Classic Inca Trail Trek
Four days from Km 82 to the Sun Gate, land only from Cusco
- 4 days
- 4,215 m max
- Challenging
- Cusco to Cusco
Forty-five kilometres over four days on the original Inca road, over Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m, camping three nights and walking into Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate at dawn. Our own permits, our own porters.
This is the walk people mean when they say they did the Inca Trail. Forty-five kilometres of it is original Inca road, laid before anyone in Europe knew the place existed, and it ends where the road was always meant to end — at the Sun Gate, looking down at the citadel in the early light.
It is also a proper trek. Three nights under canvas, a pass at 4,215 m, and days of six to eight hours on stone steps. Nobody should book it expecting a walking holiday, and we would rather talk you into the two-day version than have you suffer through this one.
What we will say is that the trek is only ever as good as the crew running it. We hold our own permits, employ our own porters and pay them above the legal minimum, and our guide carries oxygen because at that altitude somebody should. Ask the same questions of whoever else you are considering.
What you'll see
Dead Woman's Pass
Warmiwañusca at 4,215 m on the morning of day two. It is the hardest hour of the trek and the one everybody remembers, with the whole valley you have climbed laid out behind you.
Ruins nobody else reaches
Patallacta, Runkurakay, Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca, Intipata and Wiñay Wayna. Six sites on the road itself, most of them empty apart from your group, none of them reachable by train.
The Sun Gate at first light
You leave the last camp before dawn to be standing at Inti Punku as the sun clears the ridge and the citadel appears below. Arriving on foot from above is a different experience from arriving by bus from below.
Porters treated properly
Our own crew, paid above the legal minimum, with weighed loads and proper kit. This matters on this trail more than on any other, and it is the first thing worth asking any operator about.
Camp that is actually comfortable
Pitched before you arrive, with inflatable mattresses, pillows, a dining tent, a kitchen tent and a private portable loo. A chef cooks three courses each evening.
Oxygen and a first-aid kit on the mountain
Your guide carries emergency oxygen and a full medical kit and holds a wilderness first-aid certificate. At 4,215 m that is not a marketing line.
Classic Inca Trail Trek: day by day
Times are what we actually aim for, not a best case. Traffic into Cusco and the train timetable move them by a little.
Day 1
Km 82 to Ayapata, past Patallacta
Fourteen kilometres and a gentle introduction, tracing the river before the first real climb. Six to seven hours walking, ending at 3,300 m.
- 05:30We collect you from your hotel in Cusco. Pick-ups run until about 06:00.
- 08:30Piscacucho, Km 82, at 2,700 m. You meet the chef and the porters, the permits are checked, and you cross the Urubamba onto the trail.
- 10:30Patallacta, also called Llactapata — a large administrative and religious site seen from the viewpoint above, where your guide sets out what the road was actually for.
- 13:00Lunch, cooked and waiting for you, in the Cusichaca valley.
- 15:30Through the community of Huayllabamba and up to camp.
- 17:00Ayapata camp at 3,300 m. Tents already pitched, a bowl of warm water to wash in, and a three-course dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping at Ayapata, 3,300 m
Day 2
Over Dead Woman's Pass to Chaquicocha
The hard day. Ten kilometres, but almost all of the first half is up, from 3,300 m to 4,215 m and then down again. Six to seven hours.
- 06:00Breakfast in camp, then straight into the climb through high puna grassland.
- 09:30Warmiwañusca, Dead Woman's Pass, at 4,215 m. The highest point of the whole trek, with snow peaks in every direction.
- 11:00The descent into the Pacaymayo valley, arid rock giving way to green.
- 13:00Lunch in the valley, prepared by the crew who passed you on the way up.
- 15:00Runkurakay, an oval tambo where Inca messengers rested, and then Sayacmarca on its ridge.
- 17:30Chaquicocha camp at 3,600 m. Dinner under the stars and the briefing for the cloud forest day.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping at Chaquicocha, 3,600 m
Day 3
Chaquicocha to Wiñay Wayna through the cloud forest
The longest day at sixteen kilometres, and the one most people name as their favourite. Seven to eight hours, mostly downhill, through orchids and moss.
- 06:30Breakfast, then along the edge of the cloud forest with the Urubamba valley opening below.
- 09:00Phuyupatamarca, the Town in the Clouds, where the Inca built into the shape of the peaks rather than across them.
- 12:00Lunch, then the long stone staircase down.
- 14:30Intipata, the Sun Terrace, whose agricultural terraces fall away towards the river.
- 16:00Wiñay Wayna, Forever Young — fountains, ritual buildings, and the finest site on the trail. Your guide walks you round it.
- 18:00The last camp, and a farewell dinner with the porters and the chef.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping near Wiñay Wayna
Day 4
The Sun Gate, the citadel, and the train home
Five kilometres in the dark to reach Inti Punku at sunrise, then the citadel with your guide and a long afternoon of trains and transfers.
- 04:00Up before dawn and onto the last stretch of trail by headtorch.
- 06:00Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, at 2,679 m. The light reaches the citadel below while you are standing above it.
- 07:00The walk down into Machu Picchu and in through the main gate.
- 08:00Guided tour of the citadel on Circuits 1 and 3, across the temples, the residential quarter and the terraces.
- 11:00Consettur bus down to Aguas Calientes, and lunch in town at your own choosing.
- 14:30The Vistadome Observatory train to Ollantaytambo, with live music on board.
