Inca Jungle Trail, 4 Days
Bike, raft, walk and zipline your way to Machu Picchu
- 4 days
- 4,300 m max
- Moderate
- Cusco to Cusco
Sixty kilometres of downhill riding from Abra Málaga, class III rafting on the Urubamba, a day on an original stretch of Inca road, a coffee farm, five ziplines over the Salkantay river, and Machu Picchu at the end of it. The least conventional way to reach the citadel.
Most routes to Machu Picchu are a walk. This one is a bike, a raft, a walk and a zipline, in that order, and it exists because a generation of travellers decided that four days of trekking was not the only way to earn the citadel.
It is also among the cheapest multi-day routes we sell, and the reason is not corner cutting — it is that the Inca Jungle avoids both the permit system and the train. You come down from Abra Málaga under gravity and you walk the last stretch beside the railway.
The thing worth knowing before you book is that the adrenaline is front-loaded. Day one is the bike and the river. Day two is a proper day’s walking on original Inca paving, which is the part people are surprised by and the part they tend to talk about afterwards.
What you'll see
Sixty kilometres downhill
From Abra Málaga at 4,300 m down towards the cloud forest, on tarmac, over three to four hours. A support vehicle stays behind the group the whole way, so anyone who has had enough can get in it.
Class III on the Urubamba
An hour and a half of rafting with a specialist river guide on the afternoon of day one, once the bikes are put away.
A day on the Inca road
Day two is walked, on an original stone section above the Urubamba, past mandarin and orange groves and coca terraces, to an Inca tambo with the whole valley below it.
Five cables and a Tibetan bridge
The Lucmabamba zipline circuit — the longest cable is 900 m, and the 300 m rope bridge hangs about 500 m above the Salkantay river.
Cocalmayo and a glass dome
Two hours in the thermal pools at the end of day two, then a night in a dome at Lucmabamba with the sky overhead.
Coffee where it grows
A morning with a Lucmabamba family, through the whole process from the tree to the cup. This valley grows some of the best coffee in the Cusco region.
Inca Jungle Trail, 4 Days: 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
Cusco to Santa María, by bike and by raft
The adrenaline day. Two hours in a vehicle, sixty kilometres on a bike, and ninety minutes in a raft. You finish 3,100 m below where you started.
- 05:30We collect you from your hotel or flat in Cusco. Pick-ups run until about 06:00, or from Ollantaytambo at around 07:30 if you are already down the valley.
- 07:45Breakfast in Ollantaytambo, included, and the last proper town for a while.
- 09:30Abra Málaga at 4,300 m. Bikes, helmets and body armour are handed out and your guide runs through the descent.
- 10:00The ride — three to four hours and about sixty kilometres, all downhill on tarmac, to Huamanmarca. The support vehicle follows the group throughout.
- 12:30The Inca site at Huamanmarca, with your guide, once the bikes are loaded.
- 13:00Santa María, and lunch.
- 15:00Rafting on the Urubamba with a specialist river guide, about an hour and a half through rapids up to class III.
- 19:00Back in Santa María at 1,200 m, showered, and dinner. A basic hotel, and nobody minds after that day.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Hotel in Santa María
Day 2
The Inca road to Quellomayo, and the hot springs
The walking day — around five and a half hours, with a two-hour climb in the middle. This is the day the trip earns the word trail.
- 06:30Breakfast in Santa María.
- 07:00Forty-five minutes along the road to where the original Inca path begins.
- 07:45A steady two-hour climb through mandarin, orange and coca plantations, on stone stairways the Inca laid.
- 10:00An Inca tambo, a way station on the old road, looking out over the Urubamba and Santa Teresa valleys. This is the view people remember.
- 11:00Forty-five minutes downhill to Quellomayo, and lunch.
- 13:00Two hours of largely flat walking to the Cocalmayo hot springs.
- 15:00Two hours in the thermal pools. The entry fee is about 10 soles, paid there.
- 17:30Forty-five minutes by vehicle through Santa Teresa to the Lucmabamba lodge and your dome.
