Hiking the Inca Trail Tour involve 4 day Inca Trail hike and 1 Day Explore to Machu Picchu Tour (Huayna Picchu Optional). We learn about traditional Andean culture on the four-day trek to Machu Picchu. The Inca Trail (Qapaq Ñan in Quechuan native language), a 50 km sector of authentical Incan stone paths that once extended from Cusco to Machu Picchu, is one of the world’s signature outdoor excursions! Nothing beats the sensation to walk the Inca Trail that leads to the Lost City of the Incas just as the Sun casts its first golden rays over ancient stone buildings.
5 Day Hiking the Inca Trail with us means a fully supported hike by porters and modern equipment accompanied by an experienced bilingual Tour Guide. Moreover, you are given an extra day to discover Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu or Huayna Picchu Mountains! (optional) These all enables you to fully enjoy one of the most popular hike in South America.
Come to join one of the best Machu Picchu hiking tours.
5 Days and 4 Nights
We pick you up from your hotel
Hiking the Inca Trail is an unforgettable experience, so do not hesitate to join our group!
By saving time doing the Short Inca Trail, you will have extra days off to explore the beautiful city of Cusco and its surrounding attractions, Titicaca Lake and the Puno Region, or cities full of history and beautiful nature such as Lima and Arequipa. Take a look at some of our other packages involving these sites.
Early morning, we pick you up from your hotel and take you by our private transport to the starting point of this Inca Trail hike – Piscacucho, also called Km 82 (2,350 m). There, your Tour Guide gives you a briefing about the following Machu Picchu tour and after that, you cross the checking point of the Inca Trail hike. Then you hike along the Urubamba River visiting the Incan archaeological sites of Willca Raccay and the enormous Llactapata. Later on, you continue up to the Cusichaca River Canyon offering magnificent views of the Cordillera Oriental; particularly, the Veronica Mountain (5,850 m). You have lunch in Chamana to later continue the Inca Trail walk along the Cusichaca River observing several Incan agricultural stepped terraces and irrigation channels until reaching the picturesque village of Wayllabamba. Thereafter, you start ascending while appreciating various eco-systems along the way. Later in the afternoon, you get to the village of Llullucha Pampa, a place of your first campsite (3,850 m). There you have dinner and a rest afterward.
Early after breakfast, you continue your Machu Picchu hike ascending towards the highest point of the trail – Abra Warmiwañusqa (= Dead Woman´s Pass) at 4,200 metres passing through the cloud forests of Yunkachimpa and Corral Punku offering excellent views of surrounding snowcapped peaks. From Warmiwañusqa, you descend to the Pacaymayo Valley (3,300 m), where you have a lunch break. Then you walk the Inca Trail through the valley until you get to the Inka´s ruins of Runkuracay where a guided tour follows. Afterwards, you climb up and get over the second pass – Abra Runkurakay (3,860m) walking on this “Royal Inca´s Highway” down to the next Inka site – Sayacmarca. On the way, you pass the Yanacocha Lake. In the end, we get to our second campsite – Chaquicocha (3,670 m).
Today, we start hiking passing through lovely subtropical vegetation and many important archaeological sites. Before we reach the first site, we get over Phuyupatamarca Pass (3,670 m) and just behind it, we can see the Phuyupatamarca Inka complex (3,600 m), one of the best preserved and most completed sites of this 5 days Inca Trail. The complex is located on the top of a mountain and it corresponds with its Quechuan name that means the “Town above the Clouds”. After a guided tour, we have lunch there. Then, we start a steep descent via a cloud forest offering an opportunity to see beautiful orchids and different bird species on the way to our last campsite at Wiñay Wayna (2,700 m). There, we have a guided tour of the same-named impressive archaeological complex consisting of a religious sector, urban sector and an agricultural centre with lots of stepped terraces. Afterwards, we are served dinner and then we go sleep to get ready for hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu!
