To start, the one day express trek to Machu Picchu is some of the most excitement and activity that my wife and I have ever packed into a day.
We were very impressed by this entire operation. Elmer has everything from start to finish fine tuned. Every single transfer and detail was figured out and transitioned nicely so that all you have to worry about is enjoying the Inca Trail and taking in Machu Picchu.
There were other groups on the same hike with a lot of people that did not have nearly the same intimate experience as we did. They try to keep the groups between 2-4 people to maximize the experience for the hikers and personalize the pace of the hike which we were incredibly grateful for.
Our guide, Gilber, had such a great attitude, was a wealth of knowledge, and had answers for every question we had along the way.
I think the one thing that I didn’t find in other reviews and didn’t fully understand prior to booking was how the fee structure is broken up for this trip. I initially had sticker shock, but after seeing what goes into the entire experience, you wonder how they can do it so cheaply.
As a breakdown - The AGT team picks you up from your hotel in the morning and drives you ~1.5 hours to the train. The train tickets are around $60 depending on when you go. The permit to hike on the Inca trail is only sold to guide companies but from just doing some quick googling, they’re around $80. The ticket to enter Machu Picchu is $45. Then you add in the porter that brings your delicious lunch to the halfway point, a full time guide, a very nice dinner in one of the most expensive towns in Peru, a bus ride back Cusco, and personal taxi back to your hotel you realize that it is worth every penny (or soles)!
It is an early start and late finish, but I would recommend it to anyone. Buy the ticket, take the ride!
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Angus Campbell
Best Walk to Machu Picchu!