- 18:00Private transfer from the station to your hotel in Cusco.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Not included — you are back in Cusco
What the price covers
Before you set off
- Compulsory briefing at your hotel at 19:00 the night before, where you meet your guide
- Your duffel bag, handed over at the briefing, for the 7 kg the porters carry for you
- Collection from your hotel in Cusco between 05:30 and 06:00
- Private transport to the trailhead at Km 82
- Free storage of your main luggage at our Cusco office for the four days
Permits, entry and guiding
- Every government permit required for the Classic Inca Trail, issued in your name
- Machu Picchu entrance on Circuits 1 and 3
- Certified bilingual guide, English and Spanish, for the whole trek and the citadel tour
- Emergency oxygen and a full first-aid kit, carried by your guide
Camp and crew
- Professional tents pitched before you arrive, with inflatable mattresses and pillows
- Dining tent, kitchen tent and a private portable loo
- Porters and chefs, paid above the legal minimum and properly equipped
- Four breakfasts, four lunches and three dinners, cooked on the mountain
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy diets at no extra charge, given notice
Getting back
- Consettur bus down from the citadel to Aguas Calientes
- Vistadome Observatory train, Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo
- Private transfer from Ollantaytambo to your hotel in Cusco
Not included
- A sleeping bag, which you can hire from us for the trek
- Trekking poles, which you can also hire
- Lunch on day four, in Aguas Calientes
- Travel insurance, which for this trek you really should have
- Tips for the guide, the chef and the porters
- Extra snacks, bottled water and anything personal
Classic Inca Trail Trek: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£15
Sleeping bag hire
Rated to -10 °C, for the whole trek. Worth it rather than flying one out.
- +£15
Trekking poles
A pair for the whole trek, with the rubber tips the rules require.
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
The peak behind the citadel, on day four. A separate permit, booked months ahead.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
Higher and longer than Huayna Picchu, and a great deal to ask of day-four legs.
What to bring
Papers and money
- The original passport your permit was issued against
- 400 to 600 soles in small notes for water, loos, lunch and tips
- Your medication and any personal first aid
- A head torch, which day four genuinely requires
On your back
- A daypack of 20 to 30 litres for what you carry yourself
- A refillable water bottle
- A quick-dry towel
- A camera and a power bank
Clothes
- Walking boots, broken in well before you fly
- Thermal base layers, quick-dry t-shirts and trekking trousers
- A fleece and a down jacket for the camps
- A waterproof jacket, a warm hat, gloves and a neck buff
- Camp sandals, trekking socks and a sun hat
Sun and cold
- High-factor sun cream
- Sunglasses with UV protection
- Insect repellent for the cloud forest
- Lip balm, which the wind at 4,000 m makes essential
Questions we get asked
How fit do I actually need to be?
Fitter than for any other way of reaching Machu Picchu, and honestly so. Four days, around 45 km, three nights in a tent, and a 900 m climb to 4,215 m on day two. Plenty of people do it as their first multi-day trek, but they have usually spent a couple of months walking hills at home first. The descents are what catch British walkers out — thousands of uneven Inca steps, and knees feel day three more than day two.
When do I have to book?
Earlier than feels reasonable. The government issues a fixed number of permits per day for the whole trail, they are named and non-transferable, and for the May to September window they routinely sell out four to six months ahead. The permit is tied to one specific date that the Ministry of Culture will not move once issued. Give us your dates as soon as your leave is approved.
Is the trail ever closed?
Yes — the whole Inca Trail network closes every February for maintenance, without exception. Machu Picchu itself stays open, so a February trip is still possible, but not on foot by this route.
What if my flight to Cusco is delayed?
Tell us immediately, though there is a limit to what anyone can do — the permit is fixed to the date and cannot be transferred. This is the argument for arriving in Cusco at least two days before the trek starts. You need those days for the altitude anyway, and they double as your buffer against a missed connection at Lima.
How much do I carry myself?
Just a daypack — water, waterproofs, camera, snacks. The porters carry up to 7 kg of your things in the duffel bag we give you at the briefing, and everything else, from tents to the kitchen, is theirs. Your main luggage stays in Cusco.
What is the food like, and can you cater for my diet?
Better than you are expecting, which everyone says and everyone still says again afterwards. A chef travels with the group and cooks three courses in a kitchen tent. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and allergy diets are all catered for at no extra cost, but tell us when you book rather than at the trailhead.
Can I join as a solo traveller?
Yes. Small mixed groups are the norm on this trek and they are a large part of why people enjoy it. You do not need to find anyone to come with you, and you will not be charged a single supplement to walk.
What if I am slower than the rest of the group?
Nothing happens, because it is expected. Guides work to regrouping points rather than a marching pace, and on a four-day trek the group spreads out over a kilometre or more every day. A steady rhythm beats a fast one at altitude, and every experienced guide will tell you the same.
Do I need travel insurance?
It is not a legal requirement to walk the trail, but it is the one thing we would not leave the UK without for this trip. Check that your policy covers trekking above 4,000 m — many standard policies stop at 3,000 m — and that it includes medical evacuation, cancellation and baggage.
How do tips work?
They are voluntary and not in the price. Our porters and chefs are paid above the legal minimum before any tip, so this is recognition rather than their wage. Most groups pool something at the farewell dinner on night three, in soles, which is why we suggest bringing cash.
Can I fly out of Cusco the evening the trek ends?
No, and please do not try. Day four ends with a bus down, a train, and an hour and three quarters by road, any of which can run late. Book a night in Cusco and fly the following day.
Ask us about Classic Inca Trail Trek
Tell us your dates and we'll come back with availability, the circuit we'd recommend, and a firm price. No deposit to ask, and we answer within one working day.