Train to Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca
9 days | 8 nights | 6 tours | No hikes | No tents
What is included?
Two domestic flights
Eight nights in hotels
Five day tours
Two full days on Lake Titicaca
Guided tour of Machu Picchu
All transportation for tours
All meals during tours
All professional guides and staff
All permits, tickets, taxes, and fees
Get a 9-day international adventure to explore a world wonder hassle and worry free
You get to Lima and we will handle the rest!
Schedule Overview
Day 3
Tour of Cusco
Tour of Cusco in the morning
Lunch on your own after tour
Free afternoon in Cusco
Day 6
Sun Route to Puno
Train ride from Cusco to Puno (or tourist bus)
Transfer from bus station to Puno hotel
Free evening in Puno
Day 7
Tour of Floating Island
Boat tour on Lake Titicaca
Visit the Floating Island, Uros
Night spent on an island with a local family
Popular Questions
Short answer: "shoulder seasons", the Spring and Fall of North America. These months provide the best combo of good weather and lower crowds.
High elevation effects everyone differently. Two general pieces of advice: take it easy on your first day in Cusco and hydrate
We've compiled the ultimate packing list depending on which trip you're planning to take. Check it out at the link below
Schedule Details
Let's get specific...
Day 1
Welcome To Peru!
-
Meals Included: None
-
Accommodations: Hotel Wydhma (at the Lima airport)
MORNING/AFTERNOON/EVENING
Your international flight arrives to the Lima Airport (LIM).
A Kusa Treks representative will meet you at the airport to help walk you to your hotel.
Free afternoon/evening in Lima.
NOTE: Please provide your customer service representative with your flight details prior to your arrival.
Day 2
Flight to Cusco
-
Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel.
-
Accommodations: Hotel Rumi Punku (or similar) in Cusco
MORNING
In the morning, we will transfer you to the Lima airport for your flight to Cusco. A Kusa Treks van will be waiting for you at the airport in Cusco and will drive you to your hotel. You will have a free afternoon to explore Cusco.
AFTERNOON/EVENING
Enjoy some free time to explore Cusco on your own. Check the many shops and incredible restaurants that this historic city has to offer. Or relax at your hotel, by booking a massage at the spa.
Day 3
Tour of Cusco
-
Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
-
Entrance Tickets: Included. Boleto Touristo and entrance fees for Catedral
-
Accommodations: Hotel Rumi Punku (or similar) in Cusco
MORNING
You have some free time this morning to sleep in, relax or explore a little bit of Cusco on your own.
AFTERNOON
At 1PM we will meet you in your hotel lobby to begin the Tour of Cusco. You will start today with a tour Q’oricancha, the Temple of the Sun. At Q’oricancha you will see the differences between the Inca and Spanish building methods. This was the spiritual center of the entire Inca Empire and as such the construction here is amazing. Dozens of roads lead from Q’oricancha to the four quarters of the entire Inca Empire.
After visiting Q’oricancha the group will walk down the Avenida El Sol, where you will board a bus that will take you just outside of the city. The 25 minute drive will take you to the majestic Inca site of Sacsayhuaman, which has enigmatic monoliths weighing as much as 200 tons! Your guide will offer an explanation of this phenomenal site and you will have extra time to do a bit of exploring on your own.
From Sacsayhuaman it is a 5 minute bus ride to the Q’enqo Inca site. These ruins include fascinating Inca altars. Following this site is another 5 minute drive to Puca Pucara, which is a small, circular Inca site. The final stop on our tour is Tambomachay, the Inca water temple thought to be used by the ancient civilization for bathing, with its impressive water fountains.
After touring all of these sites you will drive back down to Cusco where the tour ends at your hotel.
EVENING
Free evening in Cusco to enjoy dinner at one of the many incredible restaurants in Cusco.
Day 4
Tour of the Sacred Valley
-
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch
-
Entrance Tickets: Included. Boleto Touristo
-
Accommodations: Samanapaq Hotel (or similar) in Ollantaytambo
MORNING
A Kusa Treks van will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 8AM to begin today’s tour of the Sacred Valley. The drive will take a road that winds around the mountains north of Cusco. Roughly 20 minutes into the drive you will stop at a famous point known as El Mirador (lookout point). From here you will be able to see the Sacred Valley stretching out below you, while your guide explains a bit of Inca history.
The Sacred Valley was a key area of settlement for the Incas. It has an amazing combination of agreeable climate and fertile plains that allowed for an abundance of crops for the usually unforgiving climate of the high Andes. Here the Incas sculpted vast mountain valleys with their world famous contour terracing and irrigation channels. Your guide will point out the best vantage points to get the best pictures.
AFTERNOON
After re-boarding the van, you will drive to the ruins of Písac. At these ruins you will see and learn about different aspects of Inca culture. You will see amazing works of art carved into stone as well as impressive agricultural terraces.
After exploring the upper plains, you will drive back to the lower part of Písac, where there is a bustling handicraft market where the locals buy, sell and trade goods.
At the market you will have free time to walk around and do some bargaining of your own for souvenirs and clothing made of alpaca or llama wool. Afterwards we will meet for lunch in a nice local restaurant where you will enjoy delicious Andean food.
EVENING
After lunch you will continue the tour, with a drive along the Urubamba River towards the town of Ollantaytambo. In Ollantaytambo, you will tour a set of important ruins that were constructed during the Inca’s heydays called Ollantaytambo Fortress. This extraordinary Inca site also contains an amazing rock formation representing the Inca god Wiracocha.
