Your booking cart is empty!
Updated 18 October 2026
TLDR: Ada Tours arranges Machu Picchu packages from one day to five days, from mid range to luxury, as private trips or with a shared group at the citadel. Two to three days is the most popular choice, because a night near the ruins, the altitude and a timed entry ticket shape the plan.
Travel to see one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu.[1] Travel packages can be arranged to suit any travel style and budget. Ada Tours has operated in South American tourism since 2007.
Below are some ideas for the best itinerary for you. Contact Ada Tours for a range of tours from 1 to 5 days, catering to different interests and schedules.
| Length | Route shape | Plan around |
|---|---|---|
| One day | Train to Machu Picchu Pueblo, guided visit, back to Cusco that evening | A long day: the Cusco train must run and the ticket sets your entry time |
| Two to three days | Train, one or two nights in Machu Picchu Pueblo, optional Sacred Valley stops | A night near the ruins gives a slower visit |
| Five days | Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in full | Altitude: start in the Sacred Valley or rest first in Cusco |
A one day tour is perfect for those with limited time only. Arrive in Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes) by train from Cusco, explore Machu Picchu with your knowledgeable guide and return to Cusco that very evening. This can be a great way to see the iconic site if you need to keep your trip short and efficient.
It is also the plan most exposed to timetable changes. PeruRail advises at least one full day for the visit and notes that many travellers spend a night in Machu Picchu Pueblo.[2] On 27 April 2026 it announced that services from the San Pedro and Poroy stations in Cusco would restart on 1 May[3], and on 5 August 2026 that it was progressively resuming operations.[4] We check the train for your date before we plan a day trip from Cusco.
A 2 to 3 day tour is the most popular, with a night or two in the touristic town of Machu Picchu Pueblo. As with the one day tour, you arrive by train from Cusco, an incredibly scenic and relaxing way to travel. The town is a spa town at the base of Machu Picchu and a relaxing place to spend a day or two, bathing in the natural hot springs or indulging in one of the many spa experiences on offer.[2]
Your knowledgeable guide will help you explore Machu Picchu at a more relaxed pace. Blend your trip with the option of stopping at historic sites in the Sacred Valley or add a stop at the Maras salt mines.
For those with much more time, a five day tour allows travellers to combine a comprehensive exploration of Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. This itinerary lets you immerse yourself fully in this historically rich region of Peru. Your expert local guide will ensure that you experience the most of the Inca Empire's awesome history whilst surrounded by the truly magical and unique landscape.
If you enjoy hiking, you might want to consider trekking to Machu Picchu. In the right season this can be an incredibly rewarding and magical way to arrive. Under the 2026 rules the Inca Trail closes in February for maintenance, reservations opened on 17 November 2025 and hikers enter the citadel by route 3-B.[5][6] Permits for hikers are reserved and paid through authorised agencies. Feel free to ask for more details or specific recommendations.
Every Machu Picchu ticket names a date, a circuit and an entry time. Tickets are personal and not transferable, and the Ministry of Culture sells them online through its official portal.[2][7] The ticket also fixes one of three one-way circuits.
| Circuit | Routes | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit 1, Panoramic | Upper Terraces all year; Sun Gate and Inca Bridge in high season | The classic viewpoint and side hikes, not the heart of the ruins |
| Circuit 2, Classic | Main Designed Route and Lower Terrace Route, both all year | The viewpoint plus most of the main site, the usual first-visit choice |
| Circuit 3, Royalty | Designed Royalty Route all year; Huchuy Picchu and the Great Cavern in high season | The lower citadel, and the route for hikers off the Inca Trail |
The Ministry of Culture set a limit of 5,600 visitors a day on high-season dates in 2026: 1 January, 2 to 5 April, 19 June to 2 November and 30 and 31 December.[8] On other days the limit is 4,500.[9] A classic Circuit 2 visit takes about 2.5 to 3 hours on our planning estimate.
Cusco sits at about 3,350 m.[10] Machu Picchu is lower, at 2,430 m,[2] and the Ollantaytambo archaeological park in the Sacred Valley averages about 2,860 m.[11] Above 3,000 m the US CDC advises moving your sleeping altitude by no more than 500 m a day, and mild exercise only for the first 48 hours.[10]
We can take arrivals from Cusco airport straight down to a Sacred Valley hotel, or leave time to rest in Cusco before any touring.
Private means your own guide and vehicle, with the pace adjustable inside your ticket time. A group means a guide shared with other travellers on a set schedule.
Many packages mix the two: private airport transfers, city tours and a private guide, with the Machu Picchu day in a group led by an English-speaking guide. We state in the itinerary which days are private and which are shared.
Packages can be arranged for anyone, from mid range to luxury experiences which include travelling on the Hiram Bingham train, which leaves from Poroy, just northwest of Cusco.[12] Our 2025 VIP programme for Peru paired a chauffeured vehicle and a guide for each leg with luxury hotels, the Hiram Bingham train and, where the itinerary called for it, private flights between regions. Our 2026 Hiram Bingham programme adds brunch on board, a guided visit of the citadel and dinner on board. We confirm availability for your dates.
An assistant booking for an executive should settle these before the trip.
Ada Tours is a Rio de Janeiro tour operator that has operated across Latin America since 2007, and Peru is part of our current programme set. We plan the route, hotels, trains, transfers and guides and book the Machu Picchu circuit with you. We do not set the government ticket rules or the train timetables, and we confirm prices and availability for your booking rather than publishing them here.
A package is not always the right answer. If you want one train ticket and one entry ticket for a single day and will book them yourself, PeruRail and the Ministry of Culture portal sell both directly, and PeruRail notes that many travellers organise the trip without an agency.[2] Choose a package when you want the route, the altitude pacing and the guide handled as one plan.
Travel agencies and advisers who need an operating partner can read how to choose a DMC or incoming tour operator in Peru, and we can deliver a Machu Picchu package under your agency's brand. Adding the Galápagos? See the Galápagos and Machu Picchu trip, or browse all our Peru tours.
If you'd like help planning a bespoke trip of a lifetime to Machu Picchu, send Ada Tours your dates and priorities.
Ada Tours arranges Machu Picchu tours from one day to five days, and a one day tour suits travellers with limited time. It is a long day that depends on the train running from your station and on the entry time printed on the ticket.
Ada Tours finds that two to three days is the most popular length, with a night or two in Machu Picchu Pueblo. Add Cusco and the Sacred Valley for a five day trip if you have the time.
Ada Tours can arrange private transfers and a private guide, and it can place the Machu Picchu day with a shared group if you prefer. The itinerary states which days are private and which are shared.
Ada Tours chooses the circuit and route with you and plans the day around the entry time on the ticket, because every ticket is issued for a set date, circuit and time. Tickets are personal and not transferable, so each traveller's name must match the passport.
Ada Tours can take arrivals from Cusco airport straight down to a Sacred Valley hotel, or leave time to rest in Cusco before any touring. Ask your doctor about altitude before you travel if you have a heart, lung or other health condition.
Ada Tours works with travel agencies and advisers and can deliver a Machu Picchu package under your agency's brand or under the Ada Tours brand. Send the dates, the group size and the traveller's pace, and we confirm the route, the train and the hotels for that booking.
