This two-day trip consists of one day of trekking and one day of visiting Machu Picchu. It is a fairly easy hike, and for those who like to avoid camping, there’s the advantage of staying in a hotel.

A short train ride from Ollantaytambo brings you to Km 104 (altitude 2,100 meters) of the train tracks. Your trek begins across the river at the ruins of Chachabamba, where visits of the complex are usually offered by most trekking agencies.

From here, an eight-kilometer ascent through orchids, waterfalls, and hummingbirds in the cloud forest brings you to the impressive site of Wiñay Wayna. In Quechua this means “forever young” and it is home to the beautiful, bright purple forever young orchids. Most people stop here for lunch before continuing along the Inca trail to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, before arriving at Machu Picchu itself.

Due to changes in regulations, everyone who does the short Inca Trail now hops on a bus and stays in a hotel in Aguas Calientes. The following day, you return early by bus for a full day to see Machu Picchu and surroundings.