Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu Tour: two days, one night

The first day of the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour is the valley itself. The listing names its stops plainly: the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Pisac and Ollantaytambo, starting with a pickup from your hotel in Cusco. The operator sends the pickup time a couple of days before the trip, so keep an eye on your messages.

The full day-one timetable is not published on the listing, so we will not invent one. What reviewers describe fills in some of the gaps. Bensu from Germany: «Machu Picchu is great but Pissac and Ollantaytambo was also really good». Alexis from the United States mentions a stop she did not expect: «the stop at the llama and alpaca farm and boutique, which can be a pleasant surprise if you haven’t seen the llamas and alpacas yet!»

The day ends with a train ride; the listing simply says «Enjoy the view during the train ride» and does not name the class. One honest note from Grace in Canada: her train was at about 3:30 pm and the group reached Ollantaytambo around 3, so «I didn’t get to explore much». If Ollantaytambo matters to you, ask about the train time when the pickup details arrive.

Here is the gap you should know about before you book a Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour: the listing does not say where the night is spent, or whether the hotel is part of every option. The programme for day two starts early with the bus up the mountain, which is why most people picture a night close to the citadel.

Reviewers describe it in different ways. Jessica from the United States: «The train ride and hotel stay in Aguas Calientes were comfortable, and everything included in the tour was clear with no surprises.» Sydney from the United States writes that the staff were «coming to our hotel in the morning to take us to the bus station even though we booked the hotel separately».

So read the option you are buying. If the hotel is not listed in it, book one yourself and give the operator its name.

The cheaper way to see the citadel from Cusco is one long day by train. The three listings run 12 to 15 hours, with pickups from 4:00 in the morning, about two to two and a half hours with a guide inside, and lunch either on your own or as an option. One of them notes that once the guided visit ends, you cannot re-enter the citadel. Daria from Saudi Arabia, on the 12-hour listing: «It was a well organized trip, which took 17 hours in total.»

The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour costs $21 to $62 more than those three, and what you get for it is time. Pisac and Ollantaytambo become part of the trip instead of a blur through a van window, and the citadel comes on the morning of day two rather than after a 4:00 start. It works as a Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu tour in that order: valley, train, night, citadel.

Who is the long day for? Travellers with one spare day in Cusco and no wish to see the valley towns. If you are planning a longer tour of Peru and Machu Picchu is the one fixed point, two days give it room. It is the one 2 day tour Machu Picchu Sacred Valley visitors can book on this site.

Book the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour at $370 if you have two days and want the valley towns as well as the citadel: 345 reviewers rate it 4.6. With only one day, take a long day by train. If you would rather walk in, the two-day hike starts at $585, and our top pick is the 4-day hike at $840, rated 4.9 by 595 reviewers.

Geoffrey from the United Kingdom put the price question best: «It looks like a lot of money, but you can see where it goes.» He adds that «The second day was the highlight at Machu Picchu.» As a Peru and Machu Picchu tour packed into two days, it gets the same kind of praise from Bensu in Germany: «This was the best tour we booked in Peru».

The one warning worth repeating comes from Kelsey in the United States: «Beware that the tour is “piece-meal”, so you will be joined with different groups during different legs of the tour, but it was very organized».

Sacred Valley Machu Picchu tour booking options are short here: one two-day listing at $370 and three long days by train. Before you confirm a Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour booking, read the option for the hotel and keep your dates fixed. Already staying in the valley? Our top pick, the 4-day hike, names pickup from a hotel in Cusco or the Sacred Valley; for any other Machu Picchu tour from Sacred Valley hotels, check the pickup area on the listing first.