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Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour
Walk through the secrets of the Sacred Valley on your way to Machu Picchu





Discover all the secrets of the Inca culture with this 2-day Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour.
The train tour is preferred by travelers to visit Machu Picchu because, during the journey from Cusco, you will visit different areas of the Sacred Valley: Pisac, Urubamba, and the fortress of Ollantaytambo, always accompanied by a professional guide. Afterward, you will onboard the iconic train that will take you to Aguas Calientes, the gateway to the Inca city.
👉Find below all the details of this 2-day excursion to Machu Picchu:
✅ At Howlanders we offer this tour with the best guides, train schedules, and access to Machu Picchu (based on availability), so you can enjoy a high-quality experience., and access to Machu Picchu (based on availability), so you can enjoy a high-quality experience.
Tour details
Included
- Sacred Valley guided tour to Ollantaytambo
- Lunch in Urubamba
- Train Ollantaytambo - Aguas Calientes, category Voyager / Expedition (round trip)egory)
- Accommodation and breakfast in Aguas Calientes (based on the option selected)
- Bus Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu (roundtrip)
- Machu Picchu entrance ticket
- Guided tour in Machu Picchu
- Transfer Ollantaytambo > Cusco
Not included
- Tourist Ticket of Cusco (70 soles / $20 aprox.)
- Dinner on the first day
- Lunch on the second day
Important information
To guarantee the conservation of Machu Picchu, 4 different itineraries have been designed inside the citadel. When you make your reservation, you will be assigned the best itinerary and schedule available.
In addition to the general entrance fee, if you wish to visit an additional area (Huayna Picchu, Huchuy Picchu, or Machu Picchu Mountain) an additional entrance will be included in your reservation.
❌ It is not possible to visit two of the additional zones on the same day due to lack of time.
💡 To learn more about tickets and circuits available in Machu Picchu please contact us.
Cancellation policy
If you cancel more than 15 days before the tour start time you will receive an 70% refund*. If you cancel less than 15 days before the tour start time you will receive a 50% refund*. After this time, or in case of no-show, you will not be entitled to a refund.
Tour itinerary
PREVIOUS DAY Briefing - Cusco
Location: Your lodging in Cuzco
Informative briefing
The day before departure, our coordinator will visit you at your hotel or the place of your choice for the tour briefing. A small meeting in which he will explain all the details of the Machu Picchu Sacred Valley tour, tell you the exact time of pick up and give you the train tickets and your entrance ticket to Machu Picchu.

DAY 1 Cusco - Pisac - Urubamba - Ollantaytambo - Aguas Calientes
Group size in Sacred Valley tour: 16-18 travelers
Difficulty: Easy
Pick up in Cuzco
On the first day of the tour, the guide will pick you up at your hotel between 7:00 and 7:30 am in a minibus that you will share with the other travelers in the group.
Pisac Traditional Market
After an hour's drive, we will arrive at the first stop in the Sacred Valley, the town of Pisac, and its handicraft stores. If you want to know another area of the town, we recommend that you ask the guide, who will tell you how to get to the Mercado de la plaza or Mercado Tradicional de Pisac. It is located just a few meters from the stop and is definitely worth a visit.

The archaeological complex of Pisac
The tour continues to the archaeological complex of Pisac. The guide will give you some historical explanations and you will be able to explore it on your own. If you do not have the tourist ticket of Cuzco don't worry, the guide will assist you to buy it, since it is necessary to be able to access the archaeological zone.
💬 Tourist ticket of Cuzco
It is the ticket that gives access to the main tourist sites of Cuzco. There are two types of tickets: the partial ticket, which is valid for 2 days and only gives access to the places visited in the Sacred Valley. And the integral ticket, which is valid for 10 days and gives access to most of the tourist sites in Cuzco and its surroundings.

Urubamba
You will continue on to Urubamba, where you will enjoy a traditional meal in one of the best-rated restaurants in the area.
Fortress of Ollantaytambo
After lunch, you will get back on the minibus that will take you to the last stop of this excursion through the Sacred Valley of the Incas: the incredible fortress of Ollantaytambo, which you will discover with the tour guide.

Free time in Ollantaytambo
After the visit, the minibus will take you to the main square of Ollantaytambo, located 5-minute walk from the train station. At this point, the guide will return to Cuzco and you will have free time in this beautiful town until the departure of your train to Aguas Calientes (based on your train ticket schedule).

🚂 Aguas Calientes
You will enjoy this iconic train ride for an hour and a half, traveling along the Vilcanota River valley, which offers spectacular views of the snow-capped mountains, the semi-tropical zone, and the high jungle area.
When you arrive in Aguas Calientes, they will be waiting for you to bring you to your accommodation. They will tell you the exact pick-up time for the next day, and you will have time to have dinner on your own in the village.

DAY 2 Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Cusco
Group size in Machu Picchu tour: 8 travelers
Difficulty: easy
Breakfast in Aguas Calientes
You will have breakfast at the selected accommodation in Aguas Calientes (except in case of selecting the option "without lodging") and at the indicated time the guide will pick you up to walk with the rest of the group to the bus stop.
👉 The exact time of pick up at the hotel and departure of the bus will depend on your Machu Picchu entrance schedule, so we advise you to book the tour in advance, so a better entrance schedule and itinerary will be assigned.

Machu Picchu
Once in Machu Picchu, you will take a two-hour guided tour in a small group of a maximum of 8 travelers.
The itinerary of the guided tour depends on the assigned entrance, as there are 4 different circuits. At the end of the 2-hour guided tour, you will have free time to enjoy some of the areas of Machu Picchu, but you will not be able to walk freely through the archaeological site, since the mobility of visitors has been limited in order to preserve it.

🚶Aguas Calientes
At the end of the guided tour, the guide will say goodbye to the group and you will decide when to take the bus down to Machu Picchu town (Aguas Calientes), where you can have lunch at one of the many restaurants on your own.
Then, you will take the train to Ollantaytambo (the train schedule is subject to availability and will be indicated in the briefing).

🚐 Ollantaytambo - Cuzco
Upon arrival at Ollantaytambo, the train company's minibus will take you to your accommodation in Cusco, where you will arrive around 9 PM (depending on your train schedule). Here ends the tour to Machu Picchu Sacred Valley, an experience you will remember forever!
👉 If you have included the extra "Private Transfer Ollantaytambo-Cuzco" the driver will be waiting for you when you get off the train to take you to your accommodation in Cuzco, where you will arrive around 20:30.

What to bring to Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour
- Backpack for two days
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
- Sunglasses
- Warm clothing
- Comfortable footwear
- Water bottle
- Raincoat/waterproof poncho
- Passport
- Bathing suit and towel (only if you want to visit the hot springs of Aguas Calientes)
- Medication to avoid altitude sickness (in case you consider it necessary).
Where does the tour Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour start
📍 The tour starts in Cuzco, and includes pick up from your accommodation, as long as it is located in the historic center of the city. If the street where you are located is not accessible for the minibus, the coordinator will accompany you from your accommodation to the pick-up point. In case your hotel is not located in the city center, the minibus will not be able to deviate so much from its pick-up route and you will be offered a pick-up point as close as possible to your accommodation.