Our 2 Day Machu Picchu Tour from Lima is perfect for exploring the ancient Machu Picchu citadel in a short time.
Machu Picchu is an Inca archeological site located 80 km (49.7 miles) from Cusco city. Is often considered as the “Lost City of the Incas”. Machu Picchu was built in the XV century, under the rule of Inca Pachacutec. The citadel was later abandoned and rediscovered by an American expedition led by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
According to some historians, Machu Picchu was an Inca religious sanctuary. During the Inca Empire, the entrance to Machu Picchu was restricted to the royal Inca family and high ranking priests. Due to its remote location, Machu Picchu was not found by the Spanish during the whole Peruvian colonial period.
It is believed that Machu Picchu was occupied by the last remnants of the Inca Empire until 1572, when Tupac Amaru was captured and executed by the Spanish. After the fall of the Inca Empire, Machu Picchu disappeared from the historical records, with just sporadic references to a “hidden Inca city”.
Who discovered Machu Picchu?
There is some controversy about who was the first person to rediscover Machu Picchu. The oldest historical records date to the late XVI century, when a Spanish soldier named Baltasar de Ocampo refers to a great Inca complex located among the high jungles of Cusco. Other sources claim that Machu Picchu was first explored by Augusto Berns, a German businessman who was searching for Inca treasures in the Vilcabamba region.
The most recent historical sources claim that a Peruvian farmer named Agustin Lizarraga was the first person to reach the Machu Picchu ruins in 1902. However, the first scientific exploration to the site can be attributed to the American team led by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
The architecture of Machu Picchu displays the classic Inca building style, which is characterized by the use of giant stone blocks. The most famous Inca buildings of Machu Picchu are the Main Temple, the Temple of the Condor, the Temple of the Three Windows, and the Intihuatana.
Visiting Machu Picchu is one of the most sought after activities while visiting Peru. During this tour, you will visit this beautiful Inca citadel in the span of just 2 days. On the first day, you will fly from Lima to the city of Cusco, to then travel to the cozy town of Aguas Calientes. On the second day, you will explore Machu Picchu, to finally return to Lima at night.
We are a local travel agency committed to providing the best tours and treks iin Peru. Our staff have years of experience planning vacations in Peru. During our tours, you will get unique insights about the history and traditions of all the places you will be visiting.
Our 2 Day Machu Picchu Tour from Lima is perfect for exploring the ancient Machu Picchu citadel in a short time. We also offer day trips to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the Humantay Lake, and the Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain. You can also check special tours to the Salkantay Trek and the Inca Trail. Explore the most incredible places of South America with us.
We will pick you up from your hotel in Lima at 4:00 am. Then we will drive to Lima’s airport to take a flight to Cusco city, where we will be arriving around 7:00 am. Then, we will go in our private vehicle to Ollantaytambo train station. We will be driving through the beautiful Sacred Valley of the Incas. During the trip, you will enjoy the stunning landscapes of the Andes mountains.
Once we arrive in Ollantaytambo, we will board a train to Aguas Calientes town, which is the entry point to Machu Picchu. The train trip will take around 1.5 hours to complete and follows the course of the Urubamba river.
Once in Aguas Calientes, our staff will transfer you to your hotel room. Then, you will have free time to explore the town and its famous hot springs.
We will wake up early in the morning. After having breakfast, we will board a bus to Machu Picchu. After passing the security checkpoints, we will enter the Inca citadel.
Once inside Machu Picchu, you will have a guided tour of this amazing Inca archaeological site. You will be visiting the most famous places of the citadel, including the Main Temple, the Temple of the Condor, and the Intihuatana. If you have purchased a ticket to Huayna Picchu mountain or Machu Picchu mountain, our staff will guide you to the respective entrance.
After the guided tour, we will return to Aguas Calientes. You will have free time to have lunch at a local restaurant. However, the lunch is not included in the tour price. In the afternoon, we will board a train to return to Ollantaytambo.
Once in Ollantaytambo, we will transfer you to Cusco city. From there, you will take a flight to Lima city. You will be arriving in Lima around 11:00 pm. Once there, we will transfer you back to your hotel.
Departure & Return Location
Lima Hotel Transfer
Departure Time
4:00 a.m.
Price Includes
Price Excludes
Packing list
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Find out what those who have trusted us to explore unique destinations and live extraordinary adventures have to say.
