Inca Trail & Rainbow Mountain, 8 Days
Cusco, the Sacred Valley, the four-day trek, and Vinicunca to finish
- 8 days
- 5,200 m max
- Challenging
- Cusco airport to Cusco airport
Everything the Cusco region has, in one booking. A city tour, the full Sacred Valley, the four-day Classic Inca Trail to the Sun Gate, and then Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley on day seven — the highest point of the trip, after you have been walking for a week.
The two things people most want to do around Cusco are the Inca Trail and Rainbow Mountain, and they are usually sold as an either-or, because each eats days and neither is an afternoon out.
This package takes eight days and fits both, in the order that makes them possible. Two days of city and valley while you acclimatise, four days on the Classic Inca Trail to the Sun Gate, a day back in Cusco, and then Vinicunca on day seven — by which point 5,200 m is a hard morning rather than an ordeal.
It is a demanding week and it should be read as one. The trek alone is four days and a 4,215 m pass. Rainbow Mountain two days later is higher still. What the itinerary buys you is the preparation to do both without ruining either.
What you'll see
The trek and the mountain
Most people choose between the Inca Trail and Rainbow Mountain because both need days. This fits both in, with the acclimatisation to do them in the right order.
Vinicunca last, not first
Rainbow Mountain is around 5,200 m, almost a thousand metres higher than Dead Woman's Pass. Doing it on day seven, after four days on the trail, is the only sensible way round.
Two days of acclimatising built in
The city tour and the Sacred Valley come first, and you sleep the second night in Ollantaytambo, close to the trailhead and lower than Cusco.
Both Machu Picchu circuits
Circuit 1 arriving through the Sun Gate for the panoramic route, then Circuit 3 for the lower citadel — the Temple of the Sun, the Twelve Niches and the Temple of the Condor.
A proper trail crew
A personal porter for 7 kg, chefs cooking fresh meals, four-person tents shared between two, private portable loos, oxygen and a satellite phone.
Airport to airport
Collected when you land at Cusco and taken back when you leave, with everything in between arranged.
Inca Trail & Rainbow Mountain, 8 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
Arrive in Cusco, and the city tour
Met at the airport and taken to a hotel in the historic centre. In the afternoon, the Plaza de Armas, the twelve-angled stone, Loreto street, Qoricancha, Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay and Cristo Blanco.
- Meals
- None included
- Night
- Hotel in Cusco
Day 2
The Sacred Valley, ending at the trailhead
An alpaca farm, the Mirador Taray, the Pisac ruins and market, Moray, the Maras salt pans and Ollantaytambo, with a buffet lunch in Urubamba. You sleep in the valley, close to Km 82 and lower than Cusco.
- Meals
- Buffet lunch
- Night
- Hotel in the Sacred Valley
Day 3
Km 82 to Ayapata
The Classic Inca Trail begins. Small villages, Andean landscapes and the Inca sites of Willkaraqay and Patallacta, finishing at the first camp at Ayapata.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner
- Night
- Camping at Ayapata
Day 4
Dead Woman's Pass and Runkurakay Pass
The hardest day of the trek — Warmiwañusca at 4,215 m, then a second pass at Runkurakay, taking in Runkurakay, Sayacmarca and Conchamarca before camp at Chaquicocha.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner
- Night
- Camping at Chaquicocha
Day 5
Phuyupatamarca, Intipata and Wiñay Wayna
The most beautiful day on the trail — cloud forest, wide views and three of its finest archaeological sites, with the last camp a few hours short of the citadel.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner
- Night
- Camping near Wiñay Wayna
Day 6
The Sun Gate, the citadel, and back to Cusco
Early to Inti Punku for the first view of Machu Picchu, then the guided visit on both included circuits. The bus down, the panoramic Vistadome train and private transport to Cusco.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Hotel in Cusco
Day 7
Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley
An early departure for Vinicunca, the steady climb to the striped ridge at around 5,200 m, and the Red Valley beyond it before the drive back to Cusco in the afternoon.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Hotel in Cusco
Day 8
Home
Breakfast at the hotel, then a transfer to Cusco airport timed against your departure.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Not included — you fly out
What the price covers
Transfers, hotels and tours
- Airport pickup and drop-off in Cusco
- Three nights in a hotel in Cusco and one in the Sacred Valley
- All transport across the eight days
- Cusco city tour with a professional guide, including entry to Qoricancha
- The Cusco Tourist Ticket, covering Sacsayhuamán, Pisac, Moray, Maras and Ollantaytambo
- Buffet lunch in Urubamba on the Sacred Valley day
The trek
- Your Classic Inca Trail permit, issued in your name
- Certified bilingual guides
- Three nights of camping, in four-person tents shared between two
- A personal porter carrying up to 7 kg of your gear
- Experienced chefs and a porter team with responsible welfare standards
- Fresh meals on the trail, daily snacks and drinking water
- Camping gear, a dining tent, tables, chairs and kitchen equipment
- Private portable loos, a pillow and a sleeping mat
- A first-aid kit, oxygen and satellite phones
Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain
- Machu Picchu on Circuit 1, arriving through the Sun Gate
- A second entrance on Circuit 3 for the lower citadel
- Return on the panoramic Vistadome train
- Entrance tickets for Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley
Not included
- Flights to and from Cusco
- A sleeping bag, trekking poles and an inflatable mattress, all available to hire
- Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain
- Any meal not named in the itinerary
- Travel insurance, which for this trip you really should have
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
Inca Trail & Rainbow Mountain, 8 Days: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£15
Sleeping bag hire
Rated to -10 °C, for the four trail days. The camps are below freezing at night.
