Machu Picchu — 2 days / 1 night, by bus
Duration
36 h
Max altitude
2430 m
Difficulty
moderate
From
$150 USD
Real travellers · real day
People who actually went.
What you actually get
Included. And not included.
Being aggressive about exclusions reads as confidence. Most negative Cusco tour reviews trace to an unlisted extra. The list below is what you actually pay for — and what you don't.
Included
- 01Hotel pickup in Cusco
- 02Round-trip touristic transportation, Cusco ↔ Hidroeléctrica (via Ollantaytambo and the Abra Málaga pass)
- 031 night hotel in Aguas Calientes (basic, twin-share)
- 04Professional guide
- 051 breakfast (Day 2, in Aguas Calientes)
- 061 lunch (Day 1, at Hidroeléctrica)
- 071 dinner (Day 1, in Aguas Calientes)
- 08Machu Picchu entrance ticket — included when you book at least 60 days ahead. Inside that window, contact our Cusco team (see the note above) to check availability.
- 09All taxes
Not included
- 01Bus up from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu — walking up (about 40 minutes) is the default, included way; the bus is a paid optional add-on for those who'd rather skip the climb.
- 02Bus down from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes — same as the way up, walking down is the default and is free.
- 03Day 1 breakfast
- 04Day 2 lunch
- 05Day 2 dinner
Hour by hour
The day, in twenty-four timestamps.
- Day 1 · 07:00–07:30
Hotel pickup in Cusco. This isn't a fixed time — it depends on the size of the group we're picking up that morning and traffic, so treat it as a window rather than an exact minute.
- Day 1 · Ollantaytambo
A short stop in Ollantaytambo, about 15 minutes, for crafts, snacks, or the restroom.
- Day 1 · Abra Málaga (4,316 m)
Brief photo stop at the highest point of the crossing, with views of the snow-capped Nevado Verónica.
- Day 1 · Hidroeléctrica
Arrival at Hidroeléctrica, the last stop reachable by vehicle. Lunch here with the group.
- Day 1 · The walk, ~2h30min
After a short rest, the walk begins — Hidroeléctrica to Aguas Calientes along the train tracks and the Urubamba river, about two and a half hours, flat and scenic.
- Day 1 · ~18:00
Dinner with the group in Aguas Calientes.
- Day 1 · Evening
Free time — explore the town or the hot springs (not included) before checking into the hotel for the night.
- Day 2 · 04:00
Wake-up and walk to the Machu Picchu entrance, timed for sunrise — your guide is waiting there.
- Day 2 · The ascent, ~40min
About 40 minutes of walking uphill from the entrance to the citadel. Walking is the default, included way up; the tourist bus is available as a paid optional add-on.
- Day 2 · Guided tour, ~2h
History-focused guided tour of the citadel with your professional guide.
- Day 2 · Free time
Free time to explore the citadel independently.
- Day 2 · ~11:00
Recommended start of the descent to Aguas Calientes — leaving around now leaves time for lunch (not included) before the transfer back.
- Day 2 · Transfer back
Transfer to Hidroeléctrica, then the bus back toward Cusco (Plaza San Francisco).
- Day 2 · ~21:30–22:00
Arrival back in Cusco.
Altitude & fitness
Who should not do this tour.
The most credibility-building paragraph on a Cusco tour page is the one that tells a buyer to walk away. This is that paragraph for the machu picchu — 2 days / 1 night, by bus.
- If you have not spent at least two nights in Cusco before the tour, this day is not for you.
- If you have a heart, lung, or blood-pressure condition, the altitude is a medical decision, not a travel one — talk to your doctor first.
- If you are pregnant, the operator will not run the day. We will not pretend they will.
- If the only thing you want is the photograph and not the day, hire a photo operator in Cusco plaza for a tenth of the price. We are not it.
What to bring
The list, with reasons.
- A small day-bag
- Sun hat
- Sunscreen
- Windbreaker jacket
- Rain poncho or a waterproof layer
- Snacks, water, and your camera
- Hiking boots
- Sunglasses
- Original passport
- Cash — for snacks, water, and any extras
- This is not a difficult walking tour — about three hours of walking total across the two days, mostly flat with one moderate climb, and it's accessible for older travellers and younger children too. Go at your own pace and tell your guide early if you'd like to slow down.
- Once you cross over to the Machu Picchu side of the Andes the climate turns warm and humid — around 25°C (77°F) by day, 13°C (55°F) at night. This isn't Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake: no heavy cold-weather gear needed, a light layer is enough.
- Want less walking? You can add the tourist bus up and/or down from Aguas Calientes, or swap the return bus for the train back to Cusco, for more time at the site — ask us when you book.
- Beyond the main citadel, Machu Picchu has a few extra sub-destinations — Machu Picchu Mountain and Huayna Picchu Mountain both need advance reservation, while the Inca Bridge and the Sun Gate are free and need no booking. And despite the name, Machu Picchu wasn't the Inca empire's capital — historians believe it was a sacred temple complex used for New Year ceremonies.
- Want to go deeper into Inca history first? Many travellers pair this tour with our Sacred Valley tour — Chinchero, Moray, Ollantaytambo, and Pisac — before heading out to Machu Picchu.
- Daily departures. Dry climate most of the year, with some light rain days possible December–April — check the day-of forecast at https://www.accuweather.com/en/pe/cusco/257812/weather-forecast/257812
Booking cutoff
60 days
The minimum lead time on this tour.
Machu Picchu entrance tickets typically sell out well in advance — 2 to 3 months ahead in high season (May–October), 2 weeks to 1 month in low season (November–April). If your travel date is inside this window, the safest next step is a 15-minute video call with our Cusco team at https://booking.aeverion.com/index.php/?provider=4&service=1 — they will walk you through the on-the-day ticket process at Aguas Calientes.
- Payment is in full, by payment link or bank transfer.
- No processor on this site. We send a payment link by hand from WhatsApp.
The honest alternative
Or — Machu Picchu — by train.
The bus is the budget path — the most affordable way to the citadel, and the route most day-trippers take. The trade is the 8 km of switchbacks on a winding mountain road. If you have one day in your life for this place, the train does the journey as part of the experience, in a glass-roof carriage, in comfort.
Read the Machu Picchu — by train page→At a glance
- Lead time
- 60 days
- Duration
- 13 h
- Cancellation
- 48 hours from purchase
WhatsApp about this tour
Machu Picchu — 2 days / 1 night, by bus.
Same-day reply, Cusco time. We will tell you whether your date is open before you pay.
