The Inca Trail is called in Quechua “the Inka Language” Qhapaq Ñan. The one of the top 10 trekking routes in South America and the number 1 in Peru. It served as a communication system for the Incas, allowing runners to travel from one place to another across the vast Inca Empire, which extended from southern Colombia to northern Argentina. There are different Inca trails to hike, but this is the most famous one, taking you from the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, through beautiful landscapes and various Inca archaeological sites.
Our departure dates for the Inca Trail range from March to January. Our recommended period being April to October due to the rainy season. The Inca Trail has a strict limit on the number of people alowed (500), with three hundred of them are the guides, porters and chefs. Therefore we will recommend booking your trip as early as possible, ideally around 6 months in advance.
The real Inca Trail covers more than 32,952 hectares, various networks of Inca roads, dozens of archaeological sites, ten ecological zones, over 450 bird species, and 200 species of orchids, in addition to the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu.
Our journey to Machu Picchu through the classical Inca trail begins at your hotel, from where you will be picked up after the breakfast (optional) around 6:00 – 6:30. From your hotel you will have a transfer 2 – 2.5 hours with your guide to our starting point which is called km 82. At the starting point you need to show your Inca Trail permission card, your original passport, and your ISIC card if you have one.Here the Inca Trail begins and we will start hiking for 2 hours to Miskay, where we are going to enjoy a nice lunch. The hike to Miskay is a flat and a beautiful walk, where we can enjoy the incredible flora of the landscape around us.
After the lunch we are going to have another two hours hike to Wayllabamba (3.000 m.) which will be our camping spot. We will arrive there at 5:00 pm in the afternoon, and we will enjoy a nice dinner from our personal professional chef at 6:30 pm. After the dinner we will settle down for the night.
Meals: Lunch, snacks, afternoon tea and dinner.
Accommodation: Camping facilities.
Distance: 11kms/6.8 mls (6 hours more or less of hiking)
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate.
Walking Time: Approximately 6 hours (including picnic lunch in route)
Walk and Terrain: Walk, canter on open roads, some steep ascending
At the second day the guides wakes us up at 5:30 with warm tee, so we can get a good start of the day at the Inca trail and we will eat breakfast at 6:00. Our first hike of this day begins at 6:30 and it will take around 5 hours (7 km) to get from our camp to the high spot which is called dead woman pass (4.600 m), where you can experience the female spirit, a woman that lives on the side of the mountain.
From this place we have a 2 hour hike down to our second camping spot (Pacamayu 3,600 m), where we finally will have our lunch after 7 hours of hiking in total on the Inca trail. At the camp we will rest and around 6.30 we will have dinner. Later we will get comfortable under our blankets, so we can stay warm for the cold night.
Meals: Breakfast, water, lunch, snacks, afternoon tea and Dinner.
Accommodation: Camping facilities.
Distance: 16kms/10mls (9 hours more or less of hiking time)
Difficulty: Moderate/challenge.
We get up at 6:00 am and breakfast will be served by the chef at 6:30. At 7:00 we will start hiking. This day is a very special and beautiful day where we will pass 3 Inca ruins along the Inca trail. To get to the first Inca ruin Runkqurakay (3.800 m.), we have to hike one hour up; thereafter we have another hour of walking to the second high spot, Runku Pass (4.000 m.). After the second Inca ruin it will get easier, from there we will walk down for 45 m. to Sayacmarka (3580 m.).
After the visit we will have 25 min. to chakicoccha (3.600 m) where we will enjoy our lunch in natural surroundings and incredible landscape. After the lunch we have a one hour hiking to Phuyupatamarka (3.60 m), which is the last hike on the Inca trail of this day. On this place we can find the last Inca construction for today.
From this point we will have an easy two hour walk down to Wiñnahuayna (2.600 m), where we will settle our camp and our chef will make a nice buffet to everyone so we can say goodbye to the chefs and the porters in a very nice way at 6.30. If you still have energy left after the hike, you can visit the archaeological site of Wiñay Huayna, only 5 minutes from our camp spot, a really delightful site on the Inbca trail with a lot of terraces and ruins.
Meals: Breakfast, water, lunch, snacks, afternoon tea and dinner.
Accommodation: Camping facilities and hot showers.
Distance: 10kms/6.2mls (5 hours more or less of hiking)
Difficulty: Moderate
On the last day we get up very early 3:30 and eat breakfast at 4:00. After the breakfast we begin hiking to the first checkpoint which opens at 5:30. After the checkpoint we have one hour of hiking to the Sun gate, from where we will have great views of Machu Picchu and all the surrounding mountains. Here we will have 20 min. to rest. Thereafter we have 10 min. down to the lost city of the Incas; Machu Picchu. Here the Inca trail ends and we will enter the wonder of Machu Picchu. At the city, we have to pass the second checkpoint for leaving our bags and it will cost you 3 soles for every back, which is necessary.
