Combo: Machu Picchu via hydroelectric by bus 2d/1n
- 10k reviews 2d/1n
Visiting Machu Picchu doesn’t have to be that expensive, that’s why we offer this 2-day and 1-night bus combo. You’ll depart from the city of Cusco to the hydroelectric station by bus, then you’ll have to walk until you reach the town of Aguas Calientes. The next day, you’ll visit Machu Picchu ruins and return to Cusco using the same route.
This package is designed for tourists who want to save money; however, please note that the quality of this service may not be the best option. Therefore, we only recommend this tour to tourists who are very flexible and tolerant with regards to quality.
Itinerary
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Day 1: Bus ride to Aguas Calientes
- 7:00 Departure from Cusco city.
- The driver will make a stop along the route for you to have lunch, we recommend you bring snacks.
- 14:00 Arrival at hydroelectric plant.
- 14:15 Start your walk on the rail.
- 17:15 Arrival at Aguas Calientes city.
- Go to your hotel on your own.
- Overnight at Aguas Calientes.
Día 2: Machu Picchu and return to Cusco
- Have your breakfast at the hotel very early.
- 6:20 Go on your own to the Aguas Calientes bus station to reach the ruins of Machu Picchu.
- This bus ride takes half an hour and buses leave every 10 minutes.
- 7:00 Meet your guide outside the main gate of Machu Picchu.
- Guided tour of Machu Picchu (Circuit 2) — approx. 2 hours.
- 9:00 Completion of the guided tour of MP.
- Inside the MP ruins
- 9:30 Return to Aguas Calientes on your own.
- Time off at Aguas Calientes.
- 11:00 Return on foot on your own via the same route to the Hydroelectric Plant.
- 3 hours on foot along the rail.
- 14:00 Arrival at the Hydroelectric Plant.
- If you don’t arrive at 2:00 p.m., the bus will not wait for you, you will lose your bus without the right to claim or refund.
- 23:00 Arrival at Cusco.
- The bus will drop you off near the Plaza de Armas, return to your hotel on your own.
Price/Hotel
The prices shown in the table are:
- Per person in US dollars ($).
- Prices are indicative and depend on: Hotel category, number of people, tour date, and nationality.
- Children have discounts.
- Group = shared service with other tourists.
- Pple. = people.
- The stars below stand for the hotel category.
Group:
| Pple. | Tour (without hotel) | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| 1 | $130 | $170 | $230 |
Details
Included:
Day 1: Bus ride to Aguas Calientes
| Included | Group tour |
| Pick up from your hotel | ✅ |
| Tourist vehicle | ✅ |
| Bus: Cusco-hydroelectric | ✅ |
| Meal | ❌ |
| Personalized service | ❌ |
Day 2: Machu Picchu and return to Cusco
| Included | Group tour |
| Pick up at your hotel in Aguas Calientes | ❌ |
| Bus: Aguas Calientes-MP ruins (round trip) | ✅ |
| Type of ticket: Circuit 2 (Ruta clásico diseñada or Ruta terraza inferior) | ✅ |
| Guide for MP ruinas | ✅ |
| Bus: Hidroeléctrica-Cusco | ✅ |
| Servicio personalizado | ❌ |
| Meal | ❌ |
| Drop off at your hotel in Cusco | ❌ |
Inclusions upon exclusive request:
- Hotel, see price/hotel tab.
More details:
Day 1: Bus ride to Aguas Calientes
| Details | Group tour |
| Schedule | 7:00 to 17:00 |
| Language | es/en simultaneously |
| Size: Cusco-Hydroelectric by bus (one way) | 30 pax |
Day 2: Machu Picchu and return to Cusco
| Details | Group tour |
| Schedule | 6:20 to 23:00 |
| Language: Guided tour of MP | es or en |
| Size: Guided tour of MP | 15 pax |
| Size: Aguas Calientes-MP ruins by bus | 30 pax |
| Size: Hydroelectric-Cusco by bus (return) | 30 pax |
Accessibility: Not suitable for people with reduced mobility.
