Cusco and Machu Picchu Tours: 11 Prices Compared, What Each Includes and What You Pay Separately (2026)
All 11 Cusco and Machu Picchu tours with dated prices: from CLP $36,000 (≈US$40) for the Rainbow Mountain day trip to CLP $779,571 (≈US$866) for the classic 4-day Inca Trail (Aug 2026). Plus the part the rankings skip: the entry tickets, tourist tickets and meals you pay separately.
Prices below are seasonal promotional rates per person, verified in the catalog in August 2026 — the final price is whatever checkout shows. You are charged in Chilean pesos (CLP); the US dollar figures are approximations at 900 CLP per USD (spot rate, late August 2026). Entry rules and permit availability are current as of August 2026 — check with the operator before you travel.
Getting to Machu Picchu from Cusco costs between CLP $160,000 (≈US$178, two days overland via Hidroeléctrica) and CLP $779,571 (≈US$866, the classic 4-day Inca Trail), with the full day by train at CLP $309,678 (≈US$344) per person (Aug 2026). The day trips around Cusco — Rainbow Mountain, Humantay Lake, the Sacred Valley, the city tour — run from CLP $36,000 to $53,000 (≈US$40-59).
That is the tour. What almost no ranking tells you is what goes on top: the Machu Picchu entry ticket is included only if you book at least 2 months ahead (entry tickets sell out roughly that far in advance in high season), the Sacred Valley tourist ticket is about US$24 paid on site, and several tours exclude specific meals. Here are the 11 tours, cheapest to most expensive, with what each one includes and what you will pay once you are there.
The tour price is half your budget. The other half is the entry tickets, buses and meals each listing leaves out — and they change with the route you pick.
The 11 tours, ordered by price
Per person, in Chilean pesos, verified in August 2026:
1. Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca), full day — CLP $36,000 (≈US$40)
2. Humantay Lake, full day — CLP $36,000 (≈US$40)
3. Sacred Valley of the Incas, full day — CLP $40,000 (≈US$44)
4. Cusco City Tour, half day — CLP $53,000 (≈US$59)
5. Machu Picchu overland via Hidroeléctrica, 2 days — CLP $160,000 (≈US$178)
6. Machu Picchu by car with entry always included, 2 days — CLP $170,000 (≈US$189)
7. Machu Picchu by train, there and back in one day — CLP $309,678 (≈US$344)
8. Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, 5 days — CLP $311,828 (≈US$346)
9. Sacred Valley + Machu Picchu by train, 2 days — CLP $354,839 (≈US$394)
10. Short Inca Trail, 2 days — CLP $536,560 (≈US$596)
11. Classic Inca Trail, 4 days — CLP $779,571 (≈US$866)
One thing you only see with the numbers side by side: the 5-day Salkantay with full camp (CLP $311,828) costs almost the same as the one-day train trip (CLP $309,678). If you have the days and the legs, the difference is CLP $2,150 — about two dollars.
For calibration against what is published in English (as of August-September 2026): agencies list the Machu Picchu full day by train at roughly US$250-400 and platform tiers reach US$900; the classic 4-day Inca Trail is published between US$650 and $2,500 depending on the operator tier; guided Salkantay treks are commonly quoted around US$800. These tours sit in the Cusco local operators' band — ≈US$344 for the train full day, ≈US$866 for the classic Inca Trail, ≈US$346 for the 5-day Salkantay — because you are paying the Cusco local rate, not the platform markup.
What you pay separately: the numbers that decide your budget
Every listing states what it leaves out. This is what you pay at the destination, depending on the tour (amounts from the listings as of August 2026 — check with the operator before you travel):
- Machu Picchu entry ticket: on the train tours and the CLP $160,000 overland tour it is included ONLY if you book at least 2 months in advance — tickets sell out roughly that far ahead. The CLP $170,000 tour always includes it; the Inca Trail includes it with the trail permit.
- The bus down from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes: not included in the train full day, about US$12 (walking down takes around 40 minutes). On the Hidroeléctrica route you walk up and down.
- Huayna Picchu mountain: separate ticket, about US$70, and only if booked around 3 months ahead. Machu Picchu mountain: about US$30.
- Sacred Valley Tourist Ticket: about US$24, paid on site (Sacred Valley tours).
- Cusco Tourist Ticket, Circuit I, and the Qorikancha entrance: paid separately on the city tour.
- Entry to Vinicunca and to Humantay Lake: 25 soles each (about US$7), cash at the trailhead.
- Meals on specific days: almost every multi-day tour excludes breakfast on day one and lunch and dinner on the last day.
- Optional horse for the climb at Humantay and Vinicunca: rented on site, paid directly.