- 19:30Dinner at the lodge, then the sky.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Glass dome at Lucmabamba
Day 3
Coffee, ziplines, and the railway into Machu Picchu Pueblo
A short morning of activities and a long afternoon on foot — eleven kilometres beside the rails, about three hours.
- 06:00Breakfast at the Lucmabamba lodge.
- 07:00The coffee tour with a local family, about an hour, ending with a cup of what you have just watched them make.
- 08:30Ten minutes to the zipline base. Five cables and a 300 m Tibetan bridge, an hour and a half to two hours.
- 11:00An hour by vehicle to Hidroeléctrica, then lunch and an hour to sit still.
- 14:00The walk to Machu Picchu Pueblo, eleven kilometres along the railway, about three hours. The path runs under Machu Picchu itself and there are glimpses of it on the way.
- 17:00Your hotel in town — hot water, wifi, a private bathroom and towels.
- 19:00Dinner in town, then the briefing for the citadel.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Hotel in Machu Picchu Pueblo
Day 4
Machu Picchu, then back to Cusco
A four o'clock start, the citadel with a guide, and a long journey home by road or a shorter one by rail.
- 04:00Breakfast at the hotel.
- 04:30On foot to the gate — thirty minutes of flat walking to the Inca Bridge, then an hour of stairs. The 05:30 bus does it in twenty-five minutes for about £12 if you would rather.
- 06:00Through the gate at the hour printed on your ticket, which is usually the first one.
- 06:15Guided tour of the citadel, one to two hours depending on which circuit your ticket carries.
- 08:30Your optional peak, if you booked one, or the start of the journey back.
- 15:00By road — a three-hour walk back to Hidroeléctrica and a bus at 15:00. By rail — the 14:30 or 14:55 train, then a transfer from Ollantaytambo.
- 19:00Back in central Cusco by train, near the Plaza de Armas. By road it is between 21:00 and 22:00.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Not included — you are back in Cusco
What the price covers
Before you set off
- Briefing with your guide and the group at 18:00 the evening before, in central Cusco or over WhatsApp if you are not in town yet
- Collection from your hotel or flat in Cusco between 05:30 and 06:00, or from Ollantaytambo at about 07:30
- Private transport from Cusco to the top of the bike descent
- Free storage of your main luggage in Cusco for the whole trip
The activities
- Mountain bike, helmet, gloves and protective gear for the descent from Abra Málaga
- A support vehicle behind the group throughout the ride, which you can get into at any point
- Rafting on the Urubamba with a specialist river guide and all safety equipment
- The Lucmabamba zipline circuit — five cables and the Tibetan bridge — with its own guides
- The coffee tour with a local family in Lucmabamba
- Your guide for the whole four days, alongside the specialists for each activity
Where you sleep and what you eat
- One night in a hotel in Santa María
- One night in a glass dome at the Lucmabamba lodge
- One night in a hotel in Machu Picchu Pueblo, with hot water, wifi and a private bathroom
- Four breakfasts, three lunches and three dinners
Machu Picchu and getting home
- Machu Picchu entrance ticket, with the circuit and entry time confirmed when you book
- Guided tour of the citadel, whichever circuit and hour you are given
- Your chosen return to Cusco, by road from Hidroeléctrica or by train via Ollantaytambo
Not included
- Lunch on day four, after the citadel
- The bus up to the citadel gate, about £12, unless you add it
- The Cocalmayo hot springs, about 10 soles at the gate
- Sending your bag ahead on day two, about 20 soles, if you would rather not carry it
- Drinking water — budget a litre or two a day and buy it along the route
- Travel insurance, which for the biking and rafting you really should have
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
- Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain, which need their own permit
Inca Jungle Trail, 4 Days: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£70
Return by train instead of the road
The 14:30 train to Ollantaytambo and a transfer. Cusco by seven in the evening rather than ten at night, and necessary if you add a peak.
- +£12
Bus up to the citadel gate
Twenty-five minutes instead of an hour of stairs at half past four in the morning.
