Planning a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru is one of the main reasons why people visit. For good reason too, it was incredible. The scenery was breathtaking (literally!). There are a few options available for how you can visit Machu Picchu: a 4 day hike, a 2 day 1 night hike, or the bus.
The well-known option is the 4 day Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu. But if you really want to do this – book it as SOON as the permits become available! They sell out MONTHS in advance. We had planned to go in May, and they sold out in October!
Another alternative is to do the 2 day 1 night hike to Machu Picchu. We opted to do this hike, and I LOVED it. The 1 night is spent in a hotel, so it is basically just a one day hike to Machu Picchu.
A third option (and doesn’t involve hiking the Inca Trail) is to take the bus to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes.
Here’s my experience doing the 2 day 1 night hike to Machu Picchu. Hopefully this will help you decide what option is best for you!
What to expect on the 2 day 1 night hike to Machu Picchu – the short version
- Day 1: On this day, you are dropped off at KM 104, and you hike up to the Winay Wayna ruins. They make you lunch and give you a tour of ruins. If you do the 4 day Inca Trail hike, this is where day 4 of the hike starts. After lunch, you then hike towards the Sun Gate and arrive in the afternoon. After briefly stopping at Machu Picchu and taking a few pictures, you then take the bus into Aguas Calientes where you will spend the night.
- Day 2: Today you wake up early (at 4:30AM!) and take the bus to Machu Picchu so that you can watch the sunrise. You also go on a guided tour of the Machu Ruins. If you booked your ticket, you can also climb Wayna Picchu at 10:00am!
Day 1: The Trek to Machu Picchu
Morning: Hike up to Winay Wayna Ruins
Our morning started off bright and early in Cusco for a 5:00AM pick-up time. We were driven to Ollantaytambo where they picked up passengers who had opted to spend the night there, and then dropped off at the Ollantaytambo train station.
At the train station, we were given goodie bags from our Guide which had juice, an orange, cookies, a small chocolate bar, and a 1LT bottle of water inside. This wasn’t expected and greatly appreciated, so we ate these on the train. And to top it all off, the train staff also gave us a drink and snack!
The train that we took was with PeruRail, and this had all been organized and booked through Alpaca Expeditions. The train ride was beautiful, and the bathroom was also REALLY nice.
Our stop for the 2 day 1 night Inca Trail trek was at KM 106. Normally this trek starts at KM 104, however due to landslides it was closed. This meant that the trek we were going to do was shorter, but steeper.
When we got off at our stop, we crossed the bridge and we showed them our passports. If you need to use the bathroom again, they have toilets here but we warned – they are squat toilets!! I was NOT prepared for this, and didn’t even know how to use it! I managed to get by though..
Starting the hike up the mountain
The first half of the trail was the most challenging. I was out of breath very quickly and had to take a lot of breaks. Being in good shape helps a lot. I probably should have worked out more before this trip!
After lots and lots and lots of switchbacks, we made it to our lunch stop! If you are doing the 4 day Inca Trail hike, this is the base camp on your third night. When we arrived for lunch, The Alpaca Expeditions team had already set up the tents on the campsite for the hikers doing this trek.
Exploring the Winay Wayna Ruins
When we arrived at our lunch spot, we had time to sit and relax. I used the bathroom again (this time the toilets had JUST been cleaned!) AND I ran into a few llamas!! However, I discovered after I returned from the bathroom, that Alpaca Expedition have their own toilets that are in tents, and in MUCH better condition. You can actually sit on them! How they carry them up the mountain, I have no idea.
Before lunch, we went on a tour of the Winay Wayna ruins, which was a 5 minute walk away from the campsite. We had the option to leave our backpacks at their campsite, which I took advantage of. Since the bags are in the open, I didn’t want to risk it and wore my fanny pack with my passport in it, put my sunscreen and phone/camera in the pockets of my leggings, and carried a bottle of water with me.
The Winay Wayna ruins are SO incredible. Words and pictures can’t describe how high up we were, and how the scenery went on forever.
Lunchtime!
After our tour of the ruins, we headed back to our campsite for lunch. What I really appreciated about the 2 day 1 night hike to Machu Picchu with Alpaca Expeditions was the attention to small details. Before lunch, they set up small little basins of water and little soap pumps – 1 for each person – so that we could properly wash our hands!
Now it was time for lunch. IT WAS SO GOOD. How on earth they bring enough food for everyone up the mountain, and prepare it, is beyond me. They are truly superheros. I was blown away by how good the food was, and it was served buffet style so we could have as much as we wanted. They also refilled our water bottles for us.
Hike to the Sun Gate
After lunch we made our way to the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu. This took another few hours, but this section of the trail was much flatter, shadier, and easier. If you take the 4 day Inca Trail hike, you will be waking up at 3AM to hike this trail (in the dark), so that you arrive at the Sun Gate for sunrise. I’m personally really glad we did the 2 day 1 night hike to Machu Picchu, because we were able to do this hike in the daytime.
The Sun Gate
Once we got to the Sun Gate, it was about 1pm. A few things to keep in mind:
- The view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate isn’t the view that you see in all of the pictures. I felt a little silly asking if the mountain that I saw in the distance was THE mountain.
- If you arrive in the morning it will most likely be so cloudy you won’t see it at all.
- We arrived in the afternoon, so it was a lot less busy – but there were still A LOT of people there. I’m not sure how busy it would be if a bunch of tour groups started arriving early in the morning. We found a more quiet spot and sat there for a bit looking at the scenery and taking it all in.
