The Short Inca Trail: The 2-Day Km 104 Hike

Day One: Train to Km 104

The day starts with pickup from your hotel, then a train ride along the Urubamba river to the Km 104 stop. SERNANP lists commercial trains from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu Pueblo at 60 km, about 2 hours 10 minutes, and from Cusco at 111 km, about 4 hours 10 minutes. Your stop comes before the town.

The trail network's official visiting hours are 05:30 to 14:00, and the trailhead check happens inside that window, so your train departure is timed to leave a full afternoon of walking. Rail operators allow one piece of hand luggage up to 8 kg, and excess bags are not carried. See Machu Picchu train for the options.

Chachabamba

Chachabamba is the first Inca site on the route, reached shortly after the trail crosses the river from the Km 104 railway stop. It is a small Inca ceremonial complex that guarded this approach to Machu Picchu, and it functions as the checkpoint where the SERNANP Route 5 permit and passport are checked against the agency manifest, the same identity-linked system used on the classic trail. From here the trail climbs into cloud forest on Inca stone steps.

Keep your original passport in a dry bag at the top of your pack, since it is checked here, again at Wiñay Wayna, and again at the citadel the next morning.

Wiñay Wayna

Wiñay Wayna is the largest ruin on the short route, and the point where the trail joins the classic 4-day Inca Trail. Hikers on both routes meet here on the terraces, arriving from opposite directions. There is a checkpoint and a lodge area with the last reliable facilities before the citadel, and it is the natural lunch and rest stop before the steepest sustained stairwork of the route, ending at the Sun Gate.

Inti Punku, the Sun Gate

From Wiñay Wayna the trail undulates below the ridge crest of the mountain named Machu Picchu, and the steep stairs to Inti Punku come after about 3 km. Cresting that ridge delivers the first view of the ruins far below, followed by a short downhill walk to the site. Both 2-day tours time the walk so this arrival happens at sunset on day one, the whole point of the overnight format.

See the Sun Gate for the arrival in full. Bring a headlamp for the walk down in fading light.

Day Two: The Citadel

Day two is a normal Machu Picchu visit. You sleep in Machu Picchu Pueblo and ride the Consettur bus up the switchbacks in the morning, or walk the path. Inside, the citadel runs on the circuit system in force since 1 June 2024, 3 circuits and 10 routes, with a maximum stay of 2 hours 30 minutes for entries between 06:00 and 13:00.

Your tour includes a guided circuit of the ruins. The afternoon usually leaves time for the train back, and many hikers finish with a soak in the Aguas Calientes hot springs before departure. See Machu Picchu circuits for the full system.

The SERNANP Route 5 Fee

SERNANP publishes fees per route. Route 5, the 1-day short or Km 104 trek to the Sun Gate, costs US$65.30 (S/222) for adults, US$33.00 (S/112) for students and US$30.90 (S/105) for schoolchildren. These fees are separate from and in addition to the Ministry of Culture's Llaqta de Machupicchu entry ticket, which trekkers also need for the citadel.

You never buy the Route 5 fee alone, it is bundled into the agency's tour price, so the US$590.00 or US$585.00 tour cost already carries it. For the citadel side see Machu Picchu tickets.

Licensed Agency and Guide Required

Entry to the Inca Trail network is only through SERNANP-authorised travel agencies, governed by the Reglamento de Uso Turistico de la Red de Caminos Inka, Presidential Resolution No. 336-2016-SERNANP. Independent trekking is not permitted, every hiker is accompanied by a guide, and each permit is tied to an individual passport and is not transferable. Book around 30 days ahead as a working margin, longer for peak dates.

The trail network's visiting hours are 05:30 to 14:00, and the agency books the Km 104 check inside that window.

The 500-Permit Cap and Booking Timing

Since 2001 the government has capped the Inca Trail at a maximum of 500 permits per day across the whole network, of which only about 200 go to trekkers, the rest to guides and porters. All of the year's permits release in October, first come first served. Only this combined 500-permit figure is published, no separate Route 5 quota exists, but because the short route needs fewer total permits per hiker it is generally easier to book close to a travel date than the 4-day classic route, which sells out months ahead.

The trail closes every February for maintenance.

What the Fees Do Not Cover

The tour price bundles the trail fee and citadel entry, but a few extras sit outside it. The Consettur bus between Machu Picchu Pueblo and the citadel gate is charged separately, and the operator's last self-published 2022 tariff lists foreign adults at $12.00 one way or $24.00 round trip. Meals in town, tips for guides and porters, and travel insurance are separate.

Since 1 May 2026 SERNANP applies a new conservation surcharge of US$3.24 (S/11) for foreign tourists at the sanctuary, but it does not apply to visitors entering via the Inca Trail network, so trail hikers are exempt.

The Comparison

Read the rows to see where each route differs.

Choose It If You Want the Gate Arrival

The strongest reason to pick this route is the finish. Only Inca Trail permit holders walk through Inti Punku to the first view of the ruins, and on the 2-day version that view comes at sunset on day one, with the citadel fresh the next morning. If that sequence appeals, compare the tours above and check what else there is to do in Aguas Calientes, since you spend a night in town. Where to stay covers the hotel side.

Skip It If You Cannot Take Steps

The trail is stair-heavy, from the Chachabamba climb to the 3 km final ascent after Wiñay Wayna, and the operators ask for moderate fitness. If walking is not realistic, a train-and-bus visit gives you the ruins without the hike, covered on Machu Picchu bus. Want a longer trek without the Inca Trail permit fight?

The Salkantay trek and the Inca Jungle trek both reach Machu Picchu Pueblo without a SERNANP trail permit.

Before You Pay

Both tours are non-refundable once booked, so fix your travel dates first. Confirm your passport is valid for the full trip, because every SERNANP permit is tied to that exact document and a mismatch at the Chachabamba checkpoint can turn away a hiker who booked in good faith. Factor in the bus fare, meals and tips that sit outside the tour price, and check the best time to visit Machu Picchu for weather timing, since the rainy season from November to March makes the stone steps slick.

For a wider view of guided options, browse Aguas Calientes tours, and if your dates fall in February, remember the whole trail network closes for maintenance that month.