Peru, ten days

7 reasons to see Machu Picchu in a small group

Twelve people, not forty. Machu Picchu is busier than ever, and these are the ways a small group with a local guide still gets the Peru you came for.

TKThe Kestrel Journeys teamOctober 2026

1. You walk in before the day-trippers

   Entry is by timed ticket, so the early slots matter. Staying the night below the ruins puts you at the gate for the first entry, while the trains from Cusco are still on their way.

2. Altitude is planned, not suffered

   The trip starts low in the Sacred Valley and climbs slowly to Cusco, so most people reach 3,400 metres feeling fine.

3. Ten days without rushing

   Long enough for Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu at a walking pace, with free afternoons built in.

1. A guide who grew up in the valley

   The stories behind the stones, and the small places a visiting guide would never find.

2. Meals you wouldn’t find alone

   Lunch with a family in a Quechua village, and a table in Lima that books out weeks ahead.

3. The logistics disappear

   Trains, entry tickets, the bus up the mountain and every transfer are booked and checked for you.

4. Twelve people, not forty

   Small enough to change the plan for the weather, and to reach the places a coach can’t.

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