- +£15
Trekking poles
A pair for the trek, with the rubber tips the rules require.
- +£20
Inflatable sleeping mat
On top of the sleeping mat already provided, for anyone who sleeps badly on the ground.
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
About two hours there and back on day six, after the guided tour.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
About three hours there and back. Only sensible if you add a day.
What to bring
Papers and money
- The original passport your Inca Trail permit was issued against
- 400 to 600 soles in small notes, for tips, the markets and the mountain
- Your medication and any personal first aid
- A head torch
On your back
- A daypack of 20 to 30 litres
- A refillable water bottle
- A camera and a power bank
- A quick-dry towel
Clothes
- Walking boots, broken in well before you fly
- Thermal base layers, trekking trousers and hiking socks
- A fleece and an insulated jacket for the camps and for Vinicunca
- A waterproof jacket, a warm hat and gloves
- Camp sandals and ordinary clothes for the city days
Sun and cold
- High-factor sun cream, and more than you think
- Sunglasses with UV protection and a sun hat
- Lip balm
- Insect repellent for the cloud forest
Questions we get asked
Is Rainbow Mountain harder than the Inca Trail?
In one specific way, yes. Vinicunca at around 5,200 m is almost a thousand metres higher than Dead Woman's Pass, the highest point of the trek. The walking is easier — a steady uphill on a wide track rather than four days of Inca staircases — but the air is thinner than anything else in this itinerary. Doing it on day seven, with a week of altitude behind you, is what makes it manageable.
How fit do I need to be?
Fit enough for the Classic Inca Trail, which is the demanding part — four days, forty-two kilometres, three nights camping and a 4,215 m pass. Rainbow Mountain on top of that, two days after you come off the trail, is a real ask. This is a trip for people who walk regularly at home.
Are the first two days really necessary?
They are the reason the rest works. Cusco is at about 3,400 m and you start walking on day three. Two days of gentle sightseeing, with the second night spent lower down in the Sacred Valley, is the accepted way to prepare, and here it is built in rather than sold separately.
When do I have to book?
Four to six months ahead for May to September, because of the Inca Trail permit. It is named, non-transferable and tied to one date the Ministry of Culture will not move. Everything else in the package can be arranged much later.
Is the trail ever closed?
Every February, for maintenance across the whole Inca Trail network. Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain both stay open, so a February version of this trip would reach the citadel by train instead.
What are the two circuits?
Circuit 1-C on arrival through the Sun Gate, which gives the upper observatories and the panoramic views, and Circuit 3-B for the lower citadel — the Temple of the Sun, the Twelve Niches, the storehouses, the Temple of the Condor and the water mirrors. Between them you see both halves of the site.
What is the Red Valley?
A valley of deep red mineral ridges beyond Vinicunca, reached by continuing over the top. It is quieter than Rainbow Mountain itself and the entrance is included here, which it often is not.
Do I need to book flights separately?
Yes — this is land only, from Cusco airport to Cusco airport. Landing in the morning makes day one work properly, and you should not book a flight out on the evening of day seven.
Ask us about Inca Trail & Rainbow Mountain, 8 Days
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