Plan your trip itinerary to arrive at the River Explorers headquarters in Santa Rosa at the agreed time between the hours of 9:00 am and 10:00 am. Please note that transfer and lodging prior to check in with your guide is not included in the package.
For rafting the Urubamba rain forest section after your Machu Picchu tour ends often requires an extra night in Santa Teresa, so be sure to have this in mind when planning your trip.
The best way to connect your rainforest rafting adventure is with any tour that will include Machu Picchu. All tours with Machu Picchu included will end in Aguas Calientes (the town below Machu Picchu) from this point, River Explorers can organize transfers, lodging and all the necessary things to arrive to the beginning of the rafting tour.
Train
Most visitors begin their Machu Picchu rafting vacations from the Aguas Calientes train station.
The train departs daily from Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) at 13:30 and arrive at the hydroelectric station 30 minutes later. Ticket fees are $25.
Walking
Another option is walking for 2 hours and 40 minutes along the railroad to the Hydroelectric train station. This easy hike allows you to see a spectacular and less visited part of the Machu Picchu park area. Along the hike, you will walk into the gorge of the Urubamba River crossing tunnels, charming little villages while enjoying amazing vistas of the giant walls of the Urubamba river gorge and the Machu Picchu complex from a very different angle than the usual one.
Bus from the Hydroelectric station to Santa Teresa
Scheduled bus service is also available from the Hydroelectric train station to Santa Teresa. It takes only 30 minutes. The public bus will drop you off at the Santa Teresa main square. The bus fee is $5.
Hostel and lodges
Hostel and lodges are available in Santa Teresa. These are small and simple accommodations: the Eco Quechua Lodge is the best option if you are looking for comfort. You can also enjoy the thermal baths of Cocalmayo, located only a few minutes from the town.
Other tips
Consider starting your Machu Picchu trip with any Machu Picchu rafting tour first, and then continue on with your trip to Machu Picchu.
Any Salcantay trek will have minimum a day in Santa Teresa. To keep things simple, start your trip in Santa Teresa and then continue on with your trip to Machu Picchu.