- The only way to enter Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate is if you hike in. When you arrive at the Machu Picchu site by bus, you would have to hike UP to the Sun Gate. Not worth the over 1 hour, uphill hike to get there, in my opinion. But at the end of the day, it’s entirely up to you!
Arriving at Machu Picchu!
After the Sun Gate, we hiked 45 minutes downhill (YAY!) to where you see the famous view of Machu Picchu. We weren’t allowed to go explore the ruins, but they gave us plenty of time to take pictures and walk around in a few designated areas before we exited Machu Picchu. Afterwards, we took the bus down to Aguas Calientes.
Before you leave Machu Picchu, make sure to get your passport stamped! It’s just for fun. There’s a table when you exit with a stamp on it, so you can do it yourself.
Spending the night in Aguas Calientes
That evening, we checked into our hotel and had enough time for a shower before dinner at 6:30pm. You won’t have enough time to go to the Hot Springs. They say that the Hot Springs are full of pee anyway, so don’t bother bringing your bathing suit for this trek!
The hotel we stayed in (The Cabana) was my favourite hotel during my entire trip of Peru. The rooms were sooooo luxurious. And the hot shower after a long day of hiking, and a comfy bed to sleep in? AMAZINGGG.
Day 2 of the 2 day 1 night hike to Machu Picchu.
The bus to Machu Picchu
Day 2 started at 4:30AM for breakfast. Our guide met us at 5:00AM, where he led us to the line to wait for our bus.
Some people arrive at 3:00AM to wait for their bus so that they can be at Machu Picchu the second it opens. Don’t bother doing this. The sun doesn’t start to peek out over the hills until about 7:30AM. The buses come so frequently, that if you get in line at 5:00AM, then you won’t need to wait in line for a long time. The gates to Machu Picchu don’t open until approximately 6:00AM anyway!
The bathrooms at Machu Picchu
Thankfully they have bathrooms outside of the entrance to Machu Picchu that you can use for 2./s. The line for the girls is ALWAYS long (when is it not?!), but it moves quickly and they are clean (and NOT squat toilets!!). If you need to use the washrooms while you are in Machu Picchu, you will need to exit and then re-enter.
Machu Picchu
Once we entered Machu Picchu, our guide took us to the exact same location we were the day before so that we could watch the sun rise. The mountain was entirely covered in clouds, and as the sun rose they slowly disappeared. It was so beautiful, and I’m so glad that we got to see it twice.
We then got our two hour guided tour of Machu Picchu. This is something I would highly recommend doing, because they pointed out a lot of things that could easily be missed. After the tour, this is where your tour with Alpaca Expeditions ends and you are left on your own to explore the Ruins or hike up Wayna Picchu.
Wayna Picchu
If you want to hike up Wayna Picchu, you will need a permit for this. Alpaca Expeditions gives you the option to include this when you book your hike.
Before hiking up Wayna Picchu (which started at 10:00AM), we exited Machu Picchu so that we could use the bathrooms. It is a 20 minute walk to the bathrooms from the beginning of the Wayna Picchu trek, but getting back into the park was quick.
I enjoyed hiking Wayna Picchu SO much, and found it easier to do than the first half of the 2 day 1 night hike to Machu Picchu. Read more about my experience here.
Whether you hike Wayna Pichu, or explore the Machu Picchu ruins on your own, you will have to leave the park at 1:oo PM so that you can catch the bus back to Aguas Calientes, and then your train back to Cusco (or Ollantaytambo). Don’t be scared of the bus line. They are long, but move really fast – we waited 15 minutes.
When we arrived back in Aguas Calientes, we got our bags back from the hotel. We had just over an hour to eat, but since we didn’t want to risk missing our train, we ate at the train station.
Staying in Ollantaytambo
If you are doing the 2 day 1 night hike to Machu Picchu, you will most likely return to Cusco at around 8:00pm. I really wanted to explore the town of Ollantaytambo, so we had asked Alpaca Expeditions if we could end our trip in Ollantaytambo. They were very accommodating and even offered to pick us up the next day in Ollantaytambo at 6pm! If you decide to spend an extra night in Ollantaytambo (either before or after the trek) make sure you let Alpaca Expeditions know in advance, and remind your guide.
The town of Ollantaytambo is a 10 minute walk away from the train station, and there were a few restaurants and shops along the way. A lot of other travellers stop in Ollantaytambo and walk into town as well.
I was SO happy we spent the extra night in Ollantaytambo, because we arrived at 5:30pm, and had the evening to walk around the town, eat supper, have another hot shower and be in bed early! It was a relaxing way to end a busy day. Read more about Ollantaytambo here.
4 day or 2 day hike to Machu Picchu?
If you are planning to go to Machu Picchu, and debating on whether you should take the bus, or go on a 4 day or 2 day hike to Macchu Pichu, then I hope my experience helped with that decision! I can’t compare the two hikes since I only did the 2 day hike to Machu Picchu. I highly recommend Alpaca Expeditions to book your hike, they were incredible.
What I liked about the 2 day 1 night hike to Machu Picchu was that we got to see Machu Picchu twice. We also had the opportunity to go up Wayna Picchu without being overly tired. I heard that the second day of the 4 day hike is very challenging (all uphill, and at a very high altitude). Based on how tired I was on the first day of hiking to Machu Picchu, I think I would have had trouble doing it. It was also nice to sleep in a bed and have a hot shower at the end of the day. It’s all up to you and what you prefer!
Have you hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, or planning to go there? Let me know what you did (or are planning to do) in the comments below!
