurance, which the listing excludes and describes as advisable. Breakfast on day 1 and lunch on day 2 are yours to buy, and you cover your own hotel in Cusco before and after the hike. Solo travellers pay the $50 single room supplement on top of the $585. There are no rentals to budget for, since this tour involves no camping and the listing lists no sleeping bag or pole hire.

Because the booking cannot be cancelled, the practical fix is to lock your dates and passport details first, and to buy travel insurance as the listing advises. If you want an escape hatch, the Private Short Inca Trail offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before for $756 per person.

Day 1: Km 104 to the Sun Gate

The day starts with pickup from your hotel in Cusco, then a train to the Km 104 trailhead, a railway stop at about 2,200 metres. From there the trail climbs through rainforest to Chachabamba, then on to Wiñay Wayna, the terraced Inca site that is the highlight of the short route. The route is roughly 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) and typically takes 6 to 7 hours at a moderate pace.

The final stretch climbs to the Sun Gate (Inti Punku), at about 2,720 to 2,745 metres depending on the source, where you get your first view over Machu Picchu from above. From the gate you descend towards the citadel and then take the bus down to Machu Picchu town for the night at the 4-star hotel. Lunch and dinner on day 1 are included.

Day 2: Machu Picchu and the Train Back

After the included breakfast, the group returns to Machu Picchu, which sits at 2,430 metres, for a guided tour with the same professional English speaking guide. The bus ride up from Aguas Calientes takes about 25 to 30 minutes and the first bus leaves around 5:30 a.m., with departures every 10 minutes, so an early start is normal.

Once the tour ends the group takes the bus back down and boards the train. On earlier dates that train is the Vistadome, which has ceiling windows and a live cultural performance on the return. On later dates the journey runs on Expedition class, so the class can change by date. Lunch on day 2 is not included, so plan for a meal in Aguas Calientes or Ollantaytambo before the transfer back to Cusco.

Anyone Who Might Need To Cancel

All sales are final. There is no refund for cancellations, and the reason is the permit, which is issued to one passport and is non-transferable. If your plans might move, book the Private Short Inca Trail instead, which has free cancellation up to 24 hours before for $756 per person.

Travellers Who Want Privacy Or A Small Group

This is a shared tour capped at 14, and the listing does not offer a private option. If you want your own group and guide, the private version of the same route is the answer, or the Private 4-Day Inca Trail if you have four days. For a smaller shared group on the classic route, the Premium 4-Day Inca Trail Trek caps its group at 8 hikers.

Hikers Who Struggle With Steep Days

The listing asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness and does not recommend the tour for pregnant travellers, people with spinal injuries or anyone with poor cardiovascular health. The short trail has no pass like Dead Woman's Pass, which tops 4,200 metres, but the climb from Km 104 is continuous and the Sun Gate sits at about 2,720 to 2,745 metres depending on the source. One operator rates the classic trail moderate to challenging and the short trail moderate, so this is the gentler entry point to the trail.

Solo Travellers And Very Young Children

Solo travellers pay a $50 per person single room supplement on top of the $585. The listing takes bookings for travellers aged 5 to 17 as children and 18 to 75 as adults, and the fitness warning above applies to everyone. The trail closes every February for maintenance, so there are no departures that month, and the trail needs an authorised agency, so independent hiking is not allowed.

For more on the route itself, read the guide to the short Inca Trail.

Acclimatise in Cusco First

Cusco sits well above 3,000 metres, and altitude sickness can appear from about 2,500 metres. Headache, nausea and poor sleep are the common symptoms. The good news is that this route sleeps low: the hotel in Aguas Calientes sits at about 2,040 metres, and Machu Picchu at 2,430 metres is nearly 1,000 metres lower than Cusco.

Still, spend two or three nights in Cusco before the trek and keep day 1 easy. The guide to the best time to hike the Inca Trail covers how seasons change the trail.

Permits, Passport and the February Closure

Book only once your passport is final. Permits are issued to one person on one passport and are non-transferable, and this listing is final sale. Permit sales open in batches, and Inca Trail permits sell out for popular months, so book months ahead.

The whole trail network closes every February and reopens on 1 March, while the Machu Picchu citadel itself stays open all year, so a February trip can still see the ruins without the hike.

The Machu Picchu Visit and Extra Hikes

The ticket on this tour covers a guided visit to the citadel on day 2. If you want to add Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, those are separate tickets with their own daily allocations, and this listing does not include them, so arrange any add-on when you book. For the gate itself, the Sun Gate Machu Picchu guide explains the climb you finish day 1 on.

Luggage and a Night in Aguas Calientes

PeruRail allows one backpack up to 8 kg on Machu Picchu trains, with charges of $15 for excess carry-on and $25 for checked baggage, so leave your main luggage stored in Cusco and pack light for the two days. Free luggage storage is available at Machu Picchu station from 5:00 to 22:00 if you need it. If you would rather not rush back, an extra night in Aguas Calientes lets you return to the ruins on your own ticket the next morning.