After touring this site you will board a train bound for Aguas Calientes. Enjoy the incredible train ride, as it follows the Urubamba River through the Sacred Valley. Upon arriving to Aguas Calientes you will have a few moments to freshen up at the hotel before enjoying an authentic Peruvian meal at a local restaurant.
Day 5
Tour of Machu Picchu
-
Meals Included: Breakfast and a Snack
-
Entrance Tickets: Included. Entrance fee to enter Machu Picchu Park
-
Accommodations: Rumi Punku Hotel (or similar) in Cusco
MORNING
It is entirely up to you when you would like to start this exciting day! Today you will discover Machu Picchu, the world famous Sacred City of the Incas. The majority of travelers choose to wake up around 4:30AM, so that you can eat a quick breakfast and head over the bus station where you will attempt to catch the first bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu.
The drive to reach Machu Picchu Park is 25 minutes back the way you came the night before, uphill on a road full of switchbacks. The gates to Machu Picchu open at 6AM as the sun is rising over the lost city. It is truly magical to experience a sunrise over these ruins, as the mists part and the city rises from the clouds stone by stone.
Your official guided tour of Machu Picchu will begin at 8AM and end at 10:30AM if you have permits to climb Huyana Picchu or it will begin between 6 and 7AM and end between 9 and 10AM if you choose not to climb Huyana Picchu. All of our guides have been to Machu Picchu hundreds of times and know this site incredibly well! The walking, guided tour will start with the impressive Temple of the Sun. You will see several iconic areas of Machu Picchu including: The Citadel, The Royal Tomb, the Main Plaza, the Condor Temple and much more.
NOTE: Due to new regulations (effective Jan 1. 2019), the paths that lead through Machu Picchu are all “one-way”, meaning you are not able to backtrack during your visit to Machu Picchu. Each visitor without a permit to climb Huyna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain will have ~4 hours to spend inside the park and those with permits to climb either Huyana Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain will have 6 total hours to spend inside the park (including the 2 hour climb).
AFTERNOON/EVENING
After touring Machu Picchu your guide will take you to the bus stop just outside the gates of Machu Picchu Park. You will take this bus for a third time to get back to to Aguas Calientes. Depending on your train departure time (see below), you will either need to head straight to the train station, or you can go to one of the many fantastic restaurants in Aguas Calientes for lunch (not included).
There are several train class options for the ride back to Cusco. The main two trains are the “Expedition Train” (included in the price) and the “Vista Dome Train” (additional $70 USD per ticket). Our team usually tries to get tickets for a train leaving in the 15:00 (3PM) hour, which will have you back to your hotel in Cusco around 19:00 (7PM).
TRAIN SCHEDULE
If you have a preference for departure/arrival time, and provide us with 4+ months notice, we are able to book tickets for the following departures:
Expedition train departure times (train ticket included in price):
-
14:55, 15:20, 16:20, 18:10
Vista Dome train departure times (additional $70 USD per ticket):
-
15:20, 16:20, 17:10, 18:20
-
13:37, $25 USD...only available for those who do not do the Huyana Picchu hike
All trains that depart from Aguas Calientes will arrive at one of two stations:
-
Ollantaytambo station, 2 hour drive back to Cusco
-
Poray station, 30 minute drive back to Cusco
Your arrival station will depend on the time of year of your trip, departure time and class of train. Once you arrive to either station a Kusa Treks van and driver will be waiting for you at the station to take you back to your hotel.
Day 6
Sun Route to Puno
-
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch
-
Entrance Tickets: Included. Entrance fees for arceological sites
-
Accommodations: Hotel Casa Andinda (or similar) in Puno
MORNING/AFTERNOON
Our private van will pick you up directly from your hotel in the morning and transfer you to the train station. Enjoy a luxurious ride on Peru Rail from Cusco to Puno (3 hour ride).
(A tourist bus is another available option)
EVENING
You will arrive to the train station in Puno around 5PM. Our private transfer will be there to meet you and take you to your hotel.
Day 7
Tour of Floating Island
-
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
-
Accommodations: Overnight stay with local family
MORNING
You will be picked you up from the hotel and transfer you to the lake’s port. You will begin the day by traveling across the lake on a boat tour to the floating islands of Uros, where you will have time to explore.
Your guide will show you some of the more remote parts of the island, where you’ll enjoy a delicious lunch.
AFTERNOON
Following lunch, you will take a boat to the next island, where you will meet the local family that you will be staying with for the evening. You will learn how the indigenous people of the lake live.
In the late afternoon, you will climb a mountain to watch the sunset and participate in a party with locals.
EVENING
Tonight will be a basic but memorable accommodation, as you will be surrounded by a nice family. The family will cook an incredible dinner made with local dishes. Many of our guests say this night is the highlight of their trip!
Day 8
Tour of Taquile Island
-
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch
-
Accommodations: Hotel Casa Andina (or similar) in Puno
MORNING
You will have an early breakfast with the family before you board a boat that will take you to the next set of islands called Taquile.
AFTERNOON
You will spend the afternoon learning from locals about agriculture and textiles and how generations have thrived on these islands.
Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America, and Taquile Island is one of the larger islands in the lake. Enjoy the incredible views of the crystal blue water and the rugged mountain landscape that surround you. This is an incredibly beautiful place in the world, and you will have time to appreciate its natural beauty before your boat ride back to Puno.
EVENING
You will get back on the boat around 4:30PM and ride back to Puno. A Kusa Treks representative will meet you at the dock to drive you to your hotel.
Day 9
Flight to Lima
-
Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
MORNING
In the morning, we will transfer you to the Juliaca (JUL) airport for your flight to Lima to connect to your flight back home.