Machu Picchu 2 Day 1 Night Inca Trail Hike: Is It Worth It?

Machu Picchu Hike Options

Although Peru has an amazing array of activities and historical sites to visit, Machu Picchu is pretty much a non negotiable for anyone’s first trip to the country. While researching how to visit Machu Picchu, I found out there were multiple options to visit the historic site. The easiest and least expensive option is to simply drive to Aguas Calientes and then take a bus up to Machu Picchu. The other options are more expensive and involve hiking the Inca Trail. The most common hiking options are either 2, 4, 5, or 7 days. The Classic Inca Trail is a 4 day hike. No matter which option you pick, you must hire a certified guide and have a permit purchased in advance. The permits are limited, so if you are going during a busy period or on a strict schedule, please book as early as possible! If you are going to be in the Cusco region longer though, you can get a much better deal booking directly in Peru than online. I messaged a few highly reviewed companies to get an idea on pricing. For the 4 day trek, prices ranged from $650 to $2000 depending on the level of luxury and whether the tour was in a group or private. For the 2 day hike, the prices ranged from $300 to $700. We eventually decided to go with Tour In Peru due to their good reviews and moderate pricing. Their website is https://www.tourinperu.com . The price for a private 2 day 1 night hike was $465 per person. After talking with the guide company, I was able to add an additional day and include multiple stops in the sacred valley for a total cost of $540 a person. While this is a little pricey, it included two nights at relatively nice hotels (rated 3 stars), our pick up from the Cusco airport, all transportation, majority of our meals, our guides (minus tips), and the Inca Trail hike and permits. Below you will see the two different itineraries I was offered. We did receive a discount even though it was peak season due to COVID.

2 Day 1 Night Inca Trail Itinerary

Itinerary with Sacred Valley Add-On

The Hike

The hike is 12.5 kilometers to the Sun Gate and then another 2 kilometers down to Machu Picchu. Although the title of the hike says 2 days and 1 night, it is actual just one day of hiking followed by a day exploring Machu Picchu. On the day of our hike, we woke up at 6:30 AM in Ollantaytambo and took the train to kilometer marker 104. If you are leaving from Cusco, you would need to wake up at 4:00 AM, which sounds pretty miserable. The hike lasted from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, so be prepared for an all day hike! One of the advantages of the 2 day 1 night hike is that it doesn’t require you to stay in a tent like the 4 day hike. The 12.5 kilometers is all uphill and is not for the faint of heart. Around two thirds of the way through the hike you arrive at Wiñay Wayna and your path joins the Royal Inca Trail which is the path the 4 day hike takes. There are actually multiple Inca Trails, but the Royal Inca Trail is the most famous. Anna and I are in relatively decent shape and found the hike pretty exhausting. The Inca sure do love their stairs! Below are a few videos from the beginning of the hike at the Urubamba River until arriving at the Sun Gate! We felt so fortunate to be traveling during Covid and having the Sun Gate all to ourselves!

Aguas Calientes and Machu Pichu

The last 2 kilometers of the hike are downhill which is a great relief after climbing ancient steps all day long. Around 4:30 PM we finally reached Machu Picchu. We took a few pictures and then headed down to Aguas Calientes in a bus. Aguas Calientes is about a 20 minute bus ride from Machu Picchu. It’s a really cool town on the Vilcanota River which has a ton of bridges going over the center of the town. There are also a bunch of small hotels and hostels along with hundreds of small shop stalls on the streets and alleys. We ended up staying at the Inti Punka Hotel. We literally had no idea what a 3 star hotel meant in Peru, but we were pleasantly surprised. As you can see from the photos, it was very modern and was located in the heart of the town near a bunch of restaurants and shops.

That evening we had a great dinner with our tour guide Jose. Anna still raves about the soup to this day! We decided to sleep in the next morning due to being exhausted from the hike. This meant that we wouldn’t be the first ones at Machu Picchu in the morning, but considering we had the Sun Gate all to ourselves the prior day, we were okay with this. We headed up to Machu Picchu around 9:00 AM after a nice breakfast instead of heading up at 6:30 AM to be on the first bus. This actually worked out really well for us as there was a thick fog in the morning. When we arrived at Machu Pichu, the thick fog was still there, but it gradual dissipated and was gone after about an hour. As you can see, we were able to get some phenomenal photos!

Had to get a photo with our great guide Jose!

Is It Worth It?

Everyone told Anna and I that we needed to do the 4 day Inca Trail hike. The issue was that neither of us are really big hikers. I think the 2 day 1 night hike is the perfect compromise. We hiked through rainforests, waterfalls, and ruins while being surrounded by glacier mountains and steep valleys covered in jungles. The views definitely do not disappoint and there was a great sense of accomplishment when we finally finished the hike. The hike also gives you a more authentic experience of what the Incas had to go through to reach Machu Picchu. If you’re not wanting to hike for four days and spend more money, the 2 day 1 night Machu Picchu hike is a perfect alternative. We enjoyed our hike immensely. I will say that we had perfect weather for our hike. If it had been raining the entire time (which does happen sometimes), we probably would have been miserable. Machu Picchu itself is pretty remarkable. The fact that a civilization built a citadel so high up in the mountains hundreds of years ago without modern technology is amazing. While Egypt was definitely on a grander scale and much older than Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu had its own unique charm. Anna and I decided to give the 2 day 1 night Machu Picchu hike a score of 16/20 which means we highly recommend it! The only caveat we’ll give is that if you’re elderly or out of shape, it might be better to skip the hike and just take the bus to Machu Picchu. Although you miss out on some amazing views and archeological sites, you still get to see the crown jewel that is Machu Picchu. Let us know in the comments if you’ve been on the 2 day 1 night Machu Picchu hike and what you thought about it!