- +£45
Vistadome train, one leg
Panoramic glass roof on the return. Only available with the train return.
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
The peak behind the citadel, on day four. Train return required.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
Higher and longer than Huayna Picchu. Also requires the train return.
What to bring
Papers and money
- Your original passport, checked at the citadel gate
- Your student card, if you are claiming the reduced rate
- Cash in soles for the hot springs, water and tips
- Your medication and any personal first aid
On your back
- A daypack you can walk with — on day two and day three you carry your own things
- A refillable water bottle
- A head torch for the last morning
- A camera and a power bank
Clothes
- Walking shoes or trail shoes with grip, already worn in
- Long trousers for the bike descent, and a windproof layer for the top of the pass
- Light, quick-drying clothes for the jungle sections
- A waterproof jacket or a poncho
- A swimming costume and a quick-dry towel for Cocalmayo
- Something dry to change into after the rafting
Sun and skin
- High-factor sun cream
- Sunglasses, which the bike descent makes useful rather than optional
- Insect repellent, and plenty of it below 2,000 m
- Lip balm
Questions we get asked
How dangerous is the bike descent, honestly?
It is sixty kilometres of tarmac, all of it downhill, on a public road with traffic on it — that is the fair description, and it is the reason we say bring a travel insurance policy that covers cycling. You are given a helmet and protective gear, you are briefed before you start, and a support vehicle stays behind the group so anyone who wants to stop can stop. Most people ride the whole thing and love it. Nobody is made to.
How fit do I need to be?
Reasonably. The biking is downhill, the rafting is done sitting down, and the ziplines require nothing at all. What needs legs is day two — about five and a half hours of walking with a two-hour climb — and the eleven kilometres along the railway on day three. It is much less demanding than Salkantay or the Inca Trail, and much more varied.
Can I skip an activity?
Yes, any of them. People opt out of the bike or the raft and ride in the vehicle instead, and the price does not change, because the cost is in having the guides and equipment there. Tell your guide at the briefing rather than on the morning.
Which circuit will I get at Machu Picchu?
We ask for Circuit 2, Route 2-A, which is the classic route with the panoramic viewpoint, and work down from there if it has gone — 2-B next, then Circuit 1, then Circuit 3. The Ministry of Culture controls the allocation and it is the government, not us, that sells out. If the classic route matters to you, book about four months ahead. We confirm your circuit and entry hour in writing before you fly.
What is the difference from the three-day version?
One day, and one entire activity. The four-day adds the walk along the original Inca road on day two, with the climb to the tambo and the views over the two valleys, plus a night in Santa María. The three-day goes from the rafting straight to the hot springs and on to Lucmabamba the same evening. If you came for the trekking, take the four-day. If you came for the biking and the ziplines and have less time, the three-day loses nothing else.
Do I have to walk up to the citadel on the last morning?
Only if you do not add the bus. On foot it is half an hour of flat walking and then an hour of stairs, starting at half past four in the dark. The bus takes twenty-five minutes. Add it when you book if you would rather sleep until five.
Which return should I choose?
The train, if the budget allows. It puts you back in Cusco around seven in the evening. The road means walking three hours back to Hidroeléctrica after the citadel, then six hours in a vehicle, arriving between nine and ten at night. The road option also rules out Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain, because there is not enough day left.
What about my main luggage?
It stays in Cusco, stored free. On days two and three you carry your own daypack, so pack light. If you would rather not carry it on day two, your bag can be sent ahead to the hot springs by local transport for about 20 soles.
Is there a reduced rate for students or children?
Yes. Children aged 8 to 17 and university students pay about £20 less per person. The student rate needs an original university card and you must be 25 or under — send us a photograph of both sides when you book. Children under 8 are not suitable for this trip.
When is the best time to come?
May to September, when the road is dry for the bike descent and the river is at a manageable level. April and October are quieter and usually fine. In the wet season from December to March the descent is still run but the tarmac is slick, the rafting is faster, and you will be wet for parts of every day.
Ask us about Inca Jungle Trail, 4 Days
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