We start trekking the Inca Trail early morning after breakfast. We first climb antique steps to Inti Punku (the Sun Gate) to see the sunrise above the long-expected citadel of Machu Picchu! Then, we spend the rest of the morning exploring the Inka citatel on our own. For those interested, we meet up in the below town of Aguas Calientes to have lunch together. To get to Aguas Calientes, you can either take a slow descend (recomended to take some lovely panoramic photos; it takes about an hour) or a shuttle bus (approx. 20 minutes; it costs $12 which is not included in the Inca Trail package). Afterwards, you can visit the local hot springs (entrance fee of 10 Soles is not included in any of our Inca Trail packages). You spend the night in a comfortable hostel where you can enjoy hot shower!
No Inca Trail hike expects is today, just a walk and a ride as we take a shuttle bus after very early breakfast. The bus leaves us in front of the gates of the mysterious city of Machu Picchu that we enter for the early morning best photo opportunities! Then, you enjoy a 2 and half an hour guided visit of the so called “Lost City of the Incas”!! Afterwards, you have an opportunity to climb either the peak of Huayna Picchu (45 minutes up and the same time back optional) or Machu Picchu Mountain (1 hour, 30 minutes up and down optional) on your own to take some panoramic pictures of Machu Picchu!! This Machu Picchu tour finishes by afternoon’s descend to the town of Aguas Calientes where we take a train back to Cusco. Arrival in the evening.
End of the service! Hope you have enjoyed this one of longer Inca Trail tours!!
We would love to take everyone on the Inca Trail and guide you to Machu Picchu. We can leave any day of the week as long as permits remain with the government. Please remember, permits are only needed for your START DATE.
$550 per person
2 Trekkers: $1000 per person
3 Trekkers: $900 per person
4 Trekkers: $750 per person
5 Trekkers: $700 per person
6 Trekkers: $600 per person
7 Trekkers: $575 per person
8 or more Trekkers: $550 per person
MUNDO MAPI include a three (3) star hotel using La Cabana, Inti Punku, or Waman (based on availability at booking). Rooms are based on double or triple occupancy and there’s a single room surcharge of $50 US per person if you book alone. Rooms all include private bathrooms with hot showers and WIFI. We can also upgrade your hotel if you prefer something a little fancier. Please remember the service you receive in Aguas Calientes will not be quite as good as Cusco. Below is a list of possible upgrade options but we work with most hotels in Aguas Calientes.
– $25 off per person
Student discounts apply to anyone who has a valid UNIVERSITY STUDENT CARD at the time of the trek or who is 17-years-old or younger. For those using a University Student Card our under 17-years-old, we need to see a copy of their card or passport at the time of booking to receive the discount.
Please send all to info@theincatrails.com.
As seen in our Additional Items under Trip Overview there are several optional upgrades. Below is a quick list of prices but be sure to check our Overview section for more details.
Huayna Picchu: Huayna Picchu is the mountain that stands next to Machu Picchu. It’s a 45-minute hike to the top of Huayna Picchu. The views of Machu Picchu from the top are incredible. However, if you’re afraid of heights you need to be warned that coming back down the path is quite steep. If you decide to take this hike then you would it after your tour of Machu Picchu. While this hike is on your own your guide will direct you to where it starts. Arrangements need to be made at least one month in advance due to popularity.
Machu Picchu mountain is the mountain that stands above the Machu Picchu ruins. It offers even more stunning views than Huayna Picchu but takes an hour and a half to reach the top. You can book this with an additional entrance ticket that we can secure for you.
All our tours include the Expedition (Tourist) Train. This train is usually booked at 4:22 p.m. departing from Aguas Calientes. There is also the Vistadome train, which is an upgraded train that offers slightly larger seats, windows and some entertainment. Usually the Vistadome train is booked for 4:43 p.m. and travels to Poroy, a train station closer to Cusco. While this is an upgraded fee, we will still include your transportation back to your hotel.
You’ll have a full day at Machu Picchu arriving at the citadel around 6 AM and leaving no later than 2 PM to catch your 4:22 train. If you would like to tour Machu Picchu again on your own the next day that can be arranged for you.