What do I bring?
- Original passports
- Sweaters
- Rain ponchos
- Anti-slip shoes
- Caps or hats
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Mosquito repellent
- A bottle of water
Not allowed:
- Performing paragliding flights, flying drones, or operating any type of small aircraft.
- Carrying backpacks, bags, or purses larger than 40x35x20 cm (16x14x8 inches).
- Bringing walking sticks, umbrellas, parasols, camera supports or extensions (tripods), and selfie sticks.
- Entering with baby strollers.
- Climbing on or leaning against Inca walls.
- Touching, moving, or extracting lithic elements.
- Not following established circuits and routes.
- Engaging in unauthorized activities or bringing prohibited items from this list will result in immediate expulsion from the site without the right to a refund.
WhatsApp:
Notes
Pick-ups and schedules
- Day 1: Bus ride to Aguas Calientes.
- All pick up times and tour ending times are approximate.
- We will pick you up as long as you are in the historic center; otherwise, we will coordinate another meeting place.
- If your hotel doesn’t have a car access, the streets are one-way only or there is a lot of car traffic, then you will walk some blocks to get in the bus.
- We may not pick you up for some tours due to schedules, festivals and strikes.
- When being picked up, we will call for your name, lastname and tour destination; otherwise, don’t get on the bus.
- We will coordinate all pick-up time details one day prior your tour.
- Day 2: Machu Picchu and return to Cusco
- The end time of this excursion is approx.
- We will coordinate all pick-up time details one day prior your tour.
Bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu ruins
- This bus ride lasts 30 minutes approx.
- The buses leave every 10 minutes approx.
- The buses have a capacity of up to 30 passengers.
Aguas Calientes = Machu Picchu Pueblo
- Aguas Calientes is the colloquial and popular name for the contemporary city of Machu Picchu Pueblo (official name). This city is the closest to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu.
- Aguas Calientes = AC.
- Machu Picchu Pueblo = MP Pueblo.
Machu Picchu Pueblo vs Machu Picchu ruins
- Machu Picchu = MP.
- Machu Picchu Pueblo is:
- A super small city from the middle of the 20th century.
- The closest city to the ruins of Machu Picchu.
- Also known colloquially as the city of Aguas Calientes.
- Machu Picchu ruins is the Inca citadel.
Types of ticket for MP: Circuit 1, 2 and 3
80% of tourists visit Circuit 2. The Ruta 2-A and Ruta 2-B are 99% similar:
- Circuit 2 – Circuito clásico:
- Ruta 2-A: Ruta clásico diseñada — 2 hours.
- Ruta 2-B: Ruta terraza inferior — 2 hours.
If you want to include other Machu Picchu circuits, you can do but the price might increase:
- Circuit 1 – Panorámico:
- Ruta 1-A: Ruta Montaña Machu Picchu — 4 hours.
- Ruta 1-B: Ruta terraza superior — 2 hours.
- Ruta 1-C: Ruta Portada Intipunku (available only in high season) — 4 hours.
- Ruta 1-D: Ruta Puente Inka (available only in high season) — 4 hours.
- Circuit 3 – Machu Picchu realeza:
- Ruta 3-A: Ruta Montaña Wayna Picchu — 4 hours.
- Ruta 3-B: Ruta realeza diseñada — 2 hours.
- Ruta 3-C: Ruta Gran Caverna (available only in high season) — 4 hours.
- Ruta 3-D: Ruta Huchuy Picchu (available only in high season) — 4 hours.
Type of vehicle and seats
- All vehicles are:
- 100% tourist, super comfortable.
- Authorized by the Ministry of Transportation of Peru.
- You reserve a seat on the bus; not necessarily a specific seat number.
- Travel companions or couples sit together to 99%, very rarely the other way and if it happens, it’s part of the dynamics of this excursion.
