The Inca Trail

4.8Based on

Carbon neutral

8 daysDuration

Small Group TourUsually 8-12 participants, maximum 18 travelers

16 peopleMaximum group size

16 - 99 yearsAge range for participants

EnglishGuide language

Challenging

Demands good physical fitness and stamina for more intense or extended activities.

Starts

Cusco, Peru

Ends

Cusco, Peru

Highlights

Complete the classic Inca Trail, South America’s most celebrated walking route

Enjoy camp life in the Andes − our expert staff take care of all the chores!

Explore Inca ruins as our knowledgeable tour leader brings them to life

Arrive at the famed Sun Gate at the ideal time to see Machu Picchu

Refresh after your trek with a stay in charming Aguas Calientes

Tour Machu Picchu, your experience enhanced after a restful hotel stay

Itinerary

Step into the storied realm of the Andes on The Inca Trail, an 8-day trekking adventure that begins and ends in Cusco. This challenging tour is tailored for experienced travelers with a taste for history and high-altitude adventure. Wind your way alongside the Urubamba River, over mountain passes, and through mystical cloud forests, all en route to the legendary ruins of Machu Picchu. Arrive in the afternoon for those iconic photos, then return the next morning—refreshed and ready for an in-depth tour of this New Wonder of the World. The unique selling point? With more than 40 years of expertise, proceeds from your journey support the Porter Project, giving back to local communities, and a zero-impact policy ensures you leave only footprints. This is trekking with a purpose—where breathtaking scenery meets meaningful travel.

day 1 - Adventure starts in Cuzco

Begin your adventure in Cuzco, once the geographic, cultural and political centre of a vast Inca empire. After Spanish conquistadors invaded, they built on top of Inca structures, resulting in unique architecture, a fusion of Spanish and Inca styles.

Around 6pm, say hola to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.

Your tour leader then ensures a big Peruvian welcome by arranging a group dinner.

Want more time in Cuzco? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

Meals:Dinner

Accommodation:MamaSara Hotel (or similar)

day 2 - Free day to acclimatise • Optional adventures in the Sacred Valley

Adjusting to the altitude will maximise your experience on this trip; therefore, today has been left free for you to acclimatise and explore at your own pace. Take it easy and drink plenty of water to help your body adjust to the altitude (11,155ft/3,400m).

For those who want to explore, the Plaza de Armas is a fantastic spot for people-watching, and Qorikancha (the Sun Temple) in the Santo Domingo Church and monastery is worth a visit. Mercado San Pedro is the place to try local produce and there are many handicraft markets to shop for souvenirs, such as alpaca jumpers and scarves.

Outside the town are more Inca ruins, notably the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, where the Inca armies made their last stand against the conquistadors. Cuzco is also the gateway to the Sacred Valley of the Incas; if you wish to visit, your leader can help organise an excursion, including Pisac Market (optional).

If you would like something more active, there is an array of other optional activities available from Cuzco, including paddleboarding on a lake, mountain biking, or a combination of via ferrata and zip-lining in the Sacred Valley.

In the evening, you need to pack and weigh your kitbag ready for the Inca Trail tomorrow – remember to keep your passport somewhere accessible for the Inca Trail checkpoint.

Meals:Breakfast

Accommodation:MamaSara Hotel (or similar)

day 3 - Start the Inca Trail trek from Km82 • Walk along the Urubamba River • Climb to Huayllabamba

Early this morning, we transfer (1hr 30min) from Cuzco into the Sacred Valley. Reaching the town of Ollantaytambo, we drive for one hour along the final stretch of road to the start of the Inca Trail at Piscacucho, recognised among adventurers as Km82. After greeting our trekking crew, we show our passports at the checkpoint and begin the fabled Inca Trail trek. Our route today runs alongside the Urubamba River, beneath the snow-capped peak of Nevado Veronica, passing through cactus gardens and settlements, until we reach the terraced Inca ruins of Llactapata, where we continue up the Cusichaca Valley to camp near the village of Huayllabamba (9,186ft/2,800m).