- Tips for the porter and cooking crew on the treks.
The Cusco day tours for your first days
Cusco sits at about 3,400 meters (11,150 ft) and the listings for the high-altitude tours ask for 2 or 3 days of acclimatization before going higher. These four tours are exactly how you fill those days.
The city tour (CLP $53,000, half day) is the classic arrival-day plan: short walks through Qorikancha, Saqsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay, with morning and afternoon departures. Entrances are separate: the Cusco Tourist Ticket (Circuit I) and Qorikancha at the door.
Experiencia: city-tour-cusco — Desde $53.000
The Sacred Valley full day (CLP $40,000) covers five archaeological sites and two community workshops in one day: Chinchero, Moray, the Maras salt ponds, Ollantaytambo and Pisac, with a buffet lunch included. The Sacred Valley Tourist Ticket (about US$24) is paid on site.
Experiencia: valle-sagrado-full-day-desde-cusco — Desde $40.000
Rainbow Mountain (CLP $36,000) is the highest day of the trip: the Vinicunca viewpoint sits at 5,200 meters (17,060 ft), with a climb of about 1 hour 20 minutes from Hanchipata. The listing is blunt: not recommended with heart or respiratory conditions, and it asks for 2 or 3 prior days of acclimatization in Cusco. Breakfast, buffet lunch and oxygen are included; the entry is 25 soles in cash.
Experiencia: montana-7-colores-vinicunca-desde-cusco — Desde $36.000
Humantay Lake (CLP $36,000) is the turquoise-water alternative at 4,200 meters (13,780 ft): four hours by bus to Soraypampa and a 1 hour 30 minute climb, with breakfast and buffet lunch included. Same logic as Vinicunca: 25 soles entry in cash, and horses for rent if you would rather not walk up.
Experiencia: laguna-humantay-full-day-desde-cusco — Desde $36.000
Machu Picchu overland: the lowest-price route
The Hidroeléctrica route replaces the train with a roughly 6-hour drive from Cusco plus a walk of about 2.5 hours along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes. You sleep there and climb to Machu Picchu on foot the next morning (about 40 minutes of stairs), because the buses up and down are not included.
There are two versions in the catalog, and the difference matters more than the CLP $10,000 between them. The CLP $160,000 one includes the Machu Picchu entry only if you book at least 2 months ahead — with less lead time there may be no tickets left. The CLP $170,000 one always includes the entry (circuit 2A or 2B is requested), plus a private room and lunch on day one; dinner that day is separate, about 15 soles at a restaurant the guide arranges.
Experiencia: machu-picchu-2-dias-hidroelectrica — Desde $160.000
Experiencia: machu-picchu-en-carro-2-dias-via-hidroelectrica — Desde $170.000
Machu Picchu by train: in one day or with the Sacred Valley
The train full day (CLP $309,678) is the fastest option on this list: pick-up at 04:00, the 06:10 train from Ollantaytambo, the uphill bus included, a 2.5-hour guided visit and the 18:20 train back. It is about 18 hours door to door and leaves you more than 4 hours inside the citadel. The downhill bus (~US$12) and meals are separate.
The 2-day version with the Sacred Valley (CLP $354,839) takes advantage of the valley being on the way: on day one you visit Chinchero, Moray, the salt ponds and Ollantaytambo before boarding the train, sleep in Aguas Calientes in a private room, and go up to the citadel early at sunrise. For CLP $45,161 (≈US$50) more than the full day, the whole valley fits inside the same trip — though the valley's tourist ticket (about US$24) and the buses up and down are separate.
On both, the Machu Picchu entry is included only when booking 2 or more months ahead, and your original passport is mandatory: without it you board neither the train nor the citadel.
Experiencia: machu-picchu-full-day-en-tren-desde-cusco — Desde $309.678
Experiencia: valle-sagrado-y-machu-picchu-2-dias-tren — Desde $354.839
Hiking in: Salkantay and the Inca Trail
The 5-day Salkantay Trek (CLP $311,828) crosses the cordillera over the Salkantay pass at 4,600 meters (15,090 ft) and drops into cloud forest before reaching Machu Picchu. It includes full camp, every meal on the route, horses for the group's gear, a zipline and the train back. The listing asks for 2 or 3 days of prior acclimatization in Cusco. At almost the same price as the train full day, the real difference is not the money: it is the 4 extra days and the fitness.
Experiencia: trek-salkantay-5-dias-machu-picchu — Desde $311.828
The Inca Trail is a different category of logistics, and that explains the price. The permit is nominative — issued against your passport number, non-transferable, non-reschedulable — only 500 people enter per day, between May and September it sells out months in advance, and the trail closes all of February for maintenance (data as of August 2026). Confirm permit availability with the operator before buying your flights.
