Luxury Inca TrailPrivate Short Inca Trail: Kenko Adventures 2-Day Trek from Km 104
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This private short Inca Trail is a 2-day trek from Km 104 to Machu Picchu run by Kenko Adventures on Viator at $756 per person. It picks you up at your Cusco hotel at 6 AM, hikes about 12 km to the Sun Gate, sleeps you in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes, and brings you back on a Vistadome business class train. Inca Trail tickets and the Machu Picchu entrance are in the price, your main luggage ships to the hotel by train, and the listing allows free cancellation to 24 hours before departure. This page walks through what that $756 actually buys, how the two days run, and which travellers should book a different listing. For the wider market, start with the comparison of luxury Inca Trail tours.
About This Tour
Kenko Adventures runs this as a private service with groups up to 8. The 6 AM pickup at your Cusco hotel avoids the 4 AM starts other operators use, and a briefing at your hotel the day before covers the paperwork. An Expedition class train carries you to Km 104, where the short trail climbs about 12 km to Wiñay Wayna and the Sun Gate at 2,700 m.
You sleep in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes, not in a tent, and day 2 is a 2.5-hour private tour of Machu Picchu on circuit 4 before the Vistadome business class train home. One honest note: the listing is non-refundable at the permit level once tickets are bought, because the government does not allow changes or transfers. Cancel through Viator at least 24 hours before departure and you get a full refund, so book as early as you can while keeping that window open.
$756 per person, listed on Viator
2 days, 1 night, about 12 km of hiking
Private service, groups up to 8, minimum 2 people
1 night in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes, no camping
Expedition class to Km 104, Vistadome business class back from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo, then a minivan to Cusco
Not included: first breakfast, last lunch in Aguas Calientes, Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain tickets, tips. Free cancellation to 24 hours before departure, but tickets are non-transferable once bought
Check Dates and Availability
The trail closes every February, and short trail permits are limited, so dates sell out. Check live dates and the current $756 price below.
From $756 per person · 2 days · 5.0★ (154 reviews)
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer The short version
The private short Inca Trail with Kenko Adventures costs $756 per person for 2 days and 1 night, with a 6 AM Cusco pickup, about 12 km of hiking from Km 104 to the Sun Gate, a night in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes and a Vistadome business class train back.
Key takeaways
- Permits, the Machu Picchu circuit 4 ticket, the 2.5-hour private tour, buses and both trains are in the price. See the full breakdown in what the price covers.
- The night is a 3-star hotel room in Aguas Calientes, not a tent. Prefer a 4-star bed at $585? Look at the short Inca Trail with 4-star hotel.
- Free cancellation applies to 24 hours before departure, but once the operator buys your tickets they cannot move to another person or date.
- Only have one day? The same operator runs a private one-day Inca Trail at $596.
What the Price Actually Covers
This is one of the more complete short trail listings at $756 per person. The line items below come from the operator's own inclusions and exclusions, not from any other operator's site.
Included at $756
The operator includes Inca Trail tickets for day 1, the Machu Picchu entrance for day 2 on circuit 4, the 2.5-hour private Machu Picchu tour, one pair of walking sticks per person, round-trip buses between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu, the Expedition train to Km 104 and the Vistadome business class train back, private transport from Cusco to the start and a minivan from Ollantaytambo to Cusco at the end. Meals are a box lunch and dinner on day 1 and breakfast on day 2. An English-speaking guide, a briefing the day before, an oxygen tank, a first aid kit and a restroom on board the transport are also listed. Free shipping of your main luggage to the Aguas Calientes hotel by train is a genuine differentiator on this route.
The comparison of what each listing includes sits in the luxury Inca Trail tour.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Inca Trail permit | Yes | Tickets for the first day from Km 104 |
| Machu Picchu ticket | Yes | Entrance on day 2, circuit 4 |
| Machu Picchu tour | Yes | 2.5 hours, private, with the guide |
| Trains | Yes | Expedition to Km 104, Vistadome business class back |
| Buses | Yes | Round trip Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu |
| Hotel night | Yes | 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes |
| Meals | Partly | Box lunch and dinner day 1, breakfast day 2 |
| Walking sticks | Yes | 1 pair per person |
| Luggage | Yes | Free shipping to the Aguas Calientes hotel by train |
What You Pay Extra
Four things sit outside the $756. The first breakfast, because most Cusco hotels serve one. The last lunch in Aguas Calientes on day 2, which the listing leaves open so you can choose a restaurant.
Tips for the guide. And any Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain ticket, which is a separate hike inside the park and not part of this tour. No mandatory extras are stated, and there is no single supplement figure in the listing.
If you want the mountain hikes, the listing says to ask the operator when booking, and Huayna Picchu tickets are limited to two daily entry windows.
