Machu Picchu Day Trips

Machu Picchu is rightly one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and our guided tour shows you all the best sites.

Enjoy a private, in-depth guided tour with the best tour guides with options to walk to Puerta del Sol (the original Inca entrance to Machu Picchu) or the Inca bridge.

Start from/return to Cusco, Ollantaytambo or Aguas Calientes.

Machu Picchu day trip highlights include:

• Temple of the Sun

• Temple of the Condor

• Temple of the Three Windows

• Sun Clock, Intihuatana

• Train, bus, and entrance tickets included

Machu Picchu Day Tour Itinerary

Getting to Machu Picchu with a day tour

You can start this tour in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, or in Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of the ruins. See below for more information on transfer times.

You will need to take a train to access Aguas Calientes. It’s a picturesque journey with wonderful mountain views and colorful villages en route.

From Aguas Calientes, it’s a 20-minute bus ride up a zig-zag path to the entrance to the Machu Picchu ruins. All guided tours last around two hours. There is free time to take pictures and add on a visit to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (early morning entry required).

The first entry is at 6 am and then are available on the hour, every hour, until the last entry at 2 pm.

Don’t forget to read our FAQs, covering altitude, money, and more.

Machu Picchu Guided Tour

Once in Machu Picchu, your guide will show you around this jewel of the Inca empire. There is plenty of time to take some wonderful pictures as you walk around the ruins.

Below are some of the highlights you will see.

Intihuatana (Sun Clock)

This mysterious and beautiful sundial was carved directly into the bedrock of Machu Picchu. Much is not known about its unusual design and markings. What is known is that it aligns with the sun during the winter solstice (June 21 in Peru). At midday, the main stone casts no shadow at all.

The Temple of the Sun

The Temple of the Sun was the most sacred temple at Machu Picchu. It was most likely accessible only to priests and high-ranking Incas.

It is built over an enormous rock in a unique semi-circular fashion and features a tower and a trapezoidal window. It is believed that the Incas worshipped their sun god, Inti, and other theories exist as well.

These range from royal tombs to observatories and sacrificial centers.

Temple of the Condor

This is one of the most spectacular sites at Machu Picchu. The Incas took a large, natural rock formation and sculpted it to resemble a condor in flight, wings spread and magnificent.

There are details alongside its majesty; a condor’s head and neck feathers complete the condor. A mummy was found in a small cave under the rock, and there is speculation that sacrifices happened here, too. Behind the temple is a prison complex and dungeons.

Temple of the Three Windows

We will see this temple in the Sacred Plaza area of Machu Picchu. It is a large structure, with three walls and the main attraction is the three large windows.

There are many theories as to why there are three windows. Your guide will discuss their and your opinions during the tour.

Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain

Huayna Picchu

You need to buy a permit (limited in number) to climb Huayna Picchu, and it sells out well in advance. Please ask us for more information.

It is well worth the entry fee. It’s an energetic 1-2-hour walk to the top, with steep staircases and steel cables at points. In wet weather, it can be slippery. Once you reach the top, you have a new and wonderful perspective of Machu Picchu. Huayna Picchu also offers access to the Temple of the Moon, one of the three main temples at Machu Picchu.

The peak of Huayna Picchu sits at 2,693 m/8,835 ft, about 260m/850ft higher than Machu Picchu.

Huayna Picchu is not recommended for people with vertigo or a fear of heights. There are some steep stairs and vertiginous areas.

Machu Picchu Mountain

Like Huayna Picchu, you need a pre-bought permit for Machu Picchu Mountain. It doesn’t sell out as fast, but it is still recommended to buy the ticket as soon as possible.

The Machu Picchu Mountain trek is considered moderate to challenging. You follow an original stone Inca Trail up to its peak, at 3,082m/10,111ft, which offers breathtaking views of the ruins and the valleys, and is 652m/2,139ft above Machu Picchu.

We recommend around 90 minutes to climb up and an hour to descend. During the wet season, the trail can become more slippery. Again, this is not suitable for people with a fear of heights - in places the trail is very steep and often follows the mountain edge.

Aguas Calientes hot springs

The town of Aguas Calientes sits at the foot of Machu Picchu. It is named after the warm, thermal waters that come to the surface. If you have time, it’s well worth paying the entry fee for an hour or two to soak in the warm waters.

Day tour pick-up points and travel times

From Cusco: Early morning transfer from your hotel to Poroy (45 minutes). Board the train (2 hours) to Aguas Calientes. From the town, take a 20-minute bus ride up to the Machu Picchu ruins.

From Ollantaytambo: Transfer from your hotel to Ollantaytambo train station (5 mins) to board the train (1hr 30 mins) to Aguas Calientes. From the town, take a 20-minute bus ride up to the Machu Picchu ruins.

From Aguas Calientes: We will pick you up from your hotel in Aguas Calientes, or the train station, and accompany you to the bus that will take us up to the entrance of Machu Picchu (about a 20-minute ride).

You can return to Cusco the same day, taking the train (2 hours) to Poroy and then a 45-minute transfer from Poroy to your Cusco hotel.

Machu Picchu Day Tour Prices

Minimum two people

1 day, from Aguas Calientes

Groups of 2: $195 per person

Groups of 3-4: $185 per person

Groups of 5-6: $147 per person

Groups up to 7: $132 per person

1 day, from Ollantaytambo

Groups of 2: $385 per person

Groups of 3-4: $375 per person

Groups of 5-6: $340 per person

Groups up to 7: $330 per person

* Add $75 per person to climb Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu.

*Contact us for transport prices from Cusco, variable depending on group size.

What’s included?

From Aguas Calientes: Entrance to Machu Picchu, bus tickets, and private guided tour.

From Ollantaytambo: Entrance to Machu Picchu, bus tickets, train tickets (expedition, Vistadome available for $55pp one way, $110 return) and private guided tour

From Cusco: Entrance to Machu Picchu, bus tickets, train tickets (expedition, Vistadome available for extra cost) and private guided tour

What’s not included?

From Aguas Calientes: Lunch, Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain entrance permits, hotels

From Ollantaytambo: Lunch, Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain entrance permits, accommodation in Ollantaytambo

From Cusco: Lunch, Trasportation, Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain entrance permits, accommodation in Cusco.