There you will also need to show your passport, the ticket and the ISIC card if you have one. Thereafter your guide will show you around the Machu Picchu and the different important sites, ruins and temples of the site from 8:00 to 10:00. After the tour you will have some free time to explore the city, its many different roads and its beautiful surroundings. After you have enjoyed the magnificent city of the Incas you have to use your bus ticket to get down to Aguas Calientes and then take the train back to Cusco via Ollantaytambo. The “expedition train” leaves at 6.30 in the evening and arrives at Ollantaytambo after 2 hours. At Ollantaytambo there will be a bus waiting for you to take you back to Cusco. Here your journey will end at 10:30 in the night.
Meals: Breakfast
Distance: 8.9kms/5.5mls “By Bus in 25 minutes”
Difficulty: Easy
Note: If you prefer, you can rent trekking poles, sleeping bag, additional entrance fees and lunch can be arranged on-site.
*Note: "Machu Picchu mountain" refers to the peak opposite the main Machu Picchu ruins.
*Note: "Machu Picchu mountain" refers to the peak opposite the main Machu Picchu ruins.
Note 2: If you choose the option of Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Mountain, depending on availability, you may need to add an additional cost for a private guide in the city of Machu Picchu.
| Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 4 days | USD $ 659.00 |
YES. To protect the historical trail of the Inkas, the number of people allowed to hike the Inca Trail each day is limited to 250. That is why, you should reserve your space as soon as possible. Spaces can be filled up three to six months in advance. Spaces fill more quickly in the high tourist season, from May to September.
We highly recommended to do your trekking to the Machupicchu or Huaynapicchu Mountains in order to have the most stunning views of the archaeological place(Machupicchu)
Huayna Picchu is one of the mountains that stands next to Machu Picchu and has amazing views from above. This hike is done after your tour with us and takes 45 minutes to reach the top and 45 minutes to came back down. Great oportunity to take lots of photos, because of the incredible views .
The Huayna Picchu Mountain is the one that you will see just behind Machu Picchu on any postcard; the Incas paths hidden alongside the mountain, it may frighten those who have a fear of heights.
For those of you who struggle with heights you may need to know that you will be steps away from hundred foot plummets into an abyss, and in some places the path can be very steep and narrow.
There are times when you need to use security cables to support yourself; it is a challenge for anyone. If you suffer from vertigo or you have a hard time controlling your fear of heights we would recommend taking a different route. You will have to place reservations 6 months before if you would like one of the 400 available tickets to go up to the Huayna Picchu Mountain.
Machu Picchu Mountain is an unforgettable and lesser-known hike above the Machu Picchu with stunning panoramic view of the valley. Reaching the archaeological place which is only one part of the Machu Picchu experience.
The other one is climbing the summit of Machu Picchu Mountain at 3,050 meters above sea level for dramatic views of the place and lush mountains separated by deep valleys and Urubamba River.
As spectacular as seeing Machu Picchu is, the lost Incas city, tells us just little things if you don’t see them in a perspective with the surrounding mountains. It is when you can appreciate the enormous effort of Incas engineery to built their citys 2,430 meters above sea level without using any metal tools or wheel. Why the city was initially built ?,still remains as mystery.
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Autumn B
May 7, 2025
Iza and Luis Miguel were our guides and were absolutely wonderful. The whole experience was life changing. The porters are some of the toughest people…they would jog past us and set everything up!! The food prepared on the trail by the chef and staff was wonderful…I can’t believe they made that food for us each meal. We were greater with bowls of warm water to wash our body, face and feet after a long beautiful day of trekking. Everyone was so kind and encouraging the whole trip! This was a trip of a lifetime!
gary k
May 4, 2025
Just finished a tough but very rewarding inka trail 4 day hike with an amazing crew of Elio, our guide, Sergio, the chef, and great porters who really know how to provide an unforgettable experience. We had a small group of just three of us. Food was better than restaurants! Totally recommend this company and crew!
Ellie R
May 3, 2025
We had a fantastic 5 day 4 night Salkantay Trek. Our guide Amilcar was so friendly and helpful. We felt much safer with his guidance especially given the number of landslides there were throughout the trek. The trek is challenging and so varied. The accommodation exceeded our expectations and felt very authentic. We are very glad we booked with Inka Trail expeditions!
Jaime H
May 3, 2025
Great experience, we had so much fun along the trip. We meet amazing people and enjoyed stunning hikes. The team was very welcoming and helpful our guide Jesus, the chefs Anastasio y Benigno, and the horseman Genaro.
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