How Payment and Cancellation Work
The listing says the guide visits your hotel for a briefing at 6 PM or in daytime windows, and payment in cash at the briefing in dollars or soles is appreciated, with PayPal as an online option. Cancellation through the platform is free up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund. After that the deposit is not refundable, and once the tickets are bought the government does not allow changes of date and the tickets are not transferable.
Book only when your dates are firm inside that last 24 hours.
Sources: UNESCO, Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, Wikipedia, Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, on the last stretch of the trail. Photo: Steve FUNG, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How the Trek Runs, Day by Day
The itinerary below uses only the times, distances and altitudes the listing itself states.
Day 1: Cusco to the Sun Gate and Aguas Calientes
The day starts at 6 AM with a door-to-door pickup at your Cusco hotel, which the listing contrasts with the 4 AM starts used elsewhere. Private transport takes the group to Ollantaytambo, where the Expedition class train runs to Km 104, the trailhead at about 2,000 m. From there you hike about 12 km, visiting Wiñay Wayna and climbing to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, at 2,700 m, the highest point of the trek.
Meals are a box lunch and dinner, and walking sticks are supplied. You sleep in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes at about 2,000 m. Your main luggage travels ahead by train and waits at the hotel.
Day 2: Machu Picchu and the Ride Home
Day 2 has no trail hiking. Breakfast is at the hotel, then the round-trip bus takes you up to Machu Picchu for the entrance ticket on circuit 4 and a 2.5-hour private tour with your English-speaking guide. After the visit the bus returns to Aguas Calientes, where lunch is your own cost.
The Vistadome business class train runs from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo, and a private minivan completes the trip to Cusco. The listing states no return time. Huayna Picchu sits 300 m above the citadel with roughly 45 minutes up and 45 minutes down if you add that ticket yourself.
KM 104 Short Inca Trail
The walk from Km 104 to the Sun Gate. Third-party video by Ramblin Man. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Who This Tour Rules Out
The listing takes bookings for travellers aged 5 to 75, and the exclusions and the route itself cut out several traveller types. Check yourself against the list before booking.
Fitness, Health and Altitude
The trek is rated moderate, but it is still 12 km of Andean trail climbing from 2,000 m at Km 104 to 2,700 m at the Sun Gate. The listing advises at least moderate fitness and is not recommended for pregnant travellers, travellers with spinal injuries, or anyone with poor cardiovascular health. Altitude sickness can appear from about 2,500 m, and the Sun Gate sits above that line.
There is no camping, so the physical load is lighter than the classic 4-day route over Dead Woman's Pass at about 4,200 m. If you want that full route with camping, the premium 4-day Inca Trail trek at $1,499 is the closer comparison.
Paperwork and Money
The operator needs every participant's full name exactly as on the passport, passport number, date of birth, gender and nationality before it can buy tickets or train seats. On the trail, rangers match your original passport to the ticket, and the train company checks it too. Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable, and no date changes are allowed once bought, so a passport renewal after booking must be reported to the operator so it can update the permit.
A minimum of 2 people applies, and the group can be cancelled after confirmation if that minimum is not met, with an alternative or full refund offered. The trail closes every February for maintenance and reopens on 1 March.
Who Should Book Something Else
Solo travellers have no stated supplement here, but a private service at $756 is priced per person for pairs and small groups. If you would rather not carry even a daypack of luggage logistics, note that you still carry what you need for the hike itself, since the shipping covers main luggage only. If the 3-star hotel is the sticking point, the short Inca Trail with 4-star hotel at $585 has 4,069 reviews, though it is a shared group of up to 14 and non-refundable.
For the full private multi-day experience with camping, the private 5-day Inca Trail at $1,710 includes a personal porter and the Waman Hotel.
A PeruRail Vistadome on the line from Poroy to Ollantaytambo. Photo: Kabelleger / David Gubler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Before and After the Trek
The tour handles the trail, but a few days of planning on your side decide whether it goes smoothly.
Acclimatise in Cusco
Cusco sits at about 3,400 m, which is higher than anything you walk on this trek. The listing's briefing happens the day before, so plan at least one or two nights in Cusco before the 6 AM pickup to let your body adjust. Altitude sickness symptoms are headache, nausea, fatigue and poor sleep, and sleeping altitude should rise by no more than about 500 m a day above 3,000 m.
The guide to the short Inca Trail covers the route in more depth.
Tickets, the Circuit and the Add-on Mountains
The Machu Picchu ticket on this tour is circuit 4, a fixed route through the citadel. If you want the Huayna Picchu climb, that mountain sits about 300 m above the citadel with about 45 minutes up and 45 down, and the two daily entry windows run 7:00 to 8:00 AM and 10:00 to 11:00 AM, with bookings advised three months ahead. Machu Picchu Mountain is about 1 hour 20 minutes each way, with bookings advised two months ahead.
Neither is included at $756, and both sell against daily limits. The operator cannot buy any ticket or train seat without your passport details, so send them early.