The short version (CLP $536,560, 2 days) walks the final 16 km of the original trail past Wiñaywayna, enters through the Sun Gate and sleeps at a hostel in Aguas Calientes. The classic (CLP $779,571, 4 days) is the full 42 km with camping, porters and a cook, crossing Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 meters (13,830 ft) on day two. For reference, classic 4-day Inca Trail programs published in English run US$650-2,500 depending on the operator tier (Aug 2026); this one lands at ≈US$866.
Experiencia: camino-inca-corto-2-dias-machu-picchu — Desde $536.560
Experiencia: camino-inca-clasico-4-dias-machu-picchu — Desde $779.571
How many days you need and how to order them
Going by what the listings themselves require, the minimum reasonable trip is 4 or 5 days: the high-altitude excursions (Vinicunca, Humantay, Salkantay) demand 2 or 3 days of acclimatization in Cusco first, and Machu Picchu takes 1 or 2 days depending on the route.
An order that respects that: day 1, the half-day city tour to land gently (short walks at 3,400 m); day 2, the Sacred Valley; day 3, Vinicunca or Humantay once acclimatized; days 4 and 5, Machu Picchu by whichever route you chose. If you are going in on the Inca Trail or the Salkantay, add the trek days and book the permit before anything else in the trip — and remember the Machu Picchu entry itself sells out roughly 2 months ahead (as of August 2026), so the booking window is real on every route.
Checkout charges in Chilean pesos (CLP) — Tuki is a Chilean platform — and your card issuer converts at its own rate. The only cash you need to carry in Peruvian soles is for the entry fees each listing marks as not included.
Destino: machu-picchu
Preguntas frecuentes
How much does a Machu Picchu tour from Cusco cost?
As of August 2026, between CLP $160,000 and $779,571 per person (≈US$178-866 at 900 CLP/USD) depending on the route: CLP $160,000-170,000 for the 2-day overland route via Hidroeléctrica, CLP $309,678 for the full day by train, CLP $354,839 for 2 days by train with the Sacred Valley, CLP $311,828 for the 5-day Salkantay, and CLP $536,560 or $779,571 for the short or classic Inca Trail. These are seasonal promotional rates — the final price is whatever checkout shows.
Is the Machu Picchu entry ticket included in the tour?
It depends on the tour and how far ahead you book. On the train tours and the CLP $160,000 overland tour, the entry is included only if you book at least 2 months in advance — tickets sell out roughly that far ahead (as of August 2026). The CLP $170,000 overland tour and both Inca Trail programs always include it. The ticket is nominative, so confirm with the operator when you book.
How much do the Cusco day tours cost, like Rainbow Mountain or the Sacred Valley?
Between CLP $36,000 and $53,000 per person (≈US$40-59, Aug 2026): Rainbow Mountain CLP $36,000, Humantay Lake CLP $36,000, the Sacred Valley full day CLP $40,000 and the half-day city tour CLP $53,000. All include pick-up at your accommodation in Cusco; entry fees and tourist tickets are paid separately on site.
What do you pay separately on Cusco and Machu Picchu tours?
Per each listing: the Cusco and Sacred Valley tourist tickets (about US$24 for the valley's), the Vinicunca and Humantay entries (25 soles each, cash), the bus down from Machu Picchu (~US$12), the Huayna Picchu (~US$70) and Machu Picchu (~US$30) mountain tickets, and specific meals on the multi-day tours.
How many days do I need in Cusco to visit Machu Picchu?
At least 4 or 5. The listings for the high-altitude tours require 2 or 3 days of acclimatization in Cusco before going above 4,200 meters, and Machu Picchu takes 1 or 2 days depending on the route. Five days fit the city tour, the Sacred Valley, one of the lakes or the rainbow mountain, and Machu Picchu.
Do I need my passport to enter Machu Picchu?
Yes. The listings set it as a hard requirement: your original, valid passport on the day of the tour — without it you board neither the train nor the citadel. On the Inca Trail the permit is also issued against your passport number and cannot be transferred or rescheduled.
What currency are these tours charged in?
Chilean pesos (CLP) — Tuki's checkout charges in CLP and your card issuer converts at its own rate. The US dollar figures in this guide are approximations at 900 CLP per USD (late August 2026). At the destination you only need Peruvian soles in cash for the entry fees each tour marks as not included.
How far in advance do you have to book the Inca Trail?
Months. Only 500 people enter per day, between May and September permits sell out well in advance, and the trail closes all of February for maintenance (listing data as of August 2026). The permit is nominative. Book the trek before buying your flights and confirm availability with the operator.