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:Huayllabamba Camp (full-service camping)

day 4 - Summit Dead Woman's Pass • Descend to Pacaymayu

The morning begins, as all do on our Inca Trail trek, with a hot drink delivered to your tent. Today’s journey is both challenging and rewarding, marking the most demanding and best-known stretch of the trail. A slow and steady climb takes us through a cloud forest to the meadows of Llulluchapampa, then we summit Dead Woman’s (Warmihuañusca) Pass, the highest point on the trek at 13,829ft (4,215m). After a well-deserved round of high fives and photos at the summit, we begin our steep descent on original Inca steps to reach our campsite in the scenic valley of the Pacaymayu River (11,811ft/3,600m). Warm up in the dining tent with a hot, fresh meal followed by a well-deserved sleep under the Andean night sky.

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:Pacaymayu Camp (full-service camping)

day 5 - Over the Runquracay Pass to the ruins of Sayacmarca and Phuyupatamarca

After a hearty breakfast, we start the day with a climb, which takes us past the ruins of Runquracay and over the Runquracay Pass (12,894ft/3,930m), our second and final pass. From here, the Inca Trail becomes a clearly defined rolling path of flat boulders, providing access to sites only available to those on foot. One of the standout archeological sites we visit is Sayacmarca (11,893/3,625m), perched high above the green cloud forest. From here, we enjoy views of Salkantay mountain as we hike to our spectacular campsite on the ridge above the Inca site of Phuyupatamarca (12,073ft/3,680m), where we can enjoy the sunset and sunrise.

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:Phuyupatamarca Camp (full-service camping)

day 6 - Walk down the Inca Steps to Wiñay Wayna • Enjoy our first sight of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate

From Phuyupatamarca, we take the famous Inca Steps: a 1.2mi (2km) stone staircase that rapidly descends into an immense panorama, with the peaks of the Vilcabamba range above and the Urubamba River far below.

Reaching Wiñay Wayna, we have plenty of time to explore these beautiful ruins and eat lunch before continuing along a relatively flat section of trail (by Inca standards) through cloud forest and wild orchids to finally reach Inti Punku (the Sun Gate).

From here, we get our first full sight of Machu Picchu, with the Huayna Picchu mountain rising behind… congratulations, you made it!

Inti Punku is traditionally busy with photo-taking trekkers in the morning, so our late afternoon arrival affords us unobstructed views of the magnificent ruins. We also get a chance to snap some classic photos of Machu Picchu before we take the 30-minute bus down to Aguas Calientes for a shower and a comfortable bed for the night.

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Others:Terraza de Luna (or similar)

day 7 - Explore the ruins of Machu Picchu • Return to Cuzco by train and road

Well-rested and refreshed, we return to Machu Picchu this morning for our guided tour. Machu Picchu is an architectural and engineering marvel, the staggering mountain backdrop making it even more dramatic. The Spaniards never found it, the Incas left no records of it, and so Machu Picchu remained an enigma, a city lost for centuries in the jungle until it was rediscovered in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Your guided tour highlights the history, culture, architecture and mysteries that Machu Picchu still holds today.

Catch the train (1hr 30min) back to Ollantaytambo this afternoon, then transfer (approximately three hours) by private bus to Cuzco.

Meals:Breakfast

Accommodation:MamaSara Hotel (or similar)

day 8 - Adventure ends in Cuzco

We begin our return journeys home after breakfast. But if you’re not ready for the adventure to end, you can always book onto our Lake Titicaca extension, where you explore the sky-high waters by boat, visit an indigenous community and explore the pre‐Incan site of Sillustani. Alternatively, join our Amazon Rainforest extension to explore lakes, rivers and jungle trails in search of tropical wildlife or speak to your sales representative about additional time in Cuzco.

Meals:Breakfast

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What's Included

Accommodation

All accommodation

Meals

All breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners

Transport

All transport and listed activitiesArrival and departure transfers

Guide

Tour leader throughout

Others

Kitbag to keep and inflatable sleeping mat to use while camping

What's Excluded

Customer Reviews

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4.8

based on 216 reviews

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