Road type
- Much of the road is paved track.
- The last part of the road is a dirt road (compacted earth) with bumps, therefore:
- Dust comes in through the windows.
- The vehicle ride is sometimes bumpy.
Driver
- Authorized by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
- He drives fast due to distance and time issues.
- He sometimes listens to music while driving to stay awake.
Guide
Authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism.
Terms
We are an upfront team: As a traveler, you have the right to information before making a purchase. We don’t hide any information from you. The more informed you are, the better you’ll enjoy your trip.
Operativity
This tour is subject to variation without prior notice due to weather conditions, strikes, and any other event that may disrupt the normal operation of the tour.
Rescheduling
Machu Picchu tours:
- Once we purchase your ticket for Machu Picchu, there will be no turning back to modify the date of entry to Machu Picchu.
- Strikes/landslides:
- If you cannot visit Machu Picchu on the scheduled date due to strikes or landslides, we will reschedule your travel date for the following days (not for the next month or year).
- Please note that the strike must actually occur to modify the entry date to Machu Picchu. For example, if there is a strike announced for next week and it may likely affect your itinerary, you should still attempt to enter Machu Picchu. If unfortunately, you couldn’t, then we will reschedule your entry date to Machu Picchu, usually for the next day. However, you won’t be able to request rescheduling without having attempted to visit Machu Picchu previously.
- Remember that strikes don’t always impact Machu Picchu tours and other destinations, and the intensity of the strike can only be assessed on the day of the strike itself.
Other tours:
- Please notify us at least 2 days in advance for rescheduling.
Cancellations
Machu Picchu tours:
- Cancel with a minimum of 7 days in advance for a partial refund; otherwise, there will be no refund.
Other tours:
- Cancel with a minimum of 2 days in advance for a refund; otherwise, there will be no refund.
- If you cancel your tour outside the allowed time limit, there will be no refund or rescheduling. Please be sure before canceling a tour. For example, if you have a tour scheduled for tomorrow at 4:30 am and you cancel it today, you cannot change your mind tomorrow before 4:30 am, calling us on the phone and requesting things like: “We want to go on the tour,” “We’ve changed our minds,” “Come to pick us up at the hotel,” etc. The answer is no. We won’t be able to accommodate you on the bus at the last minute, and there will be no refund.
Refunds
Machu Picchu tours:
- Please inform us at least 7 days in advance for a partial refund.
- The Ministry of Culture (MP tickets) and the bus companies do not provide refunds, therefore the cost paid for the entrance tickets to Machu Picchu and the buses from Aguas Calientes to the MP ruins will not be refunded for any reason.
- Before issuing a refund, we will request a refund from the train companies, buses, etc. Please consider that they may charge an administrative fee, and they don’t provide immediate refunds.
- We do not issue refunds in case of delayed flights, landslides, bad weather, or strikes that affect the tour.
- We do not issue the breakdown of the costs incurred during the tour.
- You will receive the refund within 7 business days.
Other tours:
- Please inform us at least 2 days in advance for a free refund.
- If you made the payment and reservation one day before the tour, you will not be eligible for a refund or rescheduling.
- Strikes/landslides: If the bus has already departed and there is a strike, the guide will offer an alternative route if possible, but there will be no refund or rescheduling. The alternative route may not be to your liking.
- No show: If you are not present at the scheduled pick-up time from your hotel or meeting point, the tour will be considered terminated with no right to a refund or rescheduling.
- We do not issue the breakdown of the costs incurred during the tour.
Refund process:
- We preferably refund you through PayPal; otherwise, we will use Western Union.
- When we send you the refund, we don’t include the commission that PayPal or Western Union normally charges. The money transfer companies will apply the respective commission on your refund.
- The money transfer commission charged by PayPal or Western Union is approx. 5%.
- If you paid with a credit card, we refund you less than 5% of the total payment you made. The 5% represents the commission charged by the banks.
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