5.0 (12 Reviews)
Thinking about hiking the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu? This 4-day trek is the classic way to do it. You’ll be walking the same paths the Incas used ages ago to get to their amazing city in the clouds. It’s definitely a challenge, lots of ups and downs, but people say it’s “chévere” – really cool and totally worth it. You’ll hike through different kinds of nature, like cloud forests and really high mountains, and see cool old Inca ruins along the way. Seeing the sunrise over the Andes and finally reaching Machu Picchu – which is one of those ‘New 7 Wonders of the World’ everyone talks about – is something you won’t forget. It’s a mix of tough hiking, history, and amazing views.
Quick Heads-Up: Pre-Trek Briefing
Important: You gotta meet your guide the day before the trek starts. This meeting is usually in Cusco (Altitude: about 3,400m / 11,155ft). They’ll tell you exactly what’s up – how far you walk each day, what gear you really need (‘Do I really need those hiking poles?’ ‘What about rain?’), and how to get ready so you have a good time. Don’t skip this!
(Includes: Snacks, Lunch, Tea Time, Dinner)
It’s an early start, like 5:30 AM! We grab you from your hotel in Cusco and drive towards the trail. We’ll pass through some towns like Chinchero, Urubamba, and Ollantaytambo on the way to a place called Piskakucho, or Km 82 (Altitude: around 2,720m / 8,924ft). This is where the real hiking begins. We check in with our permits (gotta have those!), then start walking.
You’ll see some old Inca stuff pretty quick, like from a cool viewpoint looking at the Patallacta ruins. We hike a bit more, stop for lunch at Miskay to fuel up, and then keep going to our first campsite, Wayllabamba (Altitude: about 3,000m / 9,842ft). It’s a pretty chill first day compared to what’s coming. We’ll have some tea or coffee when we arrive (‘tea time’ is a thing here) and then dinner before crashing in the tents.
What you get Day 1:
What’s NOT included Day 1:
Easiest
(Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Tea Time, Dinner)
Okay, get ready, travelers often say this is the toughest day. After breakfast, we start climbing, and the first few hours are steep up to the highest point of the whole trail: Warmiwañuska, or ‘Dead Woman’s Pass’ (Altitude: around 4,215m / 13,829ft). Yeah, quite the nickname, right? It’s high, so the air is thin and you’ll likely feel it – walk “poco a poco” (slowly, slowly!). But the views from the top are unreal, like ‘wow’ unreal.
After catching your breath, taking awesome photos, and feeling proud you made it, we head down (which can be tough on the knees) to the next camp at Pacaymayo (Altitude: about 3,600m / 11,811ft). Lunch will be waiting, and the porters will likely have the tents already set up – magic! Chill out with some tea before dinner. You’ll sleep well tonight!
What you get Day 2:
What’s NOT included Day 2:
Easiest
(Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Tea Time, Dinner)
After breakfast, more hiking! We go up another pass, but not as high as yesterday, called Runkurakay Pass (Altitude: 3,970m / 13,025ft). There’s another cool circular Inca ruin right there to check out. Then we walk for maybe an hour and a half to Sayacmarca, another important old spot that’s kinda built hanging on the cliff. Pretty amazing how they did that.
We keep going to Chakicocha for lunch. The scenery changes a bit today, you’ll see different plants and terrain as you get closer to the ‘cloud forest’. There are even some cool tunnels the Incas carved right through the rock! We pass near Puyupatamarca (‘Town in the Clouds’, Altitude: about 3,600m / 11,811ft) before heading mostly downhill towards our last campsite, Wiñayhuayna (Altitude: 2,700m / 8,858ft).
This place, Wiñayhuayna, is awesome! It means ‘Forever Young’ and has these incredible Inca farming steps called ‘andenes’ built right on the super steep hill, plus temples and houses. It’s almost like a mini Machu Picchu. We camp here tonight after the usual tea time and dinner. It’s exciting because tomorrow… Machu Picchu!
What you get Day 3:
What’s NOT included Day 3:
Easiest
(Includes: Breakfast)
This is it, the big day! We get up super early, like 4:00 AM maybe even earlier. Grab breakfast, or sometimes they give you a snack box to eat on the go, and we start the final walk towards Machu Picchu in the dark with headlamps. It’s not too long until we reach the Inti Punku, the ‘Sun Gate’ (Altitude: about 2,720m / 8,924ft).
If the weather’s good, this is where you get that first amazing view of Machu Picchu down below as the sun comes up – totally worth the early wake-up call! It’s that postcard picture moment. We walk down into the main site (Altitude: around 2,430m / 7,972ft). Wow!
Your guide will show you around the city for a couple of hours, explaining all the cool stuff about the temples, houses, sun clocks, and terraces. They’ll point out things you’d totally miss on your own. After the tour, you get some free time to just explore, wander around, maybe hike up to Huayna Picchu if you booked that way in advance, or just sit and soak it all in. Take tons of pictures!
Later, you’ll take a bus down the winding road to the town below called Aguas Calientes (Altitude: approx. 2,040m / 6,693ft). From there, you catch the train back to Ollantaytambo station. Someone from our team will meet you there to drive you all the way back to your hotel in Cusco. What a trip, huh? You’ll be tired but buzzing!
What you get Day 4:
What’s NOT included Day 4:
Easiest
We have a great selection of day tours and multi-day tours in Cusco, Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu, which were crafted by our expert team, if you did not find what you are looking for, please explore our similar tours below or email us to get further assistance.