John CJanuary 10, 2025Verified Excellent, perfectly planned trip. The trip was perfectly planned from start to finish, the transport, the hike, the hotel, the food and the entrance to Machu Picchu. The lovely guide Edwin was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the site, the hike, and it's history. It truly is an incredible and captivating place that is a must see if you have the opportunity. Gabriel CNovember 12, 2024Verified Rainbow Mountain Tour guide We had a great tour of Rainbow Mountain. Jose was extremely knowledgeable and was a lot of help. The tour included good breakfast and lunch. I highly recommended this tour Joshua SNovember 10, 2024Verified "Unforgettable Machu Picchu Journey with an Exceptional Guide!" John was the perfect guide for our journey from Cusco to Machu Picchu! From the start, he made everything smooth and enjoyable, picking us up from our hotel and ensuring we were comfortable and ready for the adventure ahead. Thanks to his planning, we arrived at Machu Picchu early, avoiding the crowds and enjoying the stunning morning views. The weather was fantastic, and John's deep knowledge of the history and culture made every moment even more memorable. His explanations brought the ancient Incan sites to life, and he guided us thoughtfully through the walk at Machu Picchu, pointing out details we would have missed on our own. Throughout the entire day, John was attentive, patient, and incredibly helpful. He truly went above and beyond to make our experience unforgettable. Highly recommend! Gabriel CNovember 10, 2024Verified Great tour Me and my brother went on a tour with John. He was very helpful. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. Not only did he give a great tour but he was able to give us good recommendations and was very accommodating Kim AOctober 24, 2024Verified An amazing experience! We are an American family from Evansville, Indiana. After doing much research we chose Machu Picchu Tours to make our dream come true of seeing Machu Picchu via the 4-day Inca Trail Trek.Planning this kind of trip is no small feat, but John Taqquere Villaneuva was there for us every step of the way! He always responded quickly to my MANY texts and provided excellent information to prepare us for the trek. Our amazing guide, Edwin, the Porters and Chef went way above and beyond to make sure we felt safe and that we were getting the best experience that was promised. I cannot emphasize how important hygiene and safe food is on a trip like this. We feel our Porters did an excellent job keeping the dining area clean and providing excellent, healthy and safe food. While it is common for foreigners to get sick when traveling to a new country, the crew kept us healthy, hydrated, and safe the entire trip. Our porters took care of every single detail from setting up our camp, refilling our water bottles, and feeding us delicious hot meals 3 times a day. The porters were always there to take care of us. Our bags were transported and waiting for us in our tents upon arrival. Hot drinks were ready for us upon arrival at each campsite, and hot soapy water and towels were provided to clean up after a long day’s hike. Their work ethic and attention to detail was impressive. The 4 day trek is strenuous. Our guide, Edwin, coached us along the way, helping us to set a pace that worked for us so that we would not burn out. He also handled all of our paperwork and entry tickets. There are checkpoints and everything must be in order and spelled correctly. Without these documents, there is no trek and there is no entry into Machu Picchu. Our guide always kept us informed of the daily itinerary and was always supportive and eager to help. His knowledge of the history of the Inca and the ruins was exceptional. We walked away feeling an immense appreciation and understanding of the Inca because of Edwin. If your dream of seeing Machu Picchu is through the Inca Trail, or want to arrange guided tours, then don’t let fear stand in your way. And if you are looking for an agency, we highly recommend John Taqquere Villaneuva with Machu Picchu Tours. These are good, honest, trustworthy and hard-working people that will help make your dream come true. We are so thankful to Machu Picchu Tours, our Guide, Edwin, and the amazing Porters and Chef for their hard work and efforts to help make our dream come true. HikeJunkieCarlosOctober 21, 2024Verified Very organized crew knowledgeable friendly and just plain awesome to have around every step of the way. Couldn’t have asked for a better crew chef porters tents and food for this 4 day Inca trail tripWas the best experience for all 8 of us in our friends group to enjoy every moment and have amazing time all the way through the trip in town and on the Inca trailVery organized crew knowledgeable friendly and just plain awesome to have around every step of the way. Highly recommend this company to solo and groups that plan to visit Peru SkyMiles KOctober 19, 2024Verified 1 of 2 top Bucket List items, Hike the INCA Trail to Machu Picchu Completed the INCA trail with our Hike Junkies family. The Machu Picchu tours were INCREDIBLE!!! A great big shout out to John Taqquere Villanueva & his team for providing us with their expertise & care before, during & after the 4-day backpacking hike. The porters had camp setup for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner during our hiking adventure. Our chef, Carmelito "5-STARS," prepared meals that you should only find in a fine dining restaurant. We even had some Peruvian history lessons along the way. A few surprise discovery viewpoints along the trail. After completing 4-day Inca trail, we hiked the Humanatay Lake on 5th day & Rainbow Mtn on 6th day. We THANK YOU, John, Alberto, Berle, Aiwyn & drivers, porters for making this the adventure of the century!...so far Rebecca ROctober 19, 2024Verified 4 day Inca Trail with Hike Junkies We just completed the 4 day Inca Trail with Machu Picchu Tours. John Taqquere Villanueva went above and beyond to provide us with an amazing experience, with fun, knowledgeable guides to qn amazing chef and porters. Our tents were comfortable and kept us warm and dry from the elements. We were served four course meals, desert and happy hour on each day. Happy hour consisted of fresh hot popcorn, hot cocoa, coffee, cookies and bread. In addition to the 4 day Inca Trail we scored permits to hike Huayna Picchu ( Stairs of Death) which we conquered just having completed the last day of the Inca trail. Yes, our group is crazy! One member of our group was unable to hike the four day Inca trail due to severe health issues, John Taqquere and went above and beyond to give him an amazing Machu Picchu experience. Our trip consisted of City Walking Tour of Cusco, Alpaca Farm, Humantay Lake, Rainbow Mountain and other ruins. This was a humbling experience that will last a lifetime. Chalmers BOctober 9, 2024Verified Great experience! Our guide Edwin was excellent. The first day is very challenging but equally rewarding, and we were really glad that MPT arranged a pre-meeting the day before to go over logistics and make sure we were properly equipped -- renting poles is highly recommended, well worth the $10. Reaching the Sun Gate and getting the full vista of Machu Picchu felt like a life accomplishment. The second day is much less challenging, walking through the actual ruins of Machu Picchu, and we felt much less pressure because we'd gotten such great views and photos the day before.
Huchuy Qosqo was used as a royal estate by Viracocha. During the last days of his rule, he faced a revolt from Cancha People. Huchuy Qosqo Hike is an off-the-beaten-track experience that takes you to the lesser-known yet prominent Inca site, Huchuy Qosqo Peru.
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