Luggage, Trains and an Extra Night
Your main luggage ships free to the Aguas Calientes hotel by train, so you hike with only a daypack. PeruRail allows one backpack up to 8 kg or one carry-on up to 12 kg on Machu Picchu trains, with free storage at Machu Picchu station, and charges $15 for excess carry-on or $25 for checked baggage. The Vistadome return takes about 1 hour 30 minutes from Ollantaytambo, where the minivan covers the roughly 61 km to Cusco.
For the season, see the guide to the best time to hike the Inca Trail.
Two Days, Step by Step
Clock times appear only where the listing states them. Everything else is a phase of the day.
-
6 AM
Hotel pickup in Cusco
Door-to-door pickup at your Cusco hotel by private vehicle. The briefing happened the day before at 6 PM or in a daytime window you arranged.
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Morning
Drive and train to Km 104
Private transport to Ollantaytambo, then the Expedition class train to the trailhead at Km 104, at about 2,000 m. Main luggage ships ahead by train to the hotel.
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Midday
Hike to Wiñay Wayna
About 12 km of trail begins. Box lunch on the route, walking sticks supplied, guide and first aid kit with the group.
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Afternoon
Inti Punku, the Sun Gate
The climb tops out at 2,700 m at the Sun Gate, the first full view over Machu Picchu from above.
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Evening
Bus down and hotel night
Descent to Aguas Calientes at about 2,000 m. Dinner included, night in a 3-star hotel.
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Morning, day 2
Machu Picchu private tour
Breakfast, then the round-trip bus up to the citadel. Circuit 4 entrance ticket and a 2.5-hour private tour with your guide.
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Afternoon, day 2
Vistadome back to Cusco
Bus to Aguas Calientes, lunch on your own, then the Vistadome business class train to Ollantaytambo and a private minivan to Cusco.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of the listing, with the fixes attached where there is a problem.
What we genuinely like
- +Private service with groups up to 8 at $756, which undercuts the private 5-day trek at $1,710
- +6 AM pickup instead of a 4 AM start, and a briefing at your hotel the day before
- +Free luggage shipping to the Aguas Calientes hotel, so you hike with a daypack only
- +Vistadome business class on the return
- +Free cancellation to 24 hours before departure
- +Permit, circuit 4 ticket, buses, both trains and a 2.5-hour private Machu Picchu tour all in the price
The honest downsides
- −The night is a 3-star hotel room in Aguas Calientes, so there is no camping on this tour
- −The minimum of 2 people means a solo booking can be cancelled after confirmation, with an alternative or refund offered
- −Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable once bought, and no date changes are allowed, so a passport change after booking needs immediate notice to the operator
- −The first breakfast, the last lunch, tips and any Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain ticket are extra on top of $756
- −The 154 reviews are almost all on Tripadvisor, with a single one on Viator
Who it's NOT for: Not for solo travellers uncomfortable with a 2-person minimum, anyone who wants to sleep in a tent, or anyone who cannot hand over passport details well before departure.
Questions About This Tour
How much does the private short Inca Trail cost?
$756 per person for 2 days and 1 night, with the permit, the Machu Picchu circuit 4 ticket, both trains, the buses and the 3-star hotel night included. The first breakfast, the last lunch, tips and mountain add-on tickets are extra. The full line-by-line is in what the price covers.
Do I sleep in a tent?
No. The accommodation line reads 3-star hotel, and the tour has 0 nights camping and 1 hotel night. If you want a different hotel at a lower price, the short Inca Trail with 4-star hotel at $585 is the alternative.
Can I cancel or change my date?
Yes to cancelling, no to changing. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, but once the operator buys the tickets the government does not allow date changes, transfers or refunds. The permit rules sit in who this tour rules out.
How hard is the hike?
Moderate. It is about 12 km from Km 104 at 2,000 m up to the Sun Gate at 2,700 m, with no camping and a hotel at the end. The listing advises moderate fitness and is not recommended for pregnant travellers or people with spinal or cardiovascular conditions. The route detail is in how the trek runs.
What happens to my luggage?
The operator ships your main luggage free by train to the Aguas Calientes hotel, and you carry only what you need for the hike. Anything you leave in Cusco can be stored free at the office or your hotel. PeruRail's own train limit is one item up to 8 kg, explained in before and after the trek.
When is the trail closed?
The Inca Trail closes every February for maintenance and reopens on 1 March. Machu Picchu citadel itself stays open all year. For planning around the closure and permit release dates, see the guide to Inca Trail permits.
What if I only have one day?
The same operator runs a private one-day Inca Trail at $596, about 14 hours door to door with a Vistadome glass-roof train back and the same 24-hour free cancellation. You lose the hotel night and the second-day Machu Picchu tour.
Check live dates for this private short Inca Trail and lock the permit to your passport before the slots go.
Booked through Viator with free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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