Machupicchu Tour by train I Full-Day Trip

I would second the extensive positive review posted here by Dorito50, one of my traveling companions. Especially notable was the individual attention paid by Nely, whose personal visit the night before ensured that we had all needed tickets and that all questions were answered. The early morning pickup by our driver Eduardo and the rendezvous later in Ollantaytambo were handled with military precision. Our Machu Picchu guide Paul was more knowledgable and personable than we could have hoped. It was a long day, but a satisfying one.

Visiting Machu Picchu in one day from Cusco makes for a very long day, but sometimes scheduling and other practicalities require long days to fulfill our travel dreams. That’s what happened to our group of four adults when we set out to visit Machu Picchu, but Nely and this full-day trip (plus some very fine weather) made the day as picture-perfect and trouble-free as it could possibly have been. For anyone unable to visit Michu Picchu on a more relaxed overnight itinerary from Aguas Calientes or Ollantaytambo, we cannot recommend a tour more highly than this one. Booking and payment were easy. The night before our tour, Nely came to our AirBnB to deliver our train and site tickets and to go over the schedule for the next day step by step. At 5 am the next morning, our driver for the road leg, Eduardo, was at the curb the instant we walked out the door. At the exact same moment, Nely texted to wish us good morning and let us know he had arrived. Eduardo then drove with admirable care and professionalism in a comfortable mini-van the 90 minutes that are required to reach the train in Ollantaytambo during the rainy season when the train does not run all the way to Cusco. At the station, he walked us to the train and showed us where he would be waiting when we returned many hours later. At PeruRail, our names were on the checkin list, our seats were reserved, the ride to Aguas Calientes was spectacular, the coffee and snacks were welcome, and our personal English-speaking guide was waiting when we stepped off. The next few hours with Paul were an immersion in the life, lore, architecture, urban planning and everything else of the Inca site, with time for every question and the bonus of Paul’s excellent cell camera handling. When the tour was done, he showed us the way to our return train, helped us pick a restaurant for lunch and saw us off with big hugs. Then we made the trip back up to our AirBnB in Cusco in reverse just as seamlessly as we had come to the sacred valley, with an onboard fashion show of baby alpaca clothing, no less. Not long after we reached home, Nely checked in by WhatsApp to confirm everything was as it should be. The organizers of this tour promise to take every worry out of every step in a one-day tour to Machu Picchu, and they deliver with a level of warmth, excellence and professionalism we (very seasoned travelers) find rare. Highly recommended.

This excursion could not have been better. Yes, the full-day trip is a long one, especially in the months when the train does not run between Cusco and Ollyabamba and that leg has to be made by road. But sometimes you have only one day, and this tour and our tour operator made our one day as seamless and effortless as any full-day trip could ever be. Nely was our liaison. She was in touch every step of the way - contacting us before we reached Cusco to set a time when she could personally deliver our tickets, calling exactly at our 5 am pickup time to let us know our driver had arrived outside, following up at the end of the day to make sure everything went well. Our careful driver Eduardo and our highly experienced and knowledgable guide Paul maintained the same high level of service and professionalism Nely set. At every step of the way, the day unfolded exactly as she outlined, without a second thought or worry on our part. We are very experienced travelers and normally arrange all our excursions independently, but getting to Machu Picchu and getting the most possible out of the highly regulated visit is complicated. This tour ironed out all the complications so that we could soak up the experience without another thought in mind. It did not hurt that we lucked into blue skies our entire visit, but we were impressed that our guide Paul knew so much and was so passionate about the site that we would have come away enriched even from the rain. (And PS - he could go pro taking cell phone pictures